Hotels, not hostels. I'll never stay in a hostel...

The guesthouse I stayed at was the popular Namsan guesthouse back in 2012 I think? Everyone was harping about how good this guesthouse is for the price, blah blah blah. Beds were not comfy at all for me, I had sores all over my back every day and yes I slept in the most optimal position too. I could hear the rooms next door at night very clearly too, which I didn't like. Cleanliness was just so-so, though there were still pubic hairs on the bedsheets so... yeah. Toilet had some stains of pee, but was easily washed off.
Then when it came to eating or cleaning, well... I know it's called a guesthouse for a reason and not a hotel, but to me I felt I wasted time doing unnecessary things where I could spend it touring outside instead.

Then of course they once had a curfew time of coming back at a certain time (11pm I think?). I found that really stupid. That was the only 1 time I stayed in a guesthouse.

Ever since then, every time I go S.Korea, I'll stay in a hotel or a serviced apartment. Yeah ultimately is you pay for what you get. But I get the extras I appreciate like free parking for my car, actually clean rooms that are pre-inspected, the same no hassle check ins even if most hotels only allow check-ins at 3pm (really, sometimes people just need to learn how to ask politely, many foreigners don't) and of course privacy.

The way I see it, if I'm going to walk so much, going from places to places, covering many areas, coming back late at whatever time I wish, and just like freaking relax without "rules" so I can recharge my batteries for the next day, that's what I like.

I'm sure there are a lot of good guesthouses, otherwise they won't remain popular until today. My experience was a one-off, so I'm absolutely not generalizing. No one should take my word that guesthouses are bad. But for me since then, I'd gladly pay more for my own sake of convenience basically.

This post has been edited by SSJBen: Oct 15 2016, 02:14 PM

Ya, that's why my opinion on guesthouses are not valid.


Agree, that's why I mentioned service apartments too, which doubles as airbnb also. Usually I stay at gangnam, it's a matter of convenience for me really.

But since most of my visits now a days are only a week+, hotels suit me quite well. Longer visits I definitely go for service apartments/airbnb.

Boring as in not much things to do? That I agree. But I've been living in gangnam since I was transfering from Busan to Seoul when I was still working there. So it's very convenient for me as I know the place quite well.
Nothing about being boring or not, I honestly don't think anywhere is really boring if you know where to look for things and what to do.

But let's not digress further as this is a travel thread.

Attractions wise, nothing interesting. If one is buddhist, the Bongeunsa temple is quite decent to visit. But other than that, it's a rich man's playground. It's high life style, fine dining, and for those who like to spot celebrities; they're really not that difficult to look for in gangnam. Have at times occasionally walked into cafes and just see a kpop star there buying coffee, it's like almost nothing really.

But yeah, attractions wise... it's boring.

COEX pales in comparison to our own Pavillion though...


Yeah... until today I still don't understand how Incheon is the best airport in the world.

As for the railway workers strike, that one cakap besar only. I was there on the week the strike was going on, public transport services weren't disrupted much (if at all).

Service charge @ 10%
VAT @ 10%

Few years ago they had tax refund for a few dozens of hotels. Too bad they didn't continue that trend.

Yup, total 21%.

But take note that not all hotels follow the standard of including the tax rate into the quoted room charge.

Quite rush. Spending 2 half days in Jeju is like the bare minimum, you couldn't even make it to Udo island (which you should) but generally is still quite rushed.
3 days in Busan and 3 days in Seoul is basically doable if you visit the main attractions only, but again understand you will miss out on plenty of places.

My suggestion, either forget Busan or Seoul. Quality over quantity.

This post has been edited by SSJBen: Oct 23 2016, 01:41 PM

1. Usually, cherry blossoms in Jeju earlier than in Seoul. So you're right in going to Jeju first, late March till early April is a good timeframe. In Seoul though, it varies somewhat. The first week of April should be a safe bet, otherwise second week would be best.

2. For me personally; I spend an average (very rough) of 20k won per meal, on average in Seoul. In Jeju, usually around the 15k won mark. Like you said, it's subjective. I can spend 20k won for dinner tonight, but I'd end up spending twice or triple that for the next 2 dinners after. Food is food, I don't really pay attention to food prices when it comes to trips.

4 days in Jeju is pretty okay, assuming you'll be staying in Jeju city (the north side) and you will be renting a car. You'll have enough time for Udo island, Seogwipo area and its surroundings (waterfalls and what not) as well as the east side of Jeju (Seongsan, Manjanggul, etc.etc). Could even squeeze in the west side too.

5 days in Seoul is about the bare minimum. Shouldn't be an issue visiting most of the main attractions.

This post has been edited by SSJBen: Oct 25 2016, 05:35 PM

@bolded
Errr... I don't think that's a great suggestion. My 2 cents is, it's not worth the few bucks saved just to wait for the elevator to the 10th floor, fight with the PRCs and then endure the amount of rudeness from these sakai people.

Stay at the street lol for cosmetics.

Ya they are seriously on a different level when it comes to shopping. I've seen many PRC harass the salesmen and salesladies too, but alas their managers all don't care because money talks.


Wooooh! Dem' marbles!

Just popping in to remind new travelers to S.Korea - beware that cult recruitment is on the rise.

Why I say this? An accomplice of mine just got into some trouble with some cult last week. Since it's quite P&C, I don't want to explain too much on what happened but basically look out for:

- People coming up to talk to you for no reason (in Seoul, it is actually rather socially unacceptable to go up to anyone just to "chat")

- "Let's go have a drink!" or "Wanna just join up and we can tour together?" kind of invitations. Again, any normal local will not just come up to you to ask that out of the blue.

- These cult recruiters usually come in pairs. One usually speaks good English, the other not so. They prey on foreigners because generally travelers are very naive, especially more so when these recruiters are young, cute looking girls who could pass as a kpop idol easily.


Not trying to start anything or scare anyone here, just a little heads up.


*EDIT*
And no, not bringing this up due to the whole Choi and Park scandal. Cult recruiting has been going on for decades.

This post has been edited by SSJBen: Oct 31 2016, 06:41 PM

A lot of PRCs stay at these 2 hotels as well as ibis ambassador (popular budget hotels). I suggest to avoid. Freaking noisy at night, dirty as well.

Some subways were jammed up a few days ago and last week.

Now generally people go back onto their daily lives already. Can protest like crazy, but at the end of the month there are still bills to pay and food to be put on table.

Welp, here's another bad news: South Korea has determined that H5N6 bird flu has been detected.

So to anyone going there in the near future, do expect to be quarantined if any symptoms arise. Stay safe guys!

No budget limit?

Just take Korean Air then. Simple.

You DON'T change your license, you get an international driving permit. 2 different things, please don't go JPJ there tell them you want to change license.

Why must use sim card? Just go rent a wifi egg instead.

Sort of? You can try out the Seoul city tour which will allow you to join a short tour from the Incheon airport. But whether or not you can just go around the city, that's a little tricky to tell the immigration officer.

Some brief details here - https://www.airport.kr/pa/en/d/2/3/5/index.jsp?tabIndex=2


Not that I recommend it, but better than staring at people I guess.

Lotte World is mostly an indoor park, so unless you love the cold weather or have immunity to freezing bites, I suggest to go to Lotte World for winter. It's also nearer to Seoul and pretty straight forward to go to.

I personally like Everland more though, but definitely a little harsh at the peak of winter.

You'll probably use the most cash in Jeju and Busan (sort of) though. Many places there don't accept credit cards, except for restaurants (even then, not all restaurants take cards either). So just budget for those 2 places properly, cash wise.