20 ESSENTIAL EXPERIENCES FOR THE ULTIMATE SEOUL STAY
20 Essential Experiences for the Ultimate Seoul Stay - Luxury Travel Magazine
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20 Essential Experiences for the Ultimate Seoul Stay | |||||
| By: Prue Rushton, Issue 32 – Spring 2007 | |||||
| (Seoul – South Korea) | |||||
| FOR DECADES, SEOUL HAS SAT SANDWICHED BETWEEN BEIJING TO THE WEST AND TOKYO TO THE EAST. LONG OVERSHADOWED BY THESE SUPER CITIES, SEOUL IS BEGINNING TO SWING THE RADAR OF HIP CULTURE IN ITS OWN DIRECTION. | |||||
| While some are dubbing it ‘the new Tokyo’, Seoul has its own vision of how it wants to be. It straddles many spectacular dichotomies: iconic modern glass business towers against a ring of spectacular green mountains; superhighways against neat and narrow back streets; hip bars and restaurants against traditional tea houses and temples; tight urban networks of designer chic shops against big back-to-nature parks. All of which add up to a city with a thoroughly modern mix of old and new to luxe out in. Take the lift up to N Seoul Tower Observatory at sunset for the best view of the vast expanse of one of the top 10 largest cities in the world and wait for the city lights to come on. www.nseoultower.co.kr, ph 82 2 3455 9200- 9201 01. Curl up on the red sofa in the Extreme Wow Suite or slip into an outdoor Hinoki tub and breathe in the mountain air at W Seoul-Walkerhill Hotel. www.starwoodhotels.com, ph 82 2 465 2222 02. Wander through ancient pavilions and over tiny bridges and ponds in the World Heritage Secret Garden at Changdeok Palace built in 1405. 03. Pass through the fuschia lotus lanterns into the magical setting of Sanchon restaurant in the arts area of Insa-dong. Owned by a former Buddhist monk, dine on the 20 dish temple cuisine menu. www.sanchon.com, ph 82 2 735 0312 04. Be transfixed by the world’s largest pixelated screen that forms the exterior of Galleria then step inside this luxury shopper’s Mecca in fashion district central Apujoeng-dong. www.galleria.co.kr, ph 82 2 410 7114 05. Spot the smile in the serious but brilliantly multi-coloured Changing of the Guard ceremony at Deoksugung Palace. 10.30 – 11.15, 13.30 – 14.15, 15.00 – 15.45, every day except Mondays. 06. Sip coffee and soak up the sidewalk café style at Slow Food. Not quite Paris, but still plenty to gawk at with the passers by in Kangnam-Gu. Ph 82 2 515 8255 07. Admire the exquisite, six centuries old architecture of Gyeongbokgung Palace then step next door to discover old Seoul at the National Folk Museum. Ph 82 2 732 1931 08. Slip into a fur-lined banquette and sex up your stomach at the super-sleek Park Restaurant. Oysters, naturally, are a starter then work up to eggplant stuffed with beef. Ph 82 2 512 6333 09. Brave it on the sidewalk with Seoul’s most favoured of street food cuisines, bondeagi - a cup of boiled silkworm larvae. 10. Pay homage to the night-lit water spectacle of Cheonggyeheon Stream, a triumph of environmentalism over capitalism whereby a super-highway was ripped up to reveal this ancient water way. 11. Stroll through ancient streets in the restored Namsangol Honk Village. Re-created like a time capsule it’s easy to imagine the lives that might have been. www.hanokmaeul.org, ph 82 2 2264 4412 12. Turn your ears on at the legendary Once in a Blue Moon jazz nightclub. Choose from over 100 wines then settle into some of the best of be-pop to jazz fusion. www.onceinabluemoon.co.kr, ph 82 2 549 5490 13. Get slinky on the dance floor at JJ Mahoneys nightclub inside the Grand Hyatt Hotel. For the weary or watchers, settle down into a setting of plush leather banquettes, Persian rugs and antiques. www.seoul.grand.hyatt.com, ph 82 2 797 1234 14. Get artsy at Kukje Gallery, with all the angled architecture of a mini Guggenheim. Housing some of the coolest names in contemporary art, do not leave without slipping inside the white cube style restaurant, unforgettably named The Restaurant, to try its sophisticated take on modern French cuisine. www.kukjegallery.com, 82 2 735 8449 15. Walk barefoot in the park and get up close to deer and elk in Seoul Forest, the Central Park of Seoul. The government turned down a $4 billion business project and spent US$243 million on reclaiming land to create this urban peace zone full of golf courses, horseriding trails and an open-air theatre. 16. Join in the temple life at Jogyesa Temple and learn the gentle art of tea making and zen meditation. Talk with the monks or watch them in a martial arts display. www.international.jogyesa.or.kr, ph 82 2 732 5292 17. Get your fortune told or your picture taken with a punk band at Marronnier Park, the Harijuku of Seoul in the theatre district of Daehango. Ph 82 2 757 00860 18. Finish up the night by slipping behind silk drapes and reclining in cushioned comfort as you sip on some of the best wines offered in Seoul at the 1920s style AOC wine bar and restaurant in Kangnam. Ph, 82 2 541 9260 19. Before you leave, tee off at the SKY 72 open all hours golf range at Incheon International Airport – recently voted best airport in the world by OAG. www.airport.or.kr, ph 82 2 544 7772 , , | |||||
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