aztimm

So I finally pulled the plug and booked a mileage run to Seoul. I was last there in 1996, and don't recall any of these hotels (perhaps some were there).

Here's the rate/night and points:
* Grand Hilton: KRW 200k or 40k points
* Millennium Hilton: KRW 250k or 50k points
* Conrad: KRW 315k or 60k points OR 24k points + KRW 114k

I'm actually leaning toward the Conrad, doing the points + money. The other properties aren't currently offering that for the dates I'll be there.


I'll be arriving at ICN around 9pm on a Friday. How difficult would it be to get to the Conrad at that hour? In reading this (and other) threads, the Millennium is close to Seoul Station, which has trains direct from ICN.
I leave around 5pm on a Monday, so I don't think there will be any issues getting from town to ICN for that.

I do (or used to at least) speak Korean. I've been all over the city, but it has been quite a while. Heck, the last time I was there I stayed at a hole in the wall mom & pop hotel for maybe $25/night.

Need

When I was there in June, I took the limo bus 6030 from ICN. Conrad was the 3rd or 4th stop. There is a bus leaving every half an hour or so starting around 4am. I think the last bus leaves the airport around 11pm. The bus ride is around 50 min I think. So if you just missed the bus, it could take up to 80 min.

monahos

The Conrad on points + money is a no-brainer. We're talking about a mediocre, penny-pinching, tired Hilton (Millenium), an inconveniently located convention hotel (Grand Hilton), and a brand-new, top-notch Conrad, which I rate easily 2 categories above the Hilton.

Every time I stay at the Millenium, I get the distinct feeling I am paying for the city center location only, and matter less to the hotel than the Chinese tour groups which flock there because of the attached casino. I suppose the latter more than makes up for the discounted room rates paid by those groups! On the basis of accommodation quality, the Millenium should be 35k on straight points tops, if the Conrad is 60k.

The one thing the Millenium does better is the breakfast pastries, as its attached bakery is one of the more reputed ones in town. The Conrad's are forgettable.

You can get to the Conrad either by direct bus, or by train/subway with only one change. The bus is more comfortable (2-1 domestic F style seating) and convenient, the subway more economical. However you might have a bit of a hard time finding the hotel after getting off the subway station for the first time (easy after you've done it once, ~7' walking at a good clip). I'd suggest bus inbound, subway outbound? Evening traffic inbound shouldn't be too bad, especially as the Conrad is 'downstream' of Gangnam, and thus spared most traffic jams. The outbound bus sometimes gets caught up in these upstream, although that shouldn't be a problem with your timing.

aztimm

Thank you both for the very quick replies! ^
Just booked the Conrad on the points + money option. I'll periodically check and can always cancel/rebook.

I'll probably do the bus on the inbound leg.
I did some researching on other options, and the best looks to be express train ICN to SEL (Kimpo Airport), then subway from there.

I might have another FT'er or 2 joining me (shoot me a PM if you're interested and I'll share details), and if so, I think we'd all be most comfortable in the bus.

While I do enjoy a good breakfast if it is free, it certainly isn't a dealbreaker for me. I normally bring some protein bars and other snacks when I travel. I can eat one of those, then head out for some real food in town (I'm suddenly craving some wonton soup).

Now to brush up on my Korean

Need

The breakfast at Conrad Seoul at the Zest restaurant (free for Gold and Diamond) is the most amazing breakfast buffet I had among all the Conrad and Hilton I have visited. I think monahos said that the "pastries" is better at Millenium, but I think it would hard to beat Conrad Seoul's breakfast spread.

When we were there, we pretty much ate at Zest and skip lunch for the day. BTW, the food court level at the mall downstairs had tons of good food too.

monahos

Both the Conrad and Millenium Hilton have a very large breakfast spread. The Conrad's features higher quality ingredients throughout; some of the Hilton's are cafeteria-grade. The ever-rising fruit prices in Korea mean fruit/juice selection will understandably pale in comparison to e.g. Thailand.

However the pastries/breads at the Millenium Hilton's come directly from its attached bakery/deli, where well-to-do locals gladly pay >KRW2000 for a small danish, and of a much higher quality than most of the other choices, whereas the converse applies, to a lesser degree, at the Conrad.

The Grand Hilton's breakfast is not memorable, I literally do not recall much about it!

Anyway, when in Seoul I find myself restricting my breakfast intake to leave room for the inevitable plentiful meals which are sure to follow later in the day!

txflyer77

The bus is definitely an easy option to/from the Conrad. Plus, the metro station near the Conrad is a bit of a walk, even though it's attached if you go through the mall. Couldn't find the entrance to the Conrad from the mall the first time I did it so I had to go ask a security guard at a nearby building.

The EL at the Conrad is also fantastic. Breakfast spread at Zest is better but very crowded on weekends.

NorthOrSouth

We’ve just finished a two night stay at the Gyeongju Hilton and I thought I’d write up add some recent information here on the hotel and the surroundings.

We arrived from a KTX train. There are buses (number 700) from the KTX station to the hotel. About one an hour and 1500 won. The Seoul T-card is accepted on the buses so we just used that. They also take cash. Taxis were available but they are obviously more expensive. Bus took just over 30 minutes.

We were able to check in to the hotel at 12:15. Due to my Diamond status we got an upgrade to a lakeview suite on a high floor, complimentary breakfasts, complimentary access to the pool and the sauna. A small bowl of fruit was also delivered after we arrived in the room. Internet was free throughout the hotel for everyone.

Our two room suite was quite large. Windows could be opened at the bottom. Comfortable bed. Not so comfortable large sofa. Fridge which had space to put in our own bottles of water, just as well really as only two small bottles of water were put in the room each day. Room looked recently refurbished and in good condition. Bathroom had a standalone shower as well as a shower over the bath.

Outside was the garden area with some sculptures. Easy access to the lakefront. Think UK seafront resort out of season and you get the idea. As it was good weather for most of our stay there were quite a few people around and it was fun if quite kitsch. This isn’t the historic area of town but the ‘resort’ area. In the evening there are lots of coloured lights and illuminations around the lake which you can see from the hotel. On the day we left it was raining and it did look emptier and gloomier. Some of the restaurants were closed around the lake but in high season I guess they’d all be open. There are plenty of coffee places (including a Starbucks) and small grocery stores nearby.

Bus access was fine to the city centre (number 11) and to the Bulguksa temple (number 10) where you can get an onwards bus to the Grotto (number 12). About every 15 minutes to town and 20 to the temple. All journeys seemed to be 1450 or 1500 won. The tourist map is pretty rubbish though as places and scale don’t match up very well with what’s on the map.

In the hotel the staff members spoke variable English. If we got someone who didn’t speak much we thanked them, waited a bit then returned when someone else was around. They were helpful though even when they had limited English.

We had one lunch in the hotel. It was fine but expensive – one sandwich, one pastry, one double espresso and one tea was 39000 won. We did room service one evening as we were pretty tired. It was better value as two main meals were 42000 won. The hotel restaurants generally looked pricy. The breakfast buffet was very extensive however on both mornings someone sneezed without covering their mouth over open bowls of food and that put me off the uncovered items. We used several nearby coffee and cake places which were pretty good. We also took the bus into town one evening for a bibimbap dinner.

We took the bus (number 700 again) back to the KTX. There were plenty of taxis around but the buses were quiet and frequent so we saw no need to get a taxi.

Hope this is helpful. If anyone has any specific questions, best to PM me and I might be able to help.

Bowgie

I stayed for four nights at the Gyeongju Hilton in July 2013 as a Gold. Overall, had a wonderful time. NorthOrSouth's comments are spot on.

I recommend eating ONLY the complementary (for Gold or Diamond) breakfast at this hotel. Fortunately, there is an excellent restaurant that does Korean BBQ beef at your table. Just walk across the street, and you'll find it.

MisterSelfish

Mrs. Selfish and I stayed here for one night in early October. Overall I was pretty surprised by the scale of the Hilton Gyeongju - I wasn't expecting it to be a massive complex.

Then again, I was expecting Gyeongju to be more quaint - while there are plenty of interesting sites to see, it's overrun with tourist attractions. The only US analog I can think of is Colonial Williamsburg.

PROS
+ Able to use points to get a standard or a deluxe room - same cost. Was upgraded to a Lake View Suite thanks to gold status.
+ Room was spacious, had a decent view of the lake.
+ Hotel is conveniently located next to a number of buses
+ Cabs are really cheap in Gyeongju, so getting to town or attractions is a relatively inexpensive affair.

CONS
- Hotel is a bit dated

Good value for money, though if I were to do it all again I'd probably just stay in Busan and take a train up for the day.


Full review with pictures on the ol' blog for anyone who is interested.

FT-hss

Is one better than other for going sightseeing (public transportation) and easy food places access? I am taking family of 4 there for 4 nights. Gold status only. Using 1 free night, 2 points+cash and 1 paid at this time.

monahos

Millenium, no contest.

aztimm

If they are offering points + cash, I suggest neither and go with the Conrad

SeoulMan

The Millennium is a modern hotel in the older, more established part of the city. The immediate neighborhood is quieter than much of the city, and some worthwhile attractions are possibly walkable (depending on how much people like to walk). There’s no subway station very close by; however, historical and cultural attractions are not as far away as they would be from the Conrad or the Grand, and there are plenty of dining possibilities nearby.

The Conrad is located on an island considered the “Wall Street” of Seoul. It’s a hotel appropriate for the Financial District - high tech, with luxury shopping and dining nearby; also a conveniently located subway station -- all in a bustling area of town. However, most of the important and interesting cultural highlights of Seoul are a long ride away. The Grand also is not very well located for sightseeing.

With a family, I'd choose the Millennium.

FT-hss

Millennium is not doing cash+points. Conrad does except for first night.
With my free night certificate, the Hilton CS gave me 2 Queen accessible room (works great for us) for the first night. I plan to book night 2,3,4 as 24K+$105 since we have almost 72K points left in one HH account. Later I might switch night 2,3 to free night if DW manages to get Citi HHonors 2 free nights by June. Do they charge taxes on top of points+cash booking?