Seoul Hotel Location
 

Evening,

I will be spending two and a half days in Seoul later this year and am curious about hotel location.

Thinking about booking the Park Hyatt since the points redemption there is still decent. However, I have heard complaints that it's location is less than ideal.

The major reason we are traveling to Seoul is to visit the DMZ (wife is very interested ;) ) and to at least get a day in poking around the city. Considering we already plan on spending some time away from the city area, would people here recommend staying closer to downtown to maximize what we can experience - or is the travel thing not really that big of a deal?

Beyond that, any comments on what "must see" sites we should hit for the day and a half we will have free?

Thanks in advance!

I have stayed across the street of the PH several times. Whilst the location is not ideal for exploring the "old" city center of Seoul, there are plenty of restaurants and bars around in the area for the evening (particularly around Gangnam metro). The city center is easy to get to using the metro, which is just at the PH and takes around 20-30 mins. Taxis are cheap as well.
So if the value is good and you don't mind taking the metro or taxis, I wouldn't hesitate to stay there.

I would probably stay right around the City Hall area. There are some good hotels right there... Westin, Lotte Hotel, Plaza hotel. This area is close to everything cultural in Seoul. You could walk out of your hotel and within 5 minutes be at the front gate of some palace.

There's not that many cultural stuff near the PH.
So if driving and traffic is not a concern, then it should be a fine hotel.
And you really can't go back and forth from the hotel to your destinations easily.
But if you want short distance to different sites, then Westin, GH, Hilton, etc are more ideal.

Thanks for the responses thus far.

Driving and or taking the metro isn't a concern - I just worry more about maximizing our time there since a good chuck of it will be spent on a DMZ tour. Is the city hall area also a good location to take in some of the modern attractions and night life?

Let me give my thoughts on night life. I know that Itaewon and Hongdae area are very vibrant areas for night life. Itaewon being the most international area but can get a bit too crazy at night. Its also limited to just a few streets. If you are looking for a souvenir then this is a nice place to look.

Hongdae is an area near the Hongdae university that is quite popular with a younger crowd. Lots of various shops, restaurants, fun places to walk and explore. I posted an easy walking tour that anyone can do. You can find it here. Hongdae is listed as itinerary #4. Not sure why #3 shows up so big.

Insadong is also a great place to explore. That is listed in itin #1. I think during the day time they have a rice cake making demonstration?

Then down south of the river, you have areas like Gangnam. But my experience here is limited. You have an area called Garosugil. It is a street lined with shops and restaurants. More info here. There are also some of the nicer clubs in Gangnam, but I haven't the slightest idea where or how they operate.

Anywhere north of the river (e.g. City Hall) will be more traditional. The Westin is in a fantastic location though... when you walk out of that hotel, you seriously feel indigenous. :D I'd say the newer Gangnam hotels would be closer to the modern nightlife scene though. I personally quite like the Intercontinental COEX, it's close to shopping, bars and there is a (rather boring) casino next door. The Ritz is also quite nice and surprisingly good value, but in a slightly different area.

Seoul is a difficult city to transverse during the day.

Pay close attention to where your meetings at located and pick a hotel.

There are good hotels in every area.

There are good hotels North of River near downtown near Namdaemun, Hyatt and Shilla are north of river.

If your meetings are South of River in Gangnam the COEX Intercontinental and Ritz Carlton are in Gangnam.

But check where your business meetings will be.

Ask your hosts if they have a partnership with a local hotel.

When I was a business partner with Samsung they got us an unbelievable rate at hotels.

I just came back from Seoul last week and stayed at the InterCon Coex for 3 nights. So I have a similar length of time to yours, with 3 full days. For the 4 days, I spent 3 travelling up across the river to the sights like Insadong, Myeongdong, Hongdae.

My experience, definitely with limited time, you should stay at the northern side. The Park Hyatt is right opposite the Samseong subway and it takes approximately 30 minutes to the city hall area where most touristy stuff are located, with 1-2 change in lines. (When I was staying at the InterCon Coex, I spend 10 min just walking to the subway)

I spend my last morning and afternoon at the Gangnam area. There are indeed A LOT of shopping, restaurants and stuff around the area, however, it doesn't feel very cultural. In fact, it could just be in another international city, so I don't think this would be where you want to be to get the most out of your stay. (My hubby actually said that it felt a little like Manhattan with the grid planning, lol).

My to-go places are

- Noryangjin Fisheries (Seoul's version of Tsukiji Market) - Love the varieties of seafood available and it's open 24 hours! Buy some raw seafoods and they will bring you to a restaurant where you can get it cooked or sashimi-ed.

- Hongdae - It's a nice area to walk around, there are several cafes where you can sit and people watch.

- Insadong - traditional cultural area, also if you play some music, do not miss Nakwon Music Instrument Arcade located very close by.

Definitely stay near City Hall / Myeongdong. Gangnam is a busy area, sure, but it's detached from all the sights you'll want to see. There are TONS of buses into central Seoul from Gangnam that are faster than the subway, but I know most first time visitors stick to the subway. It's much easier.

How well located is the Grand Ambassador (location here), you reckon?

I've never been to Seoul before. Currently it's on top of my list. I have Le Club Platinum status and the price is decent.

The alternatives I looked into are the Sheraton D Cube and the Lotte World, but the former seems to be quite out of the way and the Lotte World will probably be full of children, which I love, but not on a relaxing holiday!

The Grand Ambassador is technically very central, but the roads and public transit access are kind of limited in that immediate area. You are close enough on a map, but a taxi probably won't take you to the places nearby because it's too close. Line 3 is right there, but Line 3 isn't very central for going around Seoul. Line 4 and 2 are the best

Those others you listed are both very far from central Seoul. Sheraton D Cube is nice, but it's very far east. Around 30-40 minutes from central seoul by taxi or public transit. Not to mention that the Sindorim subway station can be very confusing with the connecting lines. And there's not much around it for a tourist.

Lotte World is even further out than Gangnam, maybe 30 minutes further east. Again, there are special express buses to central Seoul, but it'd be difficult to navigate for a first timer (becasue there are thousands of buses). Also a dead zone for a first time tourist.

I hate to be repetitive, but Myeongdong and City Hall are the best because of their central location to all of the tourist sites and ease to access other places on the subway. I'm just thinking about walking around AND being close to the subway. No need to wander for 30 minutes on foot when you can do it easily by public transportation.

Myeongdong is also home to tons of boutique hotels. If you want a big hotel, try Lotte Hotel or Shilla Hotel.

You can go to nightlife areas easily from Myeongdong, too. As you're central there, you can go in any direction. If you go Gangnam, for instance, you're at the far end and have to go back and forth.

I hope this all makes sense.

Three worthwhile grand hotels in Seoul as for location and other standards, The Lotte, The Westin and The Millenium Hilton.

The Grand Hyatt lobby bar is a must visit though for the views. ;)

Thanks a lot for you reply. I really appreciate it!

The Westin, the Lotte or the Shilla all look like amazing options, but they are definitely more expensive than the Grand Ambassador, for which I would pay 1314500.00 KRW for 5 nights, with a likely upgrade to a better room with my Le Club status.

The Westin is currently quoted at 1,730,300.00 KRW and the Shilla and the Lotte just a little bit less than that...

I'm really not sure now! :-)

Can I ask you why the Shilla? Based on what I can see on Google Maps, it's actually further from Myeongdong than the Grand Ambassador and it's also on line 3... Am I missing something?