WHERE TO STAY?


That depends on what sort of Korea clients want to experience – uber-modern, heritage or a mix of both. -iÌÕ>Ìi` in -ioÕl½Ã wn>nVi>l `iÃÌÀiVÌ] Conrad is a favourite of A-listers: while I was staying, fans gathered outside for a glimpse of Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min. Further east along the Han River is Signiel, housed in


Korea’s tallest building with rooms stretching to the 101st yooÀ q }ÕiÃÌà V>n immiÀÃi ÌhimÃilÛià in loV>l VÕlÌÕÀi in Korean rooms with wooden bathtubs. Also nearby is the elegant, French-styled 5QƂVGN #ODCUUCFQT. Four Seasons Hotel Seoul is the perennial luxury choice, positioned in the very heart of the city. It takes inspiration from its Korean surroundings with its decor, Kyeong Rak deep tissue massages and excellent range of exploratory excursions in Seoul and beyond. oÀ > Ì>ÃÌi ov ÌÀ>`iÌion ­ÜiÌhoÕÌ Ã>VÀiwVin} VomvoÀÌ®]


suggest Nostalgia, a collection of historic Korean homes-turned-holiday-lets in Bukchon Hanok Village.


ª PAIR IT WITH


FROM FAR LEFT: Gyeongbokgung Palace; Gwangjang Market; lobby at Four Seasons Hotel Seoul


Triple-peaked Bukhansan is the highest mountain within Seoul’s city limits, reaching almost 840 metres into the sky. My guide, Roger Shepherd of HikeKorea, describes the sugarloaf-shaped granite summits as the “epitome of the Oriental landscape”. They play an important part in Seoul’s identity, having kept invaders out of the Korean capital for centuries. Along the ridge is a part of an 18th-century fortress wall, which climbs and undulates with the contours of the forest. Although the quickest path


to the highest peak, Baegundae – where you can pose next to C -QTGCP ƃCI QT UKV FQYP CPF admire the cityscape – is just WPFGT VJTGG OKNGU + ƂPF KV C tough challenge, clambering over boulders at the bottom and hauling my bodyweight up via ferratas close to the top. However, with trickling streams, tiny waterfalls, chants from the hermetic monks at the mountain shrine and uniquely Korean foliage lining the path, it’s a total change of scenery from Seoul’s urban sprawl – an entirely peaceful and timeless place to spend a day, FGURKVG VJG HCEV KV TGEGKXGU ƂXG million visitors a year.


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CREDITS: Shutterstock/Jinny Jin, Sudong Kim, Ken Seet


Seoul


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