Brief Encounters | What to do in Seoul – South Korea’s capital is ideal for a weekend away
With superior shopping, excellent eats, Buddhist temples and the DMZ, there is much in this buzzing metropolis to keep visitors entertained
If you blinked thrice you might have missed it. Seoul, for the longest time the gawky teenager of Asian capitals, has metamorphosed into a just-this-side-of sophisticated hipster.
Three deservedly cocky examples include the deliriously funky “Octopus” – KEB Hana Bank Place 1 – which is as refreshing a take on a corporate headquarters as can be found anywhere; S-Factory in Seongsu-dong, that has morphed a decrepit industrial zone into somewhere to dip into the arts and culture and have a bite to eat – it’s sometimes touted as an Asian Brooklyn, but actually it’s got rather more edge; and the Turkish-designed Robot Science Museum, which is not expected to open until 2022 but is going to be crammed with hi-tech stuff and is – inevitably, you might say – building itself. Presumably it’ll be out of date by the time the first visitors arrive.
Where to stay
Seoul’s trad-and-tested accom – Lotte, Shilla, Grand Hyatt and so forth – was given a sharp and perhaps well-deserved kick in the pants when Ryse opened in Hongdae, which is usually qualified with the words “the neighbourhood for creative trendsetters”.
It is quite forgivable to skate past the 270 or so rooms (about US$165 nightly) and just dive into the public areas, a colourful fandango of dining and entertainment crowned by what’s called the “Print Culture Lounge” (more of an artistic salon than a library).
At the other end of just about every possible scale, a 24-hour sleepover at Bongeunsa temple in Gangnam (guaranteed PSY-free) takes in ultra-simple board and lodging and the chance to immerse in Buddhist prayer and practice. Some spa resorts would probably charge an arm and a leg for this type of thing – here it’s US$17 all-in.