The Beauty of Hanok Stay
Have you guys stayed at a Hanok Guesthouse before?
The popularity of South Korea’s Hanok Guesthouse is increasing. Mostly due to Hallyu, where BTS did their photoshoot for their 2019 Summar Package in Korea at Awon Museum and Hotel. Also where the Korean variety TV show “Youn’s Stay” filmed their spin-off of “Youn’s Restaurant” at Ssangsanje. We would like to share more about these amazing Hanok Guesthouses with you.
Awon Museum and Hotel
Let’s take a look at Awon Museum and Hotel first where BTS was at 💜 Does anyone of you own the BTS 2019 in Korea Summar Package? If you do own it, you get to enjoy not only pictures of BTS but also the uniqueness of the Hanok architecture.
At the Awon Museum and Hotel, you will be surrounded by nature and its beauty. A perfect getaway staycation for those who want to escape from the hustle and bustle in the city to a peaceful and quiet holiday. It’s a great experience to be able to stay at a Hanok as there are not many left in Korea and the Awon Museum and Hotel is a 250 years old Hanok architecture.
Not only a museum and hotel, but it also has a Museum Gallery Cafe where you can enjoy a cup of coffee along with art around you. Even during COVID-19, reservation for the Awon Museum and Hotel is booming. Due to how secluded and private the hotel and location are. Staying at the Awon Museum and Hotel, you get to enjoy the whole Hanok by yourself or with your loved ones. A true healing staycation worth visiting.
Ssangsanje
Now Ssangsanje the Hanok Guest House which is a little closed-off and almost secret-like location in Gurye. Good for social distancing as the rooms and houses are far apart from each other. Not well known globally and not much exposure locally but thanks to Youn’s Stay it is gaining popularity all over the world. At Ssangsanje you get to enjoy nature just right outside your room. Enjoy a hot cup of coffee or Korean ginseng tea while looking at the bamboos.
Youn’s Stay features foreign guests staying at the Ssangsanje Hanok Guest House operated by a group of celebrities like Youn Yuh-jung, Lee Seo-jin, Jung Yu-mi, Park Seo-joon and Choi Woo-shik. At Youn’s Stay, the celebrities prepared many Korean dishes including tteokgalbi (beef patties), jeon (Korean pancake) and gungjung tteokbokki (royal rice cake), etc. Watch the trailer below.
With the Youn’s Stay show popularity skyrocketing globally and locally, South Koreans have been trying to visit and reserve rooms at the Ssangsanje. However, currently the Ssangsanje the Hanok Guest House are not accepting any visitation or reservation due to COVID-19 and other internal schedules. It is still definitely a place to put on your bucket list when it opens! Or visit Awon Museum and Hotel first 💜
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Photo Credit:
Awon. (2021, February 22). Awon [Website]. Retrieved from http://www.awon.kr/
tvN Asia. (2021, February 22). Youn Stay ǀ 尹STAY Highlight [Video file].
YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoKGBcG44v4
Ssangsanje. (2021, February 22). Ssangsanje [Website]. Retrieved from http://www.ssangsanje.com/
What to do during the Korean New Year?
Korean New Year is approaching again! The Korean New Year (Seollal) this year begins on February 12th till 13th 2021. With the Seoul temperature fluctuating between 3°C to -4°C it is hard to decide between staying in or going out during the Korean New Year.
What will you guys be doing this Korean New Year?
We at KoreaTravelEasy are thinking about a staycation in Seoul. Just staying at home or maybe checking into a nice hotel around Seoul. It’s time to treat yourself this Korean New Year! We have a couple of staycation ideas and activities we like to share with you.
Contents
1. Enjoy a Healing Day
Start yourself fresh and new for the 2021 Korean New Year holiday or after. Turn your everyday bathroom into a luxurious spa with some bath bombs, romantic candles, facial treatment, etc. Also maybe select a Korean ballad playlist by BTS, Blackpink, Rain, etc.
Prefer a fancier spa? Treat yourself to a luxurious spa in Seoul. Heard of the Korean brand Sulwhasoo? One of the most famous Korean high-end skincare and makeup brand. They not only sell beauty products but also does luxurious spa with their very own aesthetician and legendary herbal ingredients. You can choose from a simple food and leg treatment to a face vitality treatment.
2. Try Korean Cuisine
Editorial credit: Lewis Tse Pui Lung
Korean cuisine is one of the new cuisines that are slowly taking over the world. People around the world are incorporating Kimchi and even gochujang (Korean chili paste) into their cooking. While there are more than 100 different types of Kimchi there are also a lot of different types of Korean pancakes (Jeon). From a simple stuffed shiitake mushroom Jeon to a skewered pancake (Pasanjeok).
Pasanjeok is usually eaten during the Korean Lunar New Year. Pa meaning green onion, San meaning slicing, and Jeok meaning grill. Just like a kebab skewer with lamb cubes we put green onions, crab stick, ham, radish on a skewer instead. Every household has a different recipe some replace the ham with beef, add carrots, bell peppers, etc.
You can try Pasanjeok and other Korean foods at the Gwangjang Market. The Gwangjang Market was featured on Netflix’s show “Street Food”, where they introduced another must eat Korean noodle dish called “Kalguksu”. Be sure to also try this while you visit Gwangjang Market.
3. Explore Seoul at Night
Editorial credit: SS pixels
During the Korean Lunar New Year, Seoul is usually a little bit more quiet than usual. Many usually leave the capital and return to their hometown to see their family or spend time with their family at home if it is in Seoul. This may be the perfect time for you to explore Seoul while everyone is indoors.
Want to have a professional photographer with you while you visit? We are doing a Seoul Night Walking Tour! We will be visiting Dongdaemun Design Plaza, Dongdaemun Gate, Seoul City Wall, and parks like Naksan Park and Marronnier Park. Marronnier Park is where they filmed many Korean Dramas like Twelve Nights, About Time, Shut Up Flower Boy Band, and many more.
4. Relax at a Fancy hotel
Need more relaxing? Maybe check into a fancy hotel in Seoul. In Korean, we usually call this Hokangseu meaning hotel vacation. Want to relax but don’t want to travel far from where you live? Just do a weekend Hokangseu!
There are many hotels in Seoul with great views of Seoul City Landmarks like the Dongdaemun gate, Namsan Tower, Gyeongbokgung Palace, etc. Want to peaceful and quiet view? There are also many hotels in Seoul offering views of luxurious greeneries like Mount Namsan. Want more information about Seoul Hotels? Visit Kayak for more information.
Happy New Year!
새해 복 많이 받으세요!
(Saehae Bok Mani Badeuseyo)!
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Photo Credit:
Visit Korea. (2021, February 8). Visit Korea [Website]. Sulhwasoo Flagship Store. Retrieved from https://korean.visitkorea.or.kr/detail/rem_detail.do?cotid=78a1be96-240a-4fa4-b7e2-22d7a01d91b9