Though it is one of the most ravishing places in East Asia — one which can prove dangerously addictive for anyone with a keen taste for sweeping skylines, strikingly beautiful Joseon-era temples and palaces, diverse culinary offerings and endless parades of shopping streets — Seoul, South Korea is also a city that is bound to overwhelm first-time travellers with the strength and variety of its amorous abode.
They say never underestimate the sheer size of Seoul. Even for returning visitors to the city, its colossal-sized districts each offering multiple sides to what Seoul can offer, choosing an area to stay is a crucial first step.
What is perhaps less well publicised is the fact that the area you choose to call home for a week can drastically change the experience if one mistakenly ignores to consider it based on the type of traveller they are.
While most would consider Myeongdong as a guiding entry, a well-known secret to start one’s journey in the heart of Seoul is to begin at Gwanghwamun Square — which lies the city’s cultural heartland. It is a breathtaking place, and easily one-of-its-kind in the world, where old relics of history, art, and culture preserved to wade through time in palaces are found among glass-battered skyscrapers. Its jaw-breaking factor is its immense avenues sharing both areas where cars and people co-exist — guiding walkways with touches of history simply didn’t exist till the 2010s.
But it is Gwanghwamun Gate that stuns, which serves as the imposing main entry of Gyeongbokgung Palace.
Nestled on the edge of the captivating square is also where one might find the Four Seasons Hotel Seoul. The property is one of the youngest addition to the Four Seasons brand, whose other game-changing hotels, scattered across the most captivating corners of the globe, and its exceedingly attentive service standards, have earned them the reputation of having the most refined properties in the world.
The luxury hotel group’s recent entry into South Korea has been a game changer. It is certainly good-looking: no mean feat for a hotel that is in an area limited in size and competition. Housed in a tower bearing horizontal beams and curved roofs mirroring the stately awe of traditional Korean architecture, it becomes hard-to-miss, and blends in exceptionally well with the area.
Its interior transformations — a modern take on traditional Korean design — have been created by LTW DESIGNWORKS, a young Singapore-based interior-design practice which also has the Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur in its portfolio.
“You won’t find more spacious accommodations anywhere else in the capital,” the hotel’s website boldly states. Indeed, even the entry-level rooms have been sized similarly, if not equal, to that of suites in other hotels around the vicinity. Taking up a large portion of most rooms is the bathroom, which has been outfitted with high-tech, spa-like qualities with its muted marbles and oversized tub.
Another mean feat is its customisable Four Seasons Beds and floor-to-ceiling windows that flood the interiors with natural light. “Cool and contemporary, each room’s décor draws inspiration from Seoul’s past while also keeping a keen eye on the future, combining classic Korean nature motifs, traditional ideographs and geometric shapes with a clean, modern aesthetic,” the hotel iterates.
There is plenty to do, too. Its urban Spa includes an invitation for a dip in a year-round pool or relax in its traditional Korean sauna — which by its look reveals a modern, luxurious take on the cultural communal bathing practice. Restaurant options include Cantonese cuisine at Yu Yuan, drinks at Charles H, or the new contemporary bar, OUL — which creative menus are managed by newly-appointed Head Bartender, Odd Strandbakken and Beverage Creative Director, Alyssa Heidt.
View more of the Four Seasons Hotel Seoul here.
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