Seoul & Korea worries

Hi all,

in about 2 weeks, I'll arrive in Incheon airport, around noontime and probably seriously jetlagged.

Will it be easy to find reasonable motels or guest houses, e.g. in Bukchon or near the palaces, or is it advisable to book in advance? How is the situation in the rest of the country when travelling around: booking ahead advisable or, as in most other Asian countries I know, just get there and look around?

Also, guidebook says most Korean restaurants don't serve single customers. Will this be a serious problem for someone who is interested in Korean food and wants to shun Golden Arches and other Western chains?

Going from Busan to Jeju-Do: is it advisable to book boats ahead (or to fly), or can I expect to walk there and get a berth?

Thanks

Edited by: xyrxmir

Hello! First of all, Korea was one our favourites - out of 51! Awesome country/people!

Don't worry about the jet-lag - our blog entry on Getting from Seoul Incheon International Airport to Downtown by bus couldn't be easier! Korea is also an incredibly safe country - we repeatedly saw women leave their purses on an overhead shelf in the subway then sit down - and this was in Seoul - a city with a population of 10 million!

Seoul was the only place we made/ seemed to need reservations. We stayed in a very conveniently located, clean, reasonably priced hotel - the Holiday In Korea which had a great included breakfast of serve yourself hard boiled eggs, jam, toast, coffee - all-you-can-eat! They speak English and you can email them too, although we had some trouble with that. It was easy to get close to finding the hotel, harder to actually figure out which narrow alley to walk up (it's safe), but Koreans are VERY helpful and kind - it's not a problem - for sure someone will show you the way. (And once you know it's easy).

Other places we made extensive use of the FABULOUS tourist info booths which are everywhere and always have someone who speaks English! They are SUPER organized - maps, train and bus schedules - you name it! And - they will make phone calls for you (in Korean!) to hotels you're interested in so that you know that they have room before you go. We literally found them outside every bus terminal and train station - it seriously couldn't get any easier!

If you're interested, here is our blog about our trip to Korea and our pictures of Korea.

Now, have a wonderful time and DON'T tell anyone about it! ;) Korea has VERY few western tourists! It's awesome! :)

Hope that helps! Happy travels!

Wendy Sewell
[www.ianandwendy.com]

PS - Almost forgot you asked about single people being served in a restaurant. Since we were together this was never a problem although as a vegetarian I did sit and watch Ian eat enough Korean BBQ for two - that definitely wasn't available in single portions. But, even if restaurants are a problem we ate awesome food on the street all over the place and you can be as adventurous (pig intestine sausage stuffed with blood, veggies and meat) or not (veggie sushi, potato and green onion pancakes) as you like. Bon apetit!

Edited by: ianandwendy

As far as restaurants are concerned, it's not often a problem as a single diner, unless you're maybe going for a banquet or sampgyupsal. Places like 김밥천국 (just an example) have Korean food that's cheap and good for eating alone.

More to reality, there are not info booths on every corner, but if you look at the gov. tourism webpage, you can find phone numbers to call that are quite helpful.

http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/index.kto

Also, there will be quite a few restaurants that you can't eat in as a lone diner, but there are plenty that you can. Probably more than you will have time to. The kimbap lunch places--usually orange and white colors on the outside windows--are a good choice (though why anyone would expect you to know the Korean alphabet is beyond me).

That does raise a point, however; many of my friends said they learned the alphabet in an afternoon. Me, I am thick in the skull; it took most of a week. Do yourself a favor and learn it before you come. Even if you read like a kindergartner, it will still help with things, especially menus.

The main problem being a lone diner is that the food is designed for more than one person, so it's just far too much for one.

How is the situation in the rest of the country when travelling around: booking ahead advisable or, as in most other Asian countries I know, just get there and look around?

If it's not weekend or vacation time no need to book in advance.

Going from Busan to Jeju-Do: is it advisable to book boats ahead (or to fly), or can I expect to walk there and get a berth?

Again -for the boat-: If it's not weekend or vacation time no need to book in advance.
- for the air- if you book in advance or there is a promo (usually only if you book in advance) price is lower;

Regarding food:
they are some kind of meals made to be shared (4 persons etc.) but you have plenty of options to try different types of Korean food also if you are alone.

Don't worry
Enjoy Korea is fantastic!

Hi!

I stayed in the Insadong area in this hotel: http://www.seoulbusinesshotel.com.
Good location and clean rooms .
have a good trip
Mario