Hi, I am Shrikant Shukla from Delhi, India.
When it comes to sharing on Google Maps, I love to share my feedback on anything that invokes feelings in me. Mostly, I like to share about travel-related aspects. Be it the tourist attractions, places to shop or eat, or any landmark that comes across while one travels through those places.
Typically, I rate the places based on the holistic feeling that I get rather than on one particular aspect. Today, I will share my experience of Seoul. The city I like the most. I visited it in the last week (23-27 April 2019).
I stayed at Hotel Peyto Samseong. It is in the Gangnam area of the city. This was made a household name by Psi with his Gangnam style K-pop song—the first video to hit one-billion views on YouTube. The hotel is basic, with a very neat outline. The breakfast is included in the tariff, and is very good. There is a small fitness centre with some dumbbells, a few cycles, and a few treadmills, and there is also a curtain-partitioned very basic small business centre also. The best thing about the hotel is that it is in front of one of the entrances to COEX mall. Also, the city airport terminal is 100 feet away. At this terminal, one can get the boarding done at many airlines, check their baggage, get done with immigration, and then take a limousine (bus) to the Incheon airport (both terminals).
At the first opportunity, I visited the King’s Old Palace. It gave an earthy and ancient feel. Coming from India, I instantly identified with it. The wooden structures, and the dusted playgrounds. The 500-year old palace was a picture of calmness in the midst of ultra-modern architecture in the nearby.
Next, I visited the N-tower in Seoul—giving a panoramic view of the whole city from a great height. A great experience, overall. After we parked our car. We hiked to the top. It is about a kilometre of paved road. There was a slight drizzle, and a little breeze. In April, under such conditions, walking to the top was an experience in itself. After you take tickets (about ~$25) for the elevator, you are offered a quick photo session (~$15). I opted for that. There are four backgrounds to choose from (night, day, and two more for autumn and spring, I believe). The elevators are fast. I think in less than a minute you reach to the top viewing deck. There you see the panoramic view of Seoul. There are telescopes to zero-in on anything that you may like to explore further. There are a few eateries and few counters where one can collect their printed photos (and QR code to download) and few souvenirs also. We came back by bus as we had to reach to some other places in time. The whole experience takes about two-three hours. All in all, it was a great experience!
After that I went to the Lotte World tower. As the night fell, we got a seamless, splendid, unobstructed 360-degree view of the city. The place looked surreal. It was very modernistic. The entrance to the elevator is also a bit dramatic, as if you are going to a space shuttle. The elevators are extremely fast. 120 floors in a minute or so. Breath-taking animation in the backdrop of the elevators hallucinates you. There are souvenirs to take. An optional photo-shoot is also there. And, there are eating options too. There are at least four levels to explore (at an altitude of 475 to 500 meters). At one level, some of the floor is also of Plexiglas or some similar transparent stuff. Some people get terrified to look down at the transparent floor. Others just pretend likewise. All in all, a great experience. There are malls also in the basement and around. I bought some stuff for my kids from H&M. Although, the shops started shutting down at around 10 pm, and I had to rush. If you ask, you will get triple invoice for easy VAT refund. I opted for this, and at the airport also at 3rd floor departure, near E aisle, they will process the refund (cash collection for refund is at gate 253).
I also visited the COEX mall—where the hustle and bustle of the young never stops, and many other places. With about 150,000 square meter area underground, it is the largest underground mall in the world. The options to buy are many. I bought a few things from Uniclo, Zara Home, etc.
The list of breathtakingly good places is endless. They all were magnificent. Easy to reach by cab or metro or city-bus. The Entry tickets are not exorbitant. And, most importantly, people are very very friendly and kind.
I enjoyed food in gourmet restaruants. I travelled by the metro train and the cab. And, the cleanliness of the city, the humility and the caring attitude of the people touched my heart. I made many friends.
All in all, Seoul took my soul away.
I hope that you would also like the city like I did.