Lifestyle - The Korea Times

‘Only-at-hotels’ gift raises holiday spirit

By Kim Rahn Chuseok is a national holiday when people share food and exchange gifts among family, neighbors and friends. Hotels offer premium gift sets for the occasion. While most offer the usual sets of beef, seafood and wine, others prepare distinctive items to meet customer demand for unique presents. JW Marriott Seoul offers Revive Bedding sets, available only at JW Marriott hotels, presenting a special opportunity to experience top-of-the-range hotel products in your own bedroom. Enjoying high popularity from JW Marriott guests, these sets are found in JW Marriott hotels all over the world and made from top-quality Hungarian goose down and 300-thread-count premium linen. Each set includes a Hungarian-made goose down duvet, duvet cover, two goose down pillows, two pillowcases, two bathrobes with the JW Marriott logo on them, two bath towels and two face towels. A complete set costs 1.3 million won. The set will be on sale until Sept. 30 at the Deli Shop. Delivery orders must be made at least 48 hours in advance and bulk orders, at least three days. For inquiri

Sep 20, 2012By Kim Rahn

Enjoy relaxed Chuseok at hotels

By Kim Rahn Chuseok, or Korean Thanksgiving Day, is just over a week away. For either people who visit their hometowns or those staying put, the three-day holiday ― five days if taking advantage of the bridge day before National Foundation Day ― is a good time to take a rest. For this occasion, hotels are offering packages focused on relaxation. The Grand Hyatt Seoul’s Chuseok package offers a one-night stay in a grand double or twin room, free use of the gym, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, and free shuttle service to Namsangol Hanok Village at the foot of Mt. Nam where guests can capture the spirit of the traditional holiday. Travel kits will also be provided on a first-come-first-served basis, featuring a passport wallet, travel bag nametag and a travel laundry bag or shoe storage pouch. The offer is available from Sept. 28 to Oct. 3 and the price starts from 170,000 won for two guests. Club Lounge benefits, including free breakfast, are also available with an upgrade to a club floor room for an additional 90,000 won. For more information, call (02) 799-8888.

Sep 20, 2012By Kim Rahn

Seoul Museum

Lee Jung-seob’s “Bull” is on display at the newly-opened Seoul Museum near Mt. Inwang, Seoul.By Kwon Mee-yoo Seoul Museum opened at the foot of Mt. Inwang in central Seoul in late August with rare paintings of prominent Korean artists such as Lee Jung-seob, Park Ko-Suk and Han Mook. Founded by art collector Ahn Byung-gwang, CEO of Union Pharmacy, it is a treasure trove of modern Korean art. Making the museum more special is its site, built next to Seokpajeong, a historic pavilion from the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910). After looking at the collection, visitors look at the villa and imagine the lives of their ancestors. Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama’s “Pumpkin” is on outdoor exhibit, against the backdrop of Mt. Bugak. The selection of the location, the restoration of Seokpajeong and the quality of the museum’s collection prove the discerning eye of its owner. He could have kept the place and pieces to himself but decided to build a museum to share with the public. With rich tradition, artworks and support from the founder, Seoul Museum is g

Sep 20, 2012By Kwon Mee-yoo

A town full of colors

A colorful mural is drawn on the wall of one of the houses in the Ihwa mural village in Ihwa-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul./ Korea Times photo by Yun Suh-youngBy Yun Suh-young Beneath Naksan Park lies a beautiful village full of murals. But getting there isn’t easy. You need to walk up a long, uphill road which, when you’re walking on it, makes you feel as if you’re walking on a moving stairway, back through time. The park is located in the innermost part of the district, away from the college town. Starting off at Hyehwa Station you walk along a pathway that takes you on an incredible journey. You start out in the present, and feel that somehow you are moving back slowly and gradually in time to the early 2000s, the 1990s, the 80s, the 70s and 60s. The noise which is so vibrant in the main street slowly fades away as you move step by step. Fewer people are seen on the street. The buildings are older and have fewer sign boards. Moreover, there are carts and very few cars, all contributing to a feeling that you have entered an earlier era. When you reach near th

Sep 13, 2012

Best seats in a theater

By Kwon Mee-yoo Going to a theater is always an experience, making one's heart flutter, whether it is to see a magnificent classical concert, spectacular musical comedy or elegant ballet performance. Seat choices are just as diverse as the program and many people try to get the best in the house or at least the best value for their money. Generally, the most expensive tickets are for the best seats. However, depending on the theater there can be good seats at affordable prices. The choice can be subjective and vary according to the type of performance and each person's priorities _ overall view, better sound or vivid details. The Korea Times visited various theaters in Seoul to find the seats that were good value for the ticket price. It’s the center seats By Kwon Mee-yoo For big musical productions, middle row seats in the center section are considered the best. Kang So-ra of Doosan Art Center in Jongno, central Seoul, recommends the seventh row as the best seats of its Yonkang Hall. "The best seat will be different for everybody and change from show t

Sep 13, 2012By Kwon Mee-yoo

Hotels mark anniversaries with special discounts

By Kim Rahn Three hotels here will celebrate anniversaries in September and offer attractive deals to guests for the occasion. For the Sheraton Seoul D Cube City Hotel, the first anniversary of its opening is on Sept. 16 and the Sheraton brand also marks the 75th anniversary this month. In commemoration, the hotel presents the Happy Birthday Sheraton Package. The first option includes a one-night stay at a deluxe room and a Sheraton mug, and is available for 75 reservations on a first-come-first-served basis at 175,000 won. The hotel’s restaurants and cafes offer stamps to guests, and those who receive more than three stamps during their stay will be given a gift with the Sheraton logo on it. The second option is designed to celebrate the Sheraton brand’s 75th anniversary, offering the Presidential Suite at a special price of 750,000 won. The suite for VVIPs is available at this price for 10 reservations. Guests choosing the second package can access the Club Lounge for private check-in and check-out and enjoy the breakfast buffet and happy hour with complimentary b

Sep 6, 2012By Kim Rahn

Hotel Lobby

Westin Chosun Seoul For the fifth year in a row, the Westin Chosun Seoul has been selected among Asia’s top 25 business hotels in the 2012 Best in Travel Poll conducted by online travel magazine Smart Travel Asia. The Westin Chosun Seoul ranked 14th, along with the St. Regis Singapore. It was the highest placed hotels in Seoul with the Shilla Seoul 15th, Park Hyatt Seoul 18th, and Grand Hyatt Seoul, 19th. The Fullerton Hotel Singapore topped the list, followed by the Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong and Island Shangri-La Hong Kong. The magazine, boasting about 1 million readers, conducted the survey from May to July to select the best hotels, airlines, airports, holiday destinations, shopping cities and business cities. Ritz-Carlton Seoul The Ritz-Carlton Seoul has invited Matthew Morrison, executive chef at the Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner, for an “American Culinary Delight” steak and barbeque festival featuring a variety of U.S. meats at its restaurant, The Garden. Jointly held with U.S. Meat Export Federation, the promotion offers the chance to enjoy a diverse range

Sep 6, 2012By Kim Rahn

A love story of Korean and Mexican chefs

By Kim Rahn Introduction Once upon a time, there was a Korean chef. He met a Mexican chef who came to Seoul for a Mexican food promotion. They fell in love. She went back to her homeland, but the distance didn’t stop their love for each other. He proposed to her and she said yes. They married and lived happily ever after. This is not a fairytale but the true story of Millennium Seoul Hilton pastry chef Han Jo-eun and former Hilton Airport Hotel Mexico City executive chef Montserrat Pineiro, who are now expecting a baby. Pineiro is temporarily back at her husband’s workplace for another food promotion to be held throughout September. Chapter 1 Their love story goes back to 2010, although she visited the hotel a year earlier, too, when they didn’t meet each other. During the 2010 visit, they met often to discuss pastry menus for the promotion. When seeing her for the first time, Han told one of his colleagues in Korean that she was beautiful. Then the colleague told this to Pineiro in English, which embarrassed Han. But she didn’t care at all at that time, altho

Sep 6, 2012By Kim Rahn

A season for tea

Autumn is in the air. The sky extends higher while the days become shorter and the moon seems bigger. Welcome the season of harvesting and giving thanks with a cup of tea. With the cool, autumn winds, a cup of tea is exactly what our tired bodies and souls need. Try substituting drinking water with some warm barely tea or choose from a wide selection of gourmet green tea leaves. There is a whole batch of tea out there to last until winter. Revive interpersonal relationships with cuppa By Rachel Lee To properly brew and thoroughly enjoy the best cuppa as autumn approaches with rainy, chilly weather, a tea sommelier can help you choose the perfect one. A sommelier is generally regarded as a trained and knowledgeable wine professional but the term, in fact, refers to a “taster” of any kind of food or drink. With the advent of sommeliers specialising in a wider range of things such as vegetables, rice and even kimchi, a tea sommelier has become a popular, up-and-coming profession. As an expert, a tea sommelier understands the alchemy of brewing a great cup of te

Sep 6, 2012

Club Med offers new Maldives package

By Yun Suh-young Club Med has launched a new package to the resort island of Maldives for customers departing on weekdays. The Maldives Kani Special, an exclusive weekday promotion package for families and single vacationers, will be provided through Sept. 28. For customers leaving to the island between Tuesday and Friday, Club Med will offer a discount up to 1.5 million won for adults and 600,000 won for children aged between four and 11. The discounts will apply when making reservations for at least two persons for three nights at a minimum and a maximum of six nights. The discount rate differs according to room type and the number of nights stayed. The original price also varies according to the room type and the dates. The Club Med Kani, Maldives is located 20 minutes away from Male International Airport by a speed boat. The package is an all-inclusive service which features round-trip tickets, a guest room, three meals a day, snacks, unlimited drinks, various sports activities and night entertainments. There are no extra charges for the services or activities

Sep 4, 2012

Travel & Food

Travel & Food

‘Only-at-hotels’ gift raises holiday spirit

Enjoy relaxed Chuseok at hotels

Seoul Museum

A town full of colors

Best seats in a theater

Hotels mark anniversaries with special discounts

Hotel Lobby

A love story of Korean and Mexican chefs

A season for tea

Club Med offers new Maldives package

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