Lifestyle - The Korea Times

Mercure offers new hospitality solution

By Kim Rahn It sits tucked behind the main street at the heart of the prosperous Gangnam district in southern Seoul, across from the towering Gangnam Finance Center and only a single minute from Yeoksam Subway Station. This is the shiny new Mercure Ambassador Gangnam. The brand may not be familiar to Korean clientele but it is a reputable segment of Accor, the French hospitality group that has a partnership with the Ambassador Group here in Korea. The property has 21 floors above ground and seven underground, a total of 288 rooms, including superior deluxe rooms and executive floors, explains Kim Chang-seok, general manager of the just built five-star hotel. While Mercure Ambassador Gangnam does not have a wide range of food and beverage outlets, the restaurant Cafe Sodowe, located on the second floor offers breakfast, lunch and dinner with Mediterranean and Oriental fusion elements. The lobby lounge Onda serves a variety of beverages and deli menu. It is a suitable business meeting venue and the Library Lounge, for Executive Floor Level guests’ use only, is the perf

Aug 9, 2012By Kim Rahn

Hotel Lobby

Conrad Seoul The smart luxury fitness club “Pulse 8” at Conrad Seoul, which opens on Nov. 22, will soon recruit its first members. Pulse 8, to be located on the eighth and ninth floors, will consist of a gym with 280 pieces of state-of-the-art fitness equipment, a 25-meter indoor swimming pool, and a sauna, spa and indoor golf range. Offering an expansive view of Yeouido Park, the club will be filled with natural light to create a pleasant and soothing atmosphere. It will recruit only a limited number of members to maintain exclusivity and provide maximum comfort to its members. The sales office is now taking inquiries about membership and other details. For more information, call (02) 6137-7060. Renaissance Seoul Hotel Irodori, the Renaissance Seoul Hotel’s Japanese restaurant, presents a Sushi Counter Business Lunch Menu for businesspeople seeking healthy food for lunch. The menu is a five-course meal including seafood salad, assorted raw fish, a selection of sushi with miso soup and dessert. Various kinds of fresh fish, such as halibut, sea bream, shrimp, tun

Aug 9, 2012By Kim Rahn

Cool summer heat with nighttime swimming

By Kim Rahn It’s hot. Seoul had “tropical nights,” when the temperature didn’t go down under 35 degrees Celsius, for over 10 days. Other cities are suffering similar scorching weather. In such heat, cooling off in a pool during daytime will not be enough, and it will be great if you can dabble in an outdoor pool even after the sun sets. Hotels are offering the perfect solution with nighttime swimming. Banyan Tree Club & Spa Seoul recently expanded the opening hours of its outdoor swimming pool, the Oasis, to 9 p.m. Along with nighttime dip in the pool, it offers Cabana Dinner at its signature facility Cabanas, a private pool with a bed and a table. The facility is open to not only club members and hotel guests but also the public who come for dinner. They can use the Oasis pool as well. Between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m., three courses are on offer for dinner ― Cabana vodka set including a barbeque set and a bottle of vodka for two to four people (price starts from 350,000 won), Cabana champagne set featuring a bottle of champagne, fruit and cheese for two to four (from 29

Aug 9, 2012By Kim Rahn

High1 Resort introduces new zorbing facilities

By Kwon Mee-yoo The High1 Resort now offers zorbing, an extreme sport where people roll in a large, transparent plastic ball, at its outdoor pool. The resort in Jeongseon, Gangwon Province, is better known for its modern ski facilities, but is well-equipped for various summer activities that the entire family can enjoy as well. Zorbing was established in New Zealand and the ball used contains a 1.8-meter orb inside a 2.5-meter one. It is generally performed by rolling down a hill, but High1 offers it as a water sport, similar to a water-walking ball, at its swimming pool. The outdoor pool is located in front of the resort's Mountain Condominium, some 900 meters above sea level. The refreshing pool also has water slides and an air seesaw to add to the fun. There are two pools _ a larger one for adults and a smaller one for children _ open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Aug. 31. Admission is 10,000 won for adults and 8,000 won for children. Zorbing is free for guests staying at the High1 Resort or those who have paid for the Cool Rider skiing, available all year thanks

Aug 2, 2012By Kwon Mee-yoo

Hotel Lobby

Grand Hilton Seoul The Grand Hilton Seoul will host its famous Oktoberfest celebration on Sept. 8, one of the largest Oktoberfest events in Korea drawing more than 1,000 people each year. The celebration will be held at the Convention Center from 6 p.m. onward. In a venue decorated like the Munich festival, guests can enjoy unlimited Paulaner beer, potato soup, roast pork and sweet desserts. They can dance and enjoy various games such as beer drinking contests and arm wrestling. A lucky draw will presents prizes including round-trip tickets to Germany and Hilton Hotel vouchers. The price of the event is 120,000 won. For more information, call (02) 2287-7456. Millennium Seoul Hilton An eggplant promotion will be presented at the Millennium Seoul Hilton’s Italian restaurant Il Ponte during August. Chef Anita Bidini will offer creations such as deep fried eggplant stuffed with mozzarella cheese; eggplant lasagna; grilled lamb chops served with eggplant, olives and celery caponata; and pan-fried sea bream in tomato, capers, oregano and anchovies sauce served on eggpla

Aug 2, 2012By Kim Rahn

On two wheels: To the land of imagination

Visitors walk through the metasequoia lane in Nami Island located in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province.By Yun Suh-young When we first think of Nami Island, what comes to mind is the metasequoia lane where the famous TV drama "Winter Sonata" was filmed. The romantic greenery makes us want to visit at once, and plunge into the scene where Bae Yong-joon and Choi Ji-woo walked through the lane hand in hand. The island is an assembly of imagination. It rose to fame after Kang Woo-hyon, manager of the island, turned the place into a spicy mixture of nature and humanity. Situated 63 kilometers from Seoul and resembling a leaf floating on top of Cheongpyeong Lake, Nami Island came into existence after heavy rain washed away the land bridge to the mainland it used to be part of. The island was deserted until banker Min Byeong-do came and planted a myriad of trees in 1965. Since then, it has become a green land of plenty, a peaceful island where countless birds stop to rest, and a home to deer, rabbits, ostriches, and squirrels. People in nature The beauty of the island is not only foun

Aug 2, 2012

Imperial Palace Seoul to go international

By Kim Rahn The Imperial Palace Seoul is dedicated to becoming the first local hotel brand to go global, according to the hotel’s general manager. CW Chang said the hotel is conducting groundwork to establish an international chain of the Imperial Palace, playing on its strong points to offer globally standardized service along with Korea’s local sentiment. In Korea, especially in Seoul and the nearby metropolitan area, most five-star hotels are international brands. Some are operated by local Korean companies, such as Shilla and Lotte, but they are affiliates of conglomerates and the Imperial Palace is the only hotel that is run truly independently, according to Chang. “The owner has a solid determination and vision to make a local brand hotel chain that stretches worldwide. We know it is not an easy task. Many international hotel brands have proposed we become one of their properties but the owner has refused,” Chang said. Established in 1989, the hotel gained its five-star rating in 1999. It underwent a major renovation between 2002 and 2005 costing 100 billion won.

Aug 2, 2012By Kim Rahn

All about wild ginseng

Visitors walk through the trail at Sangnim, a forest in Hamyang, South Gyeongsang Province. / Korea Times photos by Yun Suh-youngBy Yun Suh-young HAMYANG ― Many of us are familiar with ginger but not so much with ginseng. Ginger is even familiar to children in the West because of the gingerbread man character. In Korea, ginger is used a lot in making soup or porridge. But ginseng is less close to our everyday lives mainly because it is not for everyday consumption. Not only that but it is also pretty expensive to be gulping down your throat in one swallow. The price per one root of wild ginseng begins from 50,000 won and can double and triple depending on how old they are. The price soars while going through the distribution network, further making us hesitate to buy it. There are two types of ginseng, wild and cultivated. The price of “sansam” or wild ginseng is much higher than “insam,” or panax ginseng cultivated on farms, mainly because they are hard to get. Wild ginseng grows naturally and is harvested wherever it is found to be growing. It is

Jul 26, 2012

Adventure to a remote island

A boat sets off on a fishing trip from Changchoni Village on Heuksan Island at sunset. / Korea Times photos by Yun Suh-youngBy Yun Suh-young Leaving on a journey all on your own to an island far away from home is an exciting but risky adventure, especially when the island is not somewhere you can easily get to. How would you feel if you were stranded on an island far off the coast by accident and were stuck on the island for the day? Of course in this case you boarded the last ship heading to the island and there are no return sailings until the next morning. Then what you should do is relax, take a deep breath and savor the fact that you have somehow drifted to a remote island and enjoy every moment there back. Because that’s what this reporter did on a journey to the island of Heuksan. The drift The reporter’s journey to Heuksando or Heuksan Island somehow resembled that of Huckleberry Finn. The means of transport may have evolved from a wooden raft to a modern ferry, but the randomness of the person in it had succeeded. Originally intended to land on Bigeumd

Jul 19, 2012

Hotel Lobby

Conrad Seoul Hilton Worldwide’s premier luxury brand, Conrad, has chosen the financial district of Yeouido as its first destination in Korea ― Conrad Seoul will open on Nov. 12. With a new benchmark of “Smart Luxury,” the hotel will feature a contemporary and exotic environment by providing state-of-the-art facilities and services that meet the needs of various guests. With 434 rooms in the 38-story property, Conrad Seoul will be directly connected to Yeouido Station, the International Finance Center (IFC) Seoul and an entertainment complex. “A hotel is not just for spending the night. Hotels have stayed more or less the same in the past decade but people have not. It’s time for a change and we will unveil a new kind of hotel that Korea has never seen,” General Manager Nils-Arne Schroeder said. Westin Chosun Seoul The Westin Chosun Seoul has named Brian Pak as its new general manager. The 46-year-old Korean-American is the first general manager of Korean descent since the hotel’s modernization in 1970. After graduating from the University of California, Davis

Jul 12, 2012

Travel & Food

Travel & Food

Mercure offers new hospitality solution

Hotel Lobby

Cool summer heat with nighttime swimming

High1 Resort introduces new zorbing facilities

Hotel Lobby

On two wheels: To the land of imagination

Imperial Palace Seoul to go international

All about wild ginseng

Adventure to a remote island

Hotel Lobby

Most Read in Lifestyle