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Hotel Lobby

Grand Hyatt Seoul The Grand Hyatt Seoul presents the Hyatt in Style Package until July 10. Guests will receive Respect, a hair straightener by Rowenta, which enables the user to create unlimited hairstyles and keep hair smooth and healthy. A 10 percent and 20 percent discount on 60-minute and 90-minute hair treatment at The Spa are also available, respectively. Guests can also enjoy free access to the swimming pools and gym, 50 percent discount at the sauna, and complimentary cocktails at J.J. Mahoney’s. Package prices start from 245,000 won. For more information call 02-799-8888. Sheraton Grande Walkerhill The Sheraton Grande Walkerhill offers a ladies-only promotion named “Sorry, Mr.” through July 29. For female guests, brunch menus are available at European restaurant and bar CLOCK16, Korean restaurant Ondal, The Golden Dragon offering Chinese cuisine and Japanese restaurant Kiyomizu. The courses consist of fat-free dishes made with fresh ingredients like beans, tofu and seafood. They are priced at 33,000 won and available between 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. Free adm

Jun 9, 2011By Kim Rahn

Hotels help you stay in shape for summer

By Kim Rahn The hot weather has already come and summer vacation season is arriving soon. Many people ― especially women ― pledge to go on a diet around this time of the year, the season when people can’t hide their extra pounds and bulges with thick clothes. Here are hotel packages and detoxification menus to give tips for dieting and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. For ladies wishing to slim down, the Ritz-Carlton Seoul offers the Magic Moment Package through Aug. 21. It presents a low-fat menu for dinner and breakfast, such as stewed chicken breast, muesli, egg white frittata and yellow pumpkin porridge. Guests opting for the package will stay at a balcony room where sun beds for tanning have been prepared. Guests can also take a training class with one of the hotel’s fitness club trainers, such as diet gymnastics and learn exercise routines. Free one-hour swimming and training in the gym is also available. The package price starts from 270,000 won for two persons. For more information, call 02-3451-8114. Novotel Ambassador Gangnam presents Free Summer Hea

Jun 9, 2011By Kim Rahn

Korean food wave hits Manila

Hallyu wave at fever pitch fuels Korean franchises By Cathy Rose A. Garcia MANILA ― Kimchi, bulgogi and bibimbap used to be the only Korean dishes that Filipinos knew about. But a new wave of Korean franchises such as Red Mango, Bon Chon Chicken and Caffe Ti-Amo have introduced Korean-style yogurt, fried chicken and ice cream to Filipinos. Korean-style fried chicken became an instant hit with the opening of Bon Chon Chicken, a New York-based chain, at the Ayala Triangle in the heart of the Makati financial district, last November. Filipino food bloggers raved about the light and crisp fried chicken with its irresistible special soy garlic and ginseng sauce, and the online buzz translated into long lines at the restaurant. Felicity Ardo, a freelance writer, did not know much about Korean-style fried chicken but reading reviews about Bon Chon Chicken persuaded her to check it out. She found the chicken to be tasty, but more expensive than other fried chicken chains. “With Bon Chon being a Korean brand, it may or may not explain for the long queues. Filipinos h

Jun 2, 2011

Hotels offer one more night promotion

This is the fifth in a series of introductions featuring hotels that offer a ``one-more-night promotion,’’ under which guests who stay for three or four nights are given one-night complementary accommodation. The series introduces three hotels each at a time biweekly. A total of 36 hotels across the country will be presented over the six-month period. This is part of a nationwide campaign to promote the ``2010-2012 Visit Korea Years.’’ — ED. Imperial Palace Hotel In commemoration of the ``2010-2012 Visit Korea Year,’’ Imperial Palace Hotel provides one free night to foreign visitors who stay at the hotel for more than three nights through Nov. 31 this year. A one-night stay in the superior room costs 220,000 won, while the rate for deluxe room goes up to 250,000 won, in addition to a 10-percent value-added tax and a 10-percent service charge. For more information and reservation, please call at 02-3440-8000. Best Western Premier Songdo Park Hotel To celebrate the ``2010-2012 Visit Korea Year,’’ Best Western Premier Songdo Park Hotel offers special bene

Jun 2, 2011By Lee Hyo-sik

Can Jeong Mong-ju bring glory back to Yongin?

By Chung Min-uck Looking for a place where the past and the present, the East and West meet? Then, don’t hesitate to visit Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. When people think of Yongin, the first thing that comes to mind is Everland Resort, the largest theme park in Korea. They tend to forget that the city situated inside the Seoul Metropolitan beltway is the place where the body and the soul of Goryeo Kingdom’s loyalist Jeong Mong-ju is buried. To remind them that Yongin not only has state-of-the-art tourist attractions but also holds a golden piece of Korea’s 5,000 years of civilization, The Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) assembled around 80 resident foreigners and Koreans to promote tourism hot-spots in Yongin on May 21. The participants were members of a volunteer group called ``Korea Tourism Supporters,’’ consisting of foreign ambassadors, company executives and university students. ``Yongin is not very well-known except for Everland and the folk village. But Yongin has a lot of historical spots like the grave of Jeong Mong-ju and was the site of many historical even

Jun 2, 2011

Hotel Lobby

Ritz-Carlton Seoul Ritz-Carlton Seoul presents Indonesian delicacies from June 10 to 30 at its Oksan Buffet. During the promotion, three chefs invited from the Indonesian restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton Jakarta will be present until June 15 and introduce classic Indonesian cuisine with contemporary cooking trends. Some of the menu items include gado-gado with peanut sauce, ayam goring lenguas (barbecued chicken) and pisang goring made with bananas. The weekday dinner is priced at 67,000 won and weekend lunch and dinner, 70,000 won. On June 12, the Indonesian dishes are available at the Garden restaurant at 65,000 won. For more information, call 02-3451-8474. Imperial Palace Hotel Imperial Palace Hotel’s Chinese restaurant Cheonsan introduces “My Menu” with which guests can decide their own course dishes. The promotion allows customers to choose from a wide variety of food, each for a total of five courses, including soup, cold dish, main dish, noodles and dessert. The restaurant also has a tea sommelier to serve premium Chinese teas suitable for each customer. My Menu is

Jun 2, 2011

Unique wine experience at JELL

By Kim Rahn Combining a wine shop, wine bar and fine dining, JELL is the one-stop place where you can enjoy all three. The first wine shop to open in Korea in 1992, JELL currently offers a selection of 1,500 kinds of wine and recently opened a French restaurant to become a wine culture complex. A wine bar for members is on the second and third floors with impressive terraces on each floor. It is a business lounge which adopted a membership wine club concept for the first time here in 2002. The bar is comprised of halls and rooms for small groups, and the membership club has been a venue for business meetings, social gatherings and various events for wine lovers. Supervised by a manager who has been educated on wine and hospitality, the restaurant now offers French and European dishes presented by a head chef who completed a course at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. A buffet-style dinner can be prepared for large groups. During lunchtime non-members are welcome to eat at the restaurant and gallery cafe. The first floor is the wine shop, which is surrounded by dou

May 26, 2011By Kim Rahn

Hotel Lobby

Sheraton Grande Walkerhill The Sheraton Grande Walkerhill has opened a bilingual mobile website in Korean and English, www.sheratonwalkerhill.co.kr. Smartphone users can access details about the hotel’s rooms, restaurants, facilities, Walkerhill show and other promotions as well as participate in online events. The website also provides a pre-recorded translation system for guests who can’t state their destination in a taxi. It is also linked to Facebook, Twitter and YouTube for easy access to social network services. For more information, call 02-455-5000. Millennium Seoul Hilton The Millennium Seoul Hilton’s international buffet restaurant, Orangerie, offers cuisine from the Philippines during June. The traditional Filipino dishes will be made by chefs from Mama Sita, one of the leading food brands in the Philippines. The chefs will present popular Filipino dishes including caldereta (spicy beef stew), palabok (noodles with oriental gravy and toppings), pata humba (pork hock stew) and lumpiang hubad (spring rolls). Lunch buffet is priced at 55,000 won

May 26, 2011

Music cafe train offers budget travel

By Lee Tae-hoon Korail, the state-run railroad operator, has begun to operate the Tong Tong Tong Music Cafe Train once a month for a two-day trip exploring some of the major tourist attractions on the southern tip of the country. The train travel package, which includes bus tours, two meals, a roundtrip ferry ticket and admission to the scenic island of Oe Island, comes at a low price of 129,000 won ($120). For budget conscious travelers who have yet to witness the beauty Korea’s southern coastal towns can offer it is highly recommended. And for those who want to take a peek at how middle-aged Koreans entertain themselves through music and mingle with them, it is worth a try. But be aware that if you are non-Korean speaking foreigners who want to enjoy peace of mind and privacy, it is not the tour for you. Departure The Tong Tong Tong Music Cafe Train, which has a car exclusively dedicated to live performances, departs at 10:20 p.m. from Seoul Station and stops in Anyang, Suwon, Pyeongtaek, Choenan and Daejeon to pick up more passengers. “Tong Ton

May 26, 2011

Hotel Lobby

Grand Hyatt Seoul The Paris Grill at Grand Hyatt Seoul offers Mediterranean cuisine by chef Dieter Koschina from Vila Joya, the only two-star Michelin chef in Portugal, through May 25. Koschina’s cuisine serves up exquisite creations including roasted monkfish or halibut, wagyu beef sirloin, pan-seared foie gras, and Creekstone beef tenderloin. His dishes are available only for dinner in both a la carte or full course menus. A la carte menus start from 17,000 won and the course menus, from 80,000 won. For more information, call 02-799-8161. Imperial Palace Hotel The Imperial Palace Hotel’s European-style outdoor cafe, Garden Terrace, offers Beef Buffet from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Customers can enjoy unlimited draft beer from Hite or Asahi, along with a choice of snacks. The price is 25,000 won per person for Hite beer and 48,000 won for Asahi. In the cafe is the Mannyeonrak Pavilion Bar, a Korean-style pavilion where a live electric violin performance is held every Friday. Some 30 diverse barbequed selections are available at the outdoor cafe to be opened through O

May 19, 2011By Kim Rahn

Travel & Food

Travel & Food

Hotel Lobby

Hotels help you stay in shape for summer

Korean food wave hits Manila

Hotels offer one more night promotion

Can Jeong Mong-ju bring glory back to Yongin?

Hotel Lobby

Unique wine experience at JELL

Hotel Lobby

Music cafe train offers budget travel

Hotel Lobby

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