Artnouveau City III Seocho Hotel (Seoul)

By Jae-Ha Kim
jaehakim.com
October 5, 2014

The room decor at Hotel Art Nouveau Seocho is a little tacky, like one of the homes depicted in “Crash Landing on You.” But of all the hotels I’ve stayed at in Seoul, it was one of my favorites. It’s not fancy at all. But it’s clean and reasonably priced, which isn’t an easy feat in a city like Seoul. Located between Gangnam Station and Gyodae Station, the hotel is easily accessible and centrally located within walking distance of shops/restaurants.

If you’re a K-drama fan, the entryway will look familiar. That’s where you take your shoes off before taking a small step up to the living area. But if you’re not used to this concept, be prepared to trip as you go up and down that step until you get accustomed to it.

My family felt very much at home during our stay. Some mornings, we heated up food we had purchased the day before at a convenience store and ate breakfast in our sitting area while we watched TV. Other days, we walked to A Twosome Place to enjoy coffee and a quick bite. (I’m bummed that I misplaced the coffee sleeves that featured Lee Min-Ho on them.)

There were a lot of international guests during our stay, and most spoke English as the common language. There seemed to be at least one front desk staff member on duty who spoke English. The staff are friendly and very helpful. If you forget something, they can tell you where you can obtain a new one. We actually borrowed one of their phone chargers. They charged us about $10, but the amount was deducted when we returned the cord.

Just the facts: Hotel Art Nouveau Seocho, 357 Seocho-daero, Seocho 4(sa)-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul (82 2-560-7102). If you rent a car and park in the underground garage, be prepared to drive in a very tight space. It’s not for the faint of heart. I tip my hat to all the drivers who easily navigated this space.

Where to eat: We ate like kings during our trip, but I was surprised that so few restaurants served good mandu. For the kind like my mother used to make when I was a child, we headed to the tourist-friendly neighborhood of Insadong in Seoul. Outside the tiny Bukchon Son mandu restaurant, where the line to get inside wrapped around the corner, we could see the workers stuffing the fresh plump dumplings with mung beans, pork, tofu and assorted vegetables. Served right out of the sizzling fryer, they were greasy, but also ridiculously delicious. We bought extra to eat later in our hotel, and they held up well without needing to be reheated.

One of the things that surprised me was the number of restaurants that didn’t serve rice at the beginning of the meal, but rather at the end – almost like a palate cleanser.

“Traditionally you eat the meat first,” says author Taekyung Chung, who co-wrote “The Korean Table” (Tuttle Publishing, $27.95) with Debra Samuels. “Then side dishes and rice at the end. Many important elements of the Korean diet are vegetable based, with standard items like kimchi and namul (vegetables), being prominent non-meat dishes.”

To tip or not to tip: Let’s face it: The United States is one of the most tip-happy countries in the world. You tip maids, servers and doormen. But when you’re in a foreign country, what do you do? The locals always will tell you if natives tip or not. I remember the locals rarely tipped in New Zealand and then only if service was extraordinary. The policy also seems to hold true in the United Kingdom. South Korea traditionally isn’t a country where tips are expected, especially from fellow Koreans. However, with the influx of American tourists who are accustomed to tipping, hospitality workers have grown accustomed to accepting gratuity every now and again.

Please be careful when you do tip. For instance, I left change for a teenage server at a local cafe and she looked worried about the implication, until I explained to her boss that I was leaving the country and that I am a U.S. national where everyone tips. I also left tips nightly at our hotel, but I included a note in Korean for the housekeepers so they knew the money was for them. (If you’re worried that your Hangul isn’t legible, you can print out multiple copies of this on your computer prior to leaving for Korea and have them easily at your disposal: 청소해주셔서 감사합니다. It says, “Thank you for cleaning my room.”

We had hired a couple drivers during parts of our trip. While some happily accepted tips, one driver was clearly uncomfortable. When he picked us up, he presented us with drinks, snacks and fruit. It was obvious he had spent the tip money on us.

This review was updated in 2019 to include “Crash Landing on You” reference.

© 2014 JAE-HA KIM | All Rights Reserved