Hotels in Seoul

A wide range of accommodations is available in Seoul, with everything from very inexpensive guesthouses and yeogwan (low-end inns) to high-class luxury hotels.

When you're booking a room, make sure to specify that you want a Western-style room if you prefer to sleep in a bed. Korean-style ondol rooms have thick blankets (yo) for you to use to sleep on the floor. The floors are usually heated during cold weather, so make sure not to leave any electronics or anything plastic on the floor.

Outside of high-end hotels, most accommodations require that you take off your shoes in the room's foyer, so you may want to bring slippers. Bathrooms usually don't have shower curtains and are designed so that the water flows into a drain on the floor. Most places don't have cheaper rates for singles (many places have only double or twin rooms anyway), so if you want to save money, travel with a friend.

Yeogwan and love motels can be found all over the city, but if you're looking for one near downtown, there is a good grouping of them near Dongdaemun. They all range from W30,000 to W40,000 per room. If you're really on a tight budget and don't mind sleeping in a large room with a bunch of strangers, you can stay in a jjimjilbang ("steam room" bathhouse) for about W7,000 a night.

Whether you stay in one of over a dozen world-class hotels or a yeogwan, you'll most likely be treated to Korean-style hospitality and friendly service.

Navigating a Korean Bathhouse -- When you first enter a bathhouse, take off your shoes. Either the staff will give you a key or you can take one out of one of the shoe lockers. Usually a number will be assigned to you on your receipt. You then go to your respective gender locker rooms, where you'll find a locker with the same number as your shoe locker (your key will work on that locker as well). Be sure to wear your key around your ankle or wrist so you don't lose it. You should then take off everything (including jewelry and watches, so consider leaving yours at your hotel) and head for the shower facilities. Koreans start going to public baths since they are young, so no one cares about walking around naked in the locker rooms, and you shouldn't feel self-conscious either. Remember, the odds of running into someone you know are pretty low.

Everyone is expected to wash completely before going into the communal hot bath, and you'll be provided with shampoo and shower gel (along with clean towels, brushes and combs, lotion, hair dryers, and even hair spray) if you've forgotten yours. After a good soaking, most Koreans scrub themselves raw with a scratchy towel that feels like sandpaper. You can also try one of the dry or wet saunas as some places have both, or cool down in the cold bath. There is no time limit -- even when you're soaked, scrubbed, and thoroughly relaxed -- so linger as long as you'd like. If you visit a water park or swimming pool, all of the above applies, except you'll change into your swimsuit before you go out to the public pool or water areas, and you'll wash both before and after you go in the water.