Sightseeing in Seoul, South Korea - a Guide

We all know the song, we all know the dance. But what is Gangnam Style? Ian Jarrett goes to the South Korean district where it all began.

So here I am in the middle of the Gangnam district. The subject of the global rap phenomenon, Gangnam Style.

Everybody’s had a go at the crazy horse-riding dance that went viral after being posted on YouTube. At its peak you would open a newspaper and see photographs of sports stars, European royalty, robots and Philippine convicts looking – let’s face it – ever so slightly silly.

Even President Obama indicated that he might “do it privately" for Michelle – suggesting that the First Lady would appreciate the Gangnam Style dance made famous by South Korean rapper Psy, a Chubby Checker-like figure (real name Park Jae-sang) who describes his own style as “dress classy and dance cheesy."

Cheesy? This guy is the Pecorino of Pop. The Roquefort of Rap.

But who cares when you have the chance to teach Britney Spears to dance Gangnam Style on the Ellen Degeneres Show? Or that in May this year he was a guest of Harvard University in the United States where students have been studying Psy as a ‘modern global digital culture phenomenon’.

Gangnam Style was YouTube’s most-viewed video with more than 1.5 billion hits since its release in July 2012. With the Korean lyrics translating to words like: “I’m a guy who is as warm as you during the day, a guy who one-shots his coffee before it even cools down, a guy whose heart bursts when night comes", it’s hard to understand why it was so successful.

But the website Celebrity Net Worth estimates the song has earned 35-year-old Psy more than US$8 million. And his follow-up release Gentleman has also been collecting hundreds of millions of views on YouTube, further boosting his wealth no doubt.

So I’m searching Seoul(or Seoul searching) for Gangnam Style, but it’s nowhere to be seen. Even in Gangnam. I make a couple of moves of my own but the passing crowd looks at me more in pity than with pleasure.

Then someone points out you don’t find Gangnam Style in the middle of the afternoon. By day affluent, flamboyant Gangnam – one of Seoul’s four major zones – is for luxury shopping and smart dining. The rappers, the clubbers and the crazy K-Pop dancers don’t come out until well after dark.

During the day the spotlight is on the trendy fashion stores in Cheongdam-dong and Apgujeong streets –Seoul’s Rodeo Drive– where celebrities like to shop. I watch Koreans photographing themselves standing outside department stores where the windows are lined with pictures of celebrities. Weird to me, but normal in Korea.

Along with the classy shops and cafés, Gangnam is home to Samsung d’light, where the Korean manufacturer showcases its latest hi-tech products. Or for something different, performances of The Ballerina Who Loved a B-Boy at the Lotte World Arts Hall fuse modern break-dancing with classical ballet. That’s weird, too.

South Korea sees popular culture as a means to increase international exposure. The government has actively encouraged the so-called Hallyu (Korean Wave) of TV shows and pop music that has swept across Asia and beyond.

And to be fair, Gangnam is more than just a South Korean district that spawned a pop culture. Garosu-gil is a term used to describe a tree-lined street, of which there are many in Gangnam. One in particular is Sinsa-dong Garosu-gil Road, a 700-metre promenade lined with ginkgo trees where antique stores and interior design showrooms are squeezed alongside luxury goods stores.

Seorae Village, also in the Gangnam area, was formed around the school set up by the French Embassy in Korea and is now home to 50 per cent of the French people who live in Korea. In French-named streets and squares you’ll find, not surprisingly, some good French restaurants and bakeries, as well as wine shop and bar Tour du Vin which has an extensive collection of fine wines.

Local food favourites include samgyupsal, one of the country’s most popular pork cuts, while black pig from Jeju-do is a renowned regional favourite. Most often it is accompanied by the staple kimchi, a fermented vegetable dish, or jeonju bibimbap, mixed rice and vegetables.

Here’s something else about Seoul; I was told that couples who love each other also try to look like each other. And not just by dressing in the same clothes. They also like to have plastic surgery together. It’s not unusual to see a young couple walking down a street hand-in-hand in their matching outfits with their noses protected by small white bandages. Sweet. But weird.

It’s been estimated that one in five Korean women have undergone plastic surgery. And here’s the celebrity trend thing again. The most popular plastic surgery treatments requested by Koreans are for face shapes that match two of the country’s most popular – and prettiest – actresses. Neither is it just a female thing – males make up 30 per cent of plastic surgery patients.

Even Psy was advised by his record company bosses to get plastic surgery to make him better looking.

“The agency heard my raps and were picturing a six-foot tall, sharp-looking, trendy guy," he said.

In the end, the record company backed off. Psy kept his chubby cheeks and made them part of his appeal. And it paid off.

The Details

How to get there

Korean Air fly direct from Sydney and Brisbane; Asiana Airlines fly direct from Sydney only. The fare is from $1600 return ex Sydney depending on the season. Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines offer flights via Hong Kong and Singapore respectively.

When to go

The best time is spring when the cherry blossoms are in bloom. Autumn is also best weather-wise. Korea has a wet monsoon/summer season in the middle of the year, and a cold winter from November to March.

Where to stay

Affordable: Ibis Myeongdong is located in the heart of the trendiest shopping district in Seoul, with major department stores, restaurants, cafés and nightclubs nearby. From $103 per night. ibis.com

Comfortable: Novotel Ambassador Gangnam is a 4-star property with a golf putting green, sauna, jacuzzi, massage services and a tourist information desk. From $158 per night. accorhotels.com

Luxury: The Shilla Seoul is renowned for its outstanding art collection including works by Picasso and Salvador Dali. The hotel will re-open in July 2013 after renovations. From $380 per night. shilla.net/en/seoul

Where to eat

High end: Paisun at The Shilla is a Chinese restaurant famous for its herbal medicine soup, called buldojang. 202 Jangchung-dong 2-ga, Jung-gu; shilla.net/en/seoul

Comfortable: Gungyeon is operated by the daughter of royal cuisine cook Hwang Hye-seong. Royal cuisines are dishes strictly prepared by experienced chefs with recipes passed down by previous generations. 125-19 Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu

Affordable: Guillaume is an authentic French bakery that serves freshly baked pain or viennoiserie and coffee. Lunch and dinner is also served along with a good selection of French wines. 88-37 Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu; maisonguillaume.com

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You can’t leave without

Every city needs guards and Seoul has some absolute corkers. The royal guard changing ceremony at Deoksugung Palace is held three times a day and begins with a parade of colourfully dressed guards playing traditional musical instruments.

Wander in Samcheongdong with its art galleries, trendy fashion stores and highly popular dumpling and noodle specialty restaurants.

Take a guided tour of Changdeokgung Palace and the Secret Garden, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Gawk at the guards at the North Korean border. A day trip out ofSeoul is best organised by one of the tour companies licensed to take foreigners to the world’s last Cold War frontier.

Best thing about Seoul

Whether you enjoy a Korean Samgyeopsal (BBQ pork belly) or royal cuisine, you will always be served side dishes of kimchi, vegetables and other tasty morsels to enjoy with your meal.

Worst thing about Seoul

Seoul is hot and humid in summer and air pollution is a problem. It is best avoided at this time of year.

You should know

Take advantage of the Seoul City Tour Bus, a cheap hop-on hop-off explorer bus that takes in all the sights of Seoul. Seoul City Bus Tours Information

Seoul City Free Walking Tours cover various routes and attractions. english.visitseoul.net/index

Cosme Road is heaven for cosmetics lovers. The street is located in the popular district of Myeong-dong, an area full of cheap cosmetics, fashion, and food.

Wellbeing means different things to different travellers. Here’s how to pick a hotel that gets it right for you.

The best wellness holidays aren’t necessarily spent wrapped in a spa robe. Sometimes they’re found around a dinner table in Cambodia, on a hiking trail in New Zealand or after finally beating jet lag on the other side of the world. The hotel you choose is what makes them happen.

1. Easy access to good food

meals from Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20 — Taste delicious meals at Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20.

One of the quickest ways to derail healthy habits on holiday is to spend half of it working out where to eat instead of digging into the culture around you. Thankfully, Novotel has done much of the hard work already, with chefs building menus that lean into the flavours, ingredients and traditions of each destination.

In Sihanoukville, Cambodia, Korkor soup – often dubbed ‘Cambodian ratatouille’ – sits alongside raw blue crab dressed with lime and chilli, best enjoyed with views across the Gulf of Thailand.

In the lovingly chaotic city of Bangkok, the presence of food cranks up the sociability. At Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20, you can settle in with mango sticky rice and stranger-turned-friends beside the pool at Sky on 20 rooftop bar, or bring them along to tackle river prawns and stir-fried crab with holy basil at the buzzing Crab Paradise Dinner Buffet.

Then Novotel Dubai Al Barsha welcomes you with a laidback twist on the level of indulgence the Middle Eastern city is best known for up on Deck Se7en. Looking towards Burj Al Arab, the rooftop lounge has everything from Mediterranean-style dishes like seabass ceviche to Italian prosecco sundowners.

At the other end of the scale, in the hills that surround the Novotel Bali Ubud Resort, calm comes from nature. At Siralada restaurant, Balinese traditions shape the menu while thunder rumbles over the surrounding jungle – proving the setting is as nourishing as the food itself.

While at Novotel Nha Trang, chef Kieu Thi My Hanh and her team showcase Vietnam’s knack for balancing freshness, texture and fragrant herbs. Pho remains a favourite, while seafood salad with pomelo and mango brings those flavours together in one bright dish.

It’s all an approach backed by partnerships with expert food creators such as Alfie Steiner, whose plant-forward recipes prove healthy food should never taste plain.

2. Better sleep options

Novotel Bali Ubud Resort room — Sleep deeply with Novotel.

There are few travel experiences more disappointing than arriving in a new country, determined to seize the day, only to fall asleep fully clothed by 3pm.

For Australian travellers, jet lag is often an unavoidable part of the journey. That’s one reason Novotel runs sleep-focused initiatives that help guests adjust quickly without compromising on health. We’re talking partnerships with Sydney-based sleep specialist Olivia Arezzolo, known for her advice on everything from better sleep habits to beating jet lag, alongside features like pillow menus, in-room yoga content and tailored sleep guidance.

The sooner you’re operating on local time, the sooner you can get back to more pressing matters – like deciding which spa treatment to book.

3. More ways to move

woman hiking around queenstown new zealand — Stay at Novotel Queenstown Lakeside and explore local hiking trails. (Credit: GettyI mages/ naruedom)

Every place in the world has its own way of getting you moving: whether that’s hiking up ice-bitten mountains before a sauna or gentle stretching by the pool before a facial. From fitness centres to spas, Novotel recognises that wellbeing rarely looks the same.

At Novotel Queenstown Lakeside, activity is inescapable. Here, hiking trails, ski fields, bungee jumps, and white-water rafting have made the region famous. The hotel’s location on the shores of Lake Wakatipu means less time spent organising yourself and more time out there experiencing them. To top it all off, you can book a private hot tub for the evening before heading back into the wilderness tomorrow.

Bali, of course, takes a softer approach. At Novotel Bali Ubud Resort or Novotel Bali Nusa Dua, movement is less about conquering a mountain and more about a dance class between the tropical gardens and lagoon pools. Afterwards, the spa takes over, with traditional treatments like a Lulur body scrub: a combination of rice, turmeric, sandalwood, ginger and jasmine that’ll soothe muscles already relaxed by the Balinese heat.

4. Better connections

Kids will love a stay at Novotel Sharm El Sheikh.

One of the best things about travel is that it gives your family stories you’ll be telling for years. Novotel helps create them with activities that bring everyone together, whether that’s trying something new, learning a local skill, or simply spending more time together.

Go for a distinctly Thai twist at Novotel Phuket Vintage Park, where many of the family activities draw on local culture. Kids can try everything from beginner Thai boxing and language lessons to umbrella painting and – a pastime beloved by children the world over – pool foam parties. Everyone is welcome to join in, whether that’s getting splashed, covered in paint, or simply watching their children discover a new side of Thailand during the dedicated Family & Kids Day.

A different adventure awaits at Novotel Sharm El Sheikh. Kids could be perfectly content with discos, drawing classes and new holiday friends, but the Red Sea has other ideas. Sitting on the edge of Naama Bay, days here might involve snorkelling colourful reefs, taking a boat trip to Ras Mohammed National Park or heading into the desert by quad bike or camel for a Bedouin-style dinner beneath the stars.

5. Location is everything

Surin Beach, Choeng Thale, Thalang District, Phuket, Thaiföld — Explore Phuket’s gorgeous beaches. (Credit: Bence Biczo)

Everyone’s idea of wellness looks a little different. With more than 600 hotels across 65 countries, Novotel gives guests the freedom to choose the destination that suits them best. Whether that’s a beachside escape in Phuket, an alpine expedition in Queenstown or a city break in Bangkok, there’s a good chance a Novotel isn’t far away.

All that’s left? Choosing your version of wellbeing.

Discover stays to inspire your everyday at novotel.accor.com.

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