24 Hours at the Park Hyatt Seoul
Best for:
City Trips, Luxury, Business and Design Lovers
Points:
8.0 out of 10
The perfect song:
Traces of Time - FlicFlac
What we love:
- The views of Seoul's bustling financial district or the Skyline make sleeping with open curtains exciting
- Amazing design throughout the hotel, contemporary art and timeless designer furniture
- Breathtaking indoor pool on the top floor, photogenic at each hour of the day
- A super sexy spa with a hot and cold pod plus plenty of full size Aesop products
- Complimentary taxi to the Airport Limousine Terminal
Being fascinated by luxury hotels since the very young age, I had several hotels on my list which I always wanted to stay at and see. The entire city of Seoul always seemed to be so cool and modern to me which was mainly due to the sleek design of Park Hyatt Seoul. Having opened in 2005, the style of this hotel is still amazing and truly unique in the world. Sometimes there are just hotels I want to stay at because of the distinctive style, such as the Park Hyatt Seoul. While I can imagine that some people might find it too particular, it fits perfect into a city like Seoul, being a mixture of Korean design and Western style.
Due to the fact that Seoul is just a vast city, we decided to change hotels with the quarters we wanted to see. Therefore, we stayed at the Conrad due to the proximity to Incheon Airport, at the Four Seasons to stay next to the city centre and all the major sights before we finally moved to the Park Hyatt Seoul to walk around Gangnam and enjoy the dining venues there. Last but not least it was our last night in Seoul and I thought we deserved a relax day. And which pool is more impressive than the one at the Park Hyatt? When we arrived at the hotel around 3pm, we were welcomed by the bellmen downstairs and showed the way to the elevators which brought us up to the 24th floor where the lobby and Lobby Lounge is situated. Once arrived up there we were impressed by the views and checked-in in a friendly way. The staff indicated us the way to the room, a tour or accompany was not offered.
Our room was a Deluxe Park Twin on the 21st floor, overlooking COEX – a kind of the centre of Gangnam district. I really loved the interior design, the airy look and view plus the spacious room layout. There was a spacious bathroom with marble floor and a super cool stone wall in the shower/tub area. Although I love the fact of having a window in front of the bath tub, I even more appreciate it when I can see out of the shower. It just is amazing that you can see the entire city while showering. Beside the shower/tub area overlooking the city and the bedroom due to a glass wall, there was a single vanity opposite the big wardrobe as well as a separated Toto toilet. Like the Park Hyatt Tokyo, they also offer Aeosop amenities which are simply a perfect addition to the design. I have to say that the bedroom has had a very charming feeling although it looks quite cold on the pictures. Next to the coffee machine there is also an excellent minibar as well as a welcome amenity consisting of fresh fruits.
In general, the beds were very comfortable and the only issue we had during our stay was the air-conditioning which was working properly but the fan was simply too loud. We informed the front desk staff immediately upon leaving the room for lunch and they said they are going to fix it. Once we returned at 4pm, the fan was even louder and we therefore had to change the room to a higher floor but a view of the river and the city rather than staying in our COEX view room. Although I loved the different room layout of the new room, it was not as spacious anymore. After this, we decided to see the Spa and the indoor pool. Situated on floor 23, there are several treatment rooms, a juice bar as well as the changing rooms gender separated with sauna, steam bath, cold pod and hot pool plus relaxation room. We stayed there for half an hour before we moved up to floor 24 where there is the fitness club and indoor pool. What else should I say? The pictures speak for itself, it is one of the most amazing indoor pools I have ever seen, so we stayed there for an hour and enjoyed the privilege of being the only guests there.
Since it was already 9.30pm then, we decided to enjoy the views and our amazing room with this gorgeous bath tub. Therefore we simply ordered two burgers from their Room Service menu and ended up having the most gorgeous dinner for a long time: so simple but extremely comfortable in bathrobes, sipping some sparkling wine along with superb views of Seoul. The night continued with a Aesop bath for me and some cool music to pair the bustling views. Having a new room gave us the chance to gather different views than before, so we had both Park Hyatt views in one night which was kind of exciting. During the night, I slept extremely well and there was no more noise from the air condition. Due to an early flight from Gimpo Airport we had to get up at 6.00 am which was not the most amazing thing of the stay however I was looking forward to experience their breakfast, since One Mile at a Time was saying amazing things about it.
Since the restaurant is situated on the second floor, you have to go with the elevator to the reception floor and change to the public elevators. Before we changed the elevator we asked the front desk lady about the Airport Limousine Shuttle and she informed us about the complimentary taxi to the Limousine Shuttle Terminal. We then said that she can book and arrange everything for us so that we just have to pay the bill and can leave. Without further concerns we had breakfast in the wonderfully redesigned restaurant. The buffet is extremely nice and extensive with lots of warm products. While I loved the cozy atmosphere and wonderful design by B&B Italia, I missed the one or other product. However as it was so early, I was not that hungry and it was perfectly fine. So when we packed our suitcases and arrived back at the reception with the belief of having arranged everything since the lady at the front desk saw us coming up and passing by two times, we wanted to check out. Unfortunately the bill was not correct so she had to walk to the back office for two-three times and we had to wait for 10 minutes until the bill was settled. Not too bad for now, however when we arrived at the entrance downstairs we had to register that no taxi was arranged so they called one. This took us another 10 minutes. Once we finally arrived at the Limousine Shuttle Terminal we were too late to catch a bus that arrives at Gimpo airport on time and we had to find a cab outside on the street again. With the heavy Monday morning traffic, we arrived at Gimpo Airport in the entire last minute before the check-in was closed.
Basically, it was our fault since we did not expect the process to take so long and with my early morning condition I have to admit that I am not the fastest one to have breakfast, so next time we definitely are taking the above conditions into consideration :).
While everything turned out to be fine in the end, it was not an issue at all, but from the Park Hyatt I really expect more - also because One Mile at a Time was so overwhelmed. Due to the fact that I was so excited to staying at the hotel and it was perfect after all in terms of the hardware, we truly enjoyed our stay and I have to admit it is the best hotel we have stayed at during our stay in South Korea. For me the Park Hyatt Seoul is the city's best hotel as it is better than the Four Seasons in terms of service and better than the Conrad considering room size, layout, views, location and attention to details. I would not hesitate staying there again, I will just arrange my airport drop-off early enough.
We were exclusively invited by the Park Hyatt Seoul, however all above written expresses our own opinion and has not been influenced.
