My initial plan was that our Seoul trip was just going to be for hubby and myself. I was then armed with information on how to take the public transport from Incheon International Airport to Seoul. Incheon Airport is big, clean, and nice, and along with the one in Hong Kong, and Changi in Singapore, they’re probably the best airports I’ve seen in all our trips to some parts of Asia and the United States. I would have loved to loiter around if only we didn’t have just 5 days to spend in Seoul.
After my posts on how to get a Korean visa and sharing our travel itinerary, here comes the next one to talk about the lovely guesthouse we stayed in while we were in Seoul last March 21-25. The guesthouse is called 126 Mansion in 126 Palpan-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul. The guesthouse is located in the quiet but artsy neighborhood of Samcheong-dong.
I haven’t stayed in a hostel or a guesthouse in any of my travels before because I am picky when it comes to hotels. However, as I was planning for our Seoul trip, I already had my mind fixated on staying in a guesthouse than in another corporate chain. I have seen so many K-dramas already (I started getting hooked on K-dramas since 2004) and I’ve always been fascinated with their ondol floor. This is why I thought it would be a waste of chance to experience Seoul for real if I stay in a hotel.
I dropped by AirBnB to look for guesthouses in Seoul but there’s nothing there that captured my attention except for 126 Mansion. Just by looking at the photos of their rooms alone, I already got convinced that it’s where I want to stay. But I didn’t book via AirBnB. I directly went to the website of 126 Mansion to make my own booking. And that’s how I started becoming friends with the owners of 126 Mansion.
As promised, I’m sharing our itinerary for 5 days/4 nights in Seoul.
Just want to tell you in advance that I went to Seoul with my husband and our family. We’re 12 in the group with 5 people just around my age and 7 senior citizens. Had I traveled with my husband alone (we will definitely go back there on our own), our itinerary would have been a more taxing one but definitely budget-friendly. Overall though, given our group demographics and physical considerations, I would have to say that we pretty much covered a good number of tourist attractions but just so you know, the itinerary I’m sharing might not reflect the cheapest way to go around town.
My friend Hyunchung and her sister Su, both from Seoul, are here in Manila for a short vacation. What’s cool is that prior to their visit, I have been in constant communication with Hyunchung because I am going to Seoul in March this year and I will stay at their guesthouse. I haven’t been there but based on the comments of people, I’m convinced that their guesthouse is the best choice for me. It’s a pretty house located in the heart of Seoul and is just about a 5-10min walking distance to most of the historical places any tourist would wanna visit. If ever you are going to Seoul and you’re looking for a great place to stay in with warm, hospitable and friendly hosts who can speak English and are super nice enough to tell you where to go and how to enjoy Seoul like a local, may I suggest that you please stay in 126 Mansion. Go to their website and find out why, even if I haven’t been there, I am already raving about it 
Hyunchung and Su are so sweet and thoughtful that they even brought me a present when we first met last Monday. They gave me a box full of tangerine-filled chocolates from Jeju Island. I’ll be posting some more pics of Hyunchung and Su and our dinner last night but for now, let me leave you with the photos of the chocolates they gave me.
감사합니다 Kamsahamnida, Hyunchung and Su! See you in March!
