Trip Report Introduction: The Easy Way To Seoul

In terms of countries that I haven’t been to, South Korea ranks pretty high up there on the popularity list. Of course, South Korea is also home to plenty of theme parks, sightseeing, and just about every product that my mother owns in her bathroom.

Seoul, South Korea

Seoul jumped right to the top of our list, and we decided that April, due to the end of the cold, was the optimum time to visit.

Now, collectively, Jason and I have flown just about every business class product Cathay Pacific and Dragonair currently offer (Cathay Pacific’s new, old, new regional, Dragonair’s new regional and Dragonair’s A320), but there’s not really another business class product any of us have flown. I hopped onto Korean Air and Asiana’s fares, and since our dates didn’t match the A380, we settled on Korean Air’s business class. Can’t beat four hours in a flat bed and four hours in an angled lie flat seat on the upper deck of a 747!

After all, what’s better than breaking the streak of Airbus A330-300s I’ve flown continuously for over a year, especially with flying the Boeing 747-400 for the second time on the upper deck?

Korean Air Airbus A330-300 Business Class Cabin

Korean Air Boeing 747-400 Business Class Cabin

I’d be crediting SkyPass miles to my new Korean Air SkyPass account on both flights, so it was a win-win.

So at the end my itinerary was quite simple:

03/04 KE 604 HKG – ICN 12:05 – 16:45 333 J
08/04 KE 607 ICN – HKG 19:45 – 22:30 744 J

Choosing a hotel in Seoul

Although ultimately there are better choices such the Park Hyatt, but they’re all pretty far out of town. Ultimately there are other options within five minutes of the city center, but we decided on the Westin Chosun Seoul.

The Westin Chosun Seoul Business Deluxe Twin Room

I’ve tried a Westin just once before and it was too long ago to remember, and I was dying to reacquaint with the brand. It’s a Category 5 property, and we were staying for five nights so we could use their “fifth night free” promotion, which brought the rate down to ~HK$1350, which was awesome, much better than the 10,400 Starpoint deal that was otherwise offered.

The Westin Chosun Seoul Business Deluxe Twin Room Rate