REVIEW | Fraser Place Namdaemun Seoul near City Hall

Autumn 2024. Ten years after my first trip to Seoul in 2014, I am returning to the Republic of Korea, better known as South Korea. Not solo this time, but with Oriol, who has never been to Korea. On the itinerary: flying with Qatar Airways to Incheon via Doha, the capital Seoul, the historic city of Gyeongju, Busan, Jeju Island and a second stint in Seoul, where we are joined by Sehyeon. We’re spending two weeks in South Korea. The ROK is such a popular destination now. Will we experience overtourism?

After arriving we walked to Fraser Place Seoul… but we messed up. There are two Fraser Place hotels: Fraser Place Central Seoul, near Seoul Station, and Fraser Place Namdaemun Seoul near Seoul City Hall. Luckily they are both walking distance. Yes, even with luggage.

Check in

Checking in went smoothly. Getting to our floor, we quickly learned a valuable lesson. Lifts in South Korea are not coordinated. You have to push the buttons individually.

The room

The room is roomy. Two beds, a desk, a tv, a tea-making facilities. Many power outlets. Some only gave 110V so charging devices took forever.

The closet features an iron, two bathrobes and two pairs of slippers.

Lights are turned on and off with ‘gentle touch’ commands and I’m not a fan of too smart domotica. There’s nothing wrong with good old switches.

The WiFi is good. A feature of this trip.

The bathroom

The bathroom features a bath and is well-lid. A smart toilet with bidet is there to attend your bum and if you have one, your vagina.

The towels are medium-sized, a luxury we wouldn’t have everywhere.

The shower gel and shampoo are by (Malin + Goetz). They were attached to the wall and the nozzles were impractically facing the wall. Can you turn the bottles a bit? Thank you.

Breakfast

We had none. Oriol is not a fan of hotel breakfasts. He thinks they’re too expensive and truth be told, food being cheap in Korea you can find alternatives. Even western-style breakfast.

The gym

The gym is free of charge but you must register. If I remember well, the operating hours were 6AM to 9PM. For a hotel gym, there are enough workout options. Nothing out of the ordinary.

The jjimjilbang

As we are in Korea, the hotel has a jjimjilbang, wellness or sauna. It is only accessible to men (sorry ladies) and there were also people from outside the hotel.

Koreans use these bathhouses to actually bathe. So first you wash yourself. There are high showers and low washing stations with tabourets and washbasins. After a thourough wash you can get into the communal baths. There are always two or three temperature options.

And yes, there are also actual saunas.

A jjimjilbang is not for the prude. You will see people of your own gender shave, brush their teeth, great each other completely naked. They don’t cover up their genitals.

In the dry section, there’s all you need to get ready: brushes and combs, all sorts of products, earbuds…

I love the atmosphere of a Korean jimjilbang or Japanese onsen. This one was relatively small but cosy.