May 9, 2012

Excellent Customer Service in Korea

Five weeks ago, in a rush to get to Seoul’s Incheon Airport, we left our daughter’s travel companion Winnie the Pooh behind. He remained at K-haus Gwanghwamun in Seoul until the hotel manager, Ms. Lee, and I cleared by e-mail his transport to Germany.

There were at least a dozen e-mails as I had hoped to have Winnie shipped to my friends’ address in Japan, but time was not on our side. Then we had to resettle the destination (Germany), kind of transport (small parcel by ship), and method of reimbursement (PayPal).

Winnie started his return journey from Seoul on 12 April.

During all these times of communicating, I forgot to mention to ask Ms. Lee to write “used product” on the customs declaration form. So two days ago, a big envelope containing three papers, arrived in the mail. The German customs office here in Oberursel asked me to come in and declare my parcel as it contained no bill, wasn’t marked as a gift, etc.

The customs officer asked me what I expected to get and I told her my little story. Then I was given a parcel knife to open it in front of her. After recognizing that this was indeed a very used plush animal, I was sent on my way, with Winnie in my arms.

Winnie the Pooh, the traveller

Doesn’t Winnie look tired? I thought overseas flights are long enough for us, but he really looks ragged out from this long ocean transfer and truck ride. On top of that, our daughter will employ him as a head rest again tonight.

 

Apr 22, 2012

Review for K-haus Gwanghwamun in Seoul, Korea

On our way to Japan, we visited Seoul for two days and booked K-haus Gwanghwamun in northern Seoul for our accommodation.

Prior to our departure, we got a few personal mails from the manager with directions and other useful information.

The little privately-run hotel lies on the outskirts and it was not easy to find. The usual 10-minute walk from the bus stop took us close to 45 minutes all the while asking for directions. We had the Korean address and not even the taxi driver nor shop assistants were able to direct us. While looking lost standing at a corner, we were approached by helpful Koreans several times. One of them was able to direct us to the place. The best landmark to point out for future reference would be the Czech Republic Embassy which is on the same road. The Czech Republic Embassy is listed on most maps.

The location itself is perfect though. Surrounded by consulates and embassies, it is in a very quiet corner of Seoul. Walking up the street  towards the guest house, you can see the mountains in the back.

The guest house is very clean and the manager was most accommodating in our needs. When we walked in, she already had a caller’s message waiting for me as well.

Our room with three beds was average size. Our shower equipment was very simple – a handheld shower head in front of the bathroom sink. But it worked nicely.

The breakfast on offer is basic (beverage, coffee and toast), so we ventured out to one of the many cafés lining the streets of Seoul for a more culinary experience.

The Airport Limousine bus service to northern Seoul is KRW 10.000 per person. On the way back to the airport, we took a taxi (orange colored, stating Interpretation Taxi on its side) which cost us KRW 50.500 (about US$ 44,–). Very affordable.

Last, but not least. My daughter left her plush animal behind, and Mrs. Lee, the manager, has been most helpful in trying to get it to Germany. She went way beyond her calling on that one.

You can visit K – haus Gwanghwamun on Booking.com for more information.

K-haus Gwanghwamun in Seoul, Korea

When I go back to Seoul, I will definitely book K-haus again. It is clean, quiet, shows good management, and is reasonably priced.

Mar 29, 2012

Budget Accommodation in Seoul

Passing through Seoul for a two-day layover is a good opportunity to visit this mega city. The idea of looking for accommodation seemed a bit daunting at first, but we soon found a place in a good location, and reasonably priced.

K-haus Gwanghwamun (patio) in Seoul source: booking.com

We found K-haus Gwanghwamun on booking.com which perfectly fits our budget. We booked a family room (sleeps three people) for two nights at 240,000 KRW ( for about € 160). Booking with booking.com was very easy!

I just love the patio and imagine sitting out there in the evening. I expect the city to be busy and loud, but a few drinks and some good company might help drown out the noise.

Review of this very new hotel is soon to follow.

From Incheon International, you can get there by – [Read more…]

Diese Webseite verwendet Cookies. Wenn Sie auf der Seite weitersurfen, stimmen Sie der Cookie-Nutzung zu. Mehr Informationen

Diese Webseite verwendet so genannte Cookies. Sie dienen dazu, unser Angebot nutzerfreundlicher, effektiver und sicherer zu machen. Cookies sind kleine Textdateien, die auf Ihrem Rechner abgelegt werden und die Ihr Browser speichert. Die meisten der von uns verwendeten Cookies sind so genannte "Session-Cookies". Sie werden nach Ende Ihres Besuchs automatisch gelöscht. Cookies richten auf Ihrem Rechner keinen Schaden an und enthalten keine Viren. Weitere Informationen finden Sie auf der Seite “Datenschutzerklärung”.

Close