PLANNING YOUR FACT-FINDING TRIP - Living Abroad in South Korea - page 75

Few love hotels would be brave enough to call themselves that, but they're ba-
sically standard motels or yeogwan with a few added touches to appeal to romance-
minded couples—curtained car parks for privacy, themed rooms with soft lighting
and fancy bedding, and “inspirational material” on the television. However, even if
you're traveling solo, they can be an extraordinarily good value. Most are found in
city centers, and since competition tends to be fierce, they regularly attempt to up-
stage each other in terms of cleanliness and facilities. Nice toiletries, Internet-con-
nected PCs, and purified water dispensers are standard in most love hotel rooms, and
some places offer deluxe suites equipped with Jacuzzis and massive flat-panel tele-
visions for around 80,000 won a night, less than a three-star Seoul hotel.
Minbak are more commonly found in the countryside and resort areas. They are
basically private homes that accept guests, the closest thing South Korea has to bed-
and-breakfasts. They can vary widely in terms of design, quality, and service, from a
tiny bedroom next to the owner's to large expansive properties with individual cab-
ins. Meals are not usually served (though you can always ask) and room rates are
usually in the 30,000-80,000 won range.
You may also come across “pensions” and “condos” while traveling in South
Korea—the former is basically another term for minbak, though they tend to be more
upmarket. “Condo” is taken from the English condominium and refers to large resort
complexes in tourist areas offering units with multiple bedrooms and kitchen facilit-
ies.

THE EAST
Accommodations
In Busan the Westin Chosun Busan (737 Woo 1-dong, Haeundae-gu, tel. [phone],
www.chosunbeach.co.kr , doubles from 245,000 won) is the grand old lady of hotels on
Haeundae Beach, or try the immaculate and convenient Toyoko Inn (1203-15 Choryang-
dong, Dong-gu, tel. [phone], www.toyokoinn.com , doubles from 71,500 won), which
has additional branches in Seomyeon and Haeundae. In Ulsan the Lotte Hotel (282
Samsan-ro, Nam-gu, tel. [phone], www.lottehotelulsan.com , doubles from 210,000
won), in the fast-developing Samsan-dong area, is probably the best top-end choice, while
the centrally located Ulsan Hotel (110-10 Sinjung 2-dong, Nam-gu, tel. [phone],
www.ulsanhotel.co.kr , doubles from 80,000 won) is another decent pick. In Daegu the
Novotel Daegu City Center (11-1 Munhwa-dong, Jung-gu, tel. [phone],