Seoul Trip 2017 Day 1 (18/12/2016)

In order to save money for my holidays this December, I took China Eastern Airlines for both my Japan and Seoul trip, earning 6miles when I booked through Expedia using my UOB privi card. When I checked Seoul ticket prices on SQ (direct flight), it was already $1.4k per pax, and China Eastern Airlines was only $750, so it was almost half price. We decided we could afford the time to transit,  just like our June trip to UK, saving bucks by spending more time traveling.  

Coincidentally, I transited at Shanghai for both my trips, so I was already quite familiar with the procedures and the airport. The transit time is not as bad as my Okinawa trip as P was with me this time and we only waited for 2-3 hours before waiting to board again. However, I felt a bit sick once I thought of the plane ride (quite a deja vu feeling as the two trips were just 2 weeks part) as I was down with diarrhoea once I landed in Okinawa. I tried to get rid of this thoughts on the 5 hour flight to Shanghai but the very bad turbulences did not help.

P was excited once we reached Shanghai as its exactly where he wanted to be. There's a Starbucks at our transit area and they've launched some limited edition stuff over there for X'mas. Our trip had not started proper and we had already spent hundreds of dollars on his Starbucks collection. Sigh... I did not feel happy and we had a little argument, but we did not want to spoil our holidays so we reconcile pretty fast.

We reached Seoul past noon and went looking for the recommended way to get to our hotel. I looked at the videos the hotel had created and sent to us prior to the trip (quite high tech and good customer service) and decided that taking the Airport Rail to Seoul Station and then a taxi right to the doorstep of the hotel should be the safest way, it cost the same as the Limousine bus but we do not need to find our way from the bus stop to the hotel with our luggages. 

Found the Travel Centre right after the arrival area

The trip cost us 15k won per pax (less than 20SGD)

Found our way to the Airport Express station and the train was waiting

The AREX tickets with clear instructions

Actually the piece of paper was not needed as the driver was waving at us right after we exited the AREX train area. He was able to ask us some simple questions in English, but we were quite shocked when we got to the carpark exit and the cabbie was shouting away to the lady communicating with him at the gantry, just like how people scream at each other in Korean dramas. It's not really his fault as the lady did not let us out of the carpark and he was trying to explain that he's the pickup service cabbie. Anyway, I must admit that I went to Seoul with some prejudice as Eric had told us that unlike the polite Japanese, the Koreans are rude like their PRC neighbours. At the end of the trip, Japan is still our preferred country of travel but Seoul and Koreans are not that bad and the cabbie was the only shouting Korean we've really met during the trip.

Our hotel was really near to Seoul Station as its quite centralized and located at Myeong Dong area, I think we only sat in the cab for about ten minutes and the driver made a few turns before we reached our hotel. The short trip really benefit the driver as we paid a flat rate for the cab bundled with AREX so I guess he's really lucky we're so near.

Like what I read from reviews, the reception staff at Shin Shin Hotel were really friendly and spoke good English. Many reviewers mentioned that the hotel room is small but we felt that it was quite okay and cosy, not sure whether its because we're having a premium twin room. Anyway, its our 'home' for the next 7 nights, the entire duration of the trip.

Our room was located at another building from the reception and only 3 rooms on each level

A very open bathing area and we enjoyed soaking in the tub (alone)

Our beds, we moved the beds together after the first two nights

This working area was soon littered with stuff during our trip

Large wardrobe at the entrance of the room and we left our luggages there

I loved the location of our hotel. The staff were helpful and friendly. Only complaint that I had was that soundproofing was not that good so I woke up from people checking into the next room one morning. For some of the mornings, the chambermaid moved some chairs during housekeeping upstairs and woke me too. I sleep easily most of the time so it's pretty unusual for me to wake up from the noise, feeling frustrated.