SEOUL WITH ALICE CARRETT

NAME: Alice Carrett STAR SIGN: Pisces SOCIALS: @alicecarrett LIVING: Sydney, Australia LOCATION: Seoul, South Korea

SLEEP

I always recommend Hongdae as a great spot to base yourself in just as it is so central to the rest of Seoul. It has amazing food, bars, shops and nightlife as well as being super close to public transport.

We have stayed in this area a couple of times and we love it so much. It is a University area so full of young people if that is your vibe and has some really great Airbnb’s as well as hotels. We stayed at 9 Brick Hotel the last time we went which was cool, clean and super comfy so all the good stuff at an amazing price.

Another great area is Gangnam-Gu, definitely a lot fancier as an area (LOTS of Tesla’s & Ferrari’s) and a quieter end of town though near all the best of the best restaurants. We stayed at Hotel Cappuccino which was super cute. As with most Korean hotels it’s best to upgrade your room unless you are happy to sleep in a real life shoebox.

EAT

Oh man everything is so damn good. The street foot is out of this world, definitely try every stall you come across. It is also such a clean city that tap water/food stalls are completely safe with no risk of getting sick.

Definitely go to every single BBQ place that takes your fancy. If it looks good and is jam packed with locals it will be amazing every single time. It also costs next to nothing including yummo crisp beers and lunchtime Soju because why not you are on holidays.

Fluffy Doughnut

The cutest diner-esque dougnut shop in Mapo-gu, an area full of all the yummiest food.

Definitely stop by for a hot, warm, fluffy doughnut that comes in the cutest box!

Egg Drop

This breakfast sandwich is out of this world!! A little hole in the wall, you order on screens and have to wait 15 or so minutes for your order as there always is a bit of a cue but it is so worth it! There is also a great café next door to the Hongdae branch.

Map Jeong BBQ (Jeongdaepo)

The K-BBQ place Anthony Bourdain visited on No Reservations. So delish, worth the train ride and you will eat until you can barely breathe.

Kyochon Chicken

You are going to eat a lot of fried chicken here and it is worth it! Chimaek 치맥 means Chicken and Maekju, the Korean word for “beer” and is an institution across all of Korea. It’s made fresh on order and the chicken is growth hormone free. Make sure you get a crispy one and a garlicky sticky version! They are honestly all so yum. Eat-in one night and when you are feeling lazy eat it in your hotel bed another.

Two Plus Itaewon Fancy but oh so yum! Hands down the best meal we had. The meat melted in your mouth, they had amazing sides including a white kimchi and other delicious traditional food. Heaven!

Laundry Pizza

Underground, super cool and great slices! After all the BBQ sometimes you want a cheesy, tomato carb situation and a giant soda.

BTS also shot an album cover here!!!!!

I am Autumn Cafe

The cutest little dessert café! If you have time worth a visit for the cute aesthetic though it is very out of the way!

Seoul - Incheon Airport

This sounds ridiculous but every time we fly out of Seoul International Airport we go eat here and drink heaps of beers. Not airport pricing and actually so yum!!! Get the bibimbap and a big beer!

I think it is just called Seoul? haha so the logo is below to help you find it. It’s East of Public Area 4F, Terminal 1.

Tailor Coffee

Fantastic coffee!! Such a beautiful space and they also do the yummiest desserts. Perfect for an arvo stop/relax/zonk out on Wifi.

DO

Walk Seoullo 7017

A similar vibe to the highline in New York, the walkway is an unused roadway filled with amazing plants, art pieces and is generally just a nice break from the eating/concrete heavy city.

Dragonhill Spa

Be brave and go to the bathhouse. Honestly the best thing you can do! This bathhouse is like an old amusement park but full of naked people and spots for napping. It’s only around $15 to enter for the day and you will leave feeling better than you ever have.

First up you collect your lounging clothes, towels and your bracelet which will be your key and money for the day. Dump your stuff, get nude and head to the showers. Here is where you scrub every last inch of you and make sure you are as clean as you can be for the other guests. Then you can head into the baths ranging from boiling hot to freezing! They also have themed sauna rooms with crystals, pink salt floors etc so make sure you try everything. Also make sure you get a Korean scrub! They get up in places where no one has been but you leave minus 3 layers of skin and feeling STUNNING. It’s honestly the best thing you can do.

You can meet up with friends of the opposite sex as well and have a beer and relax in the warm rooms. The benefit of a language barrier is the ability to be super shameless and just walk around nude with not a care in the world.

Get a beauty treatment!

Honestly Korea is the place to do it so live large and get pampered.

The Sulwhasoo Flagship does amazing ones, this is where Naomi Campbell goes to get her face did so 🤷‍♀️

Shangpree is also another amazing spa!

All the silly museums!

There is a lot of ridiculous museums from Sex Museums, Harry Potter Bars to Poop themed adventure parks. Honestly do them all cause why not and they cost next to nothing to go in.

We also went to Lotte World which was insanely huge (try and go at night or midweek to avoid crowds).

One of the best things we did was late night bowling (talking like 3am) and had the best time ever!

Bukchon Village

Very touristy but beautiful old style buildings, craft breweries and great for a wander around. There are heaps of really cute local teen artists that do portraits of you in different styles as well on the street. So cute to support!

SHOP

Dr. Jart+ Flagship

Oh man this is my favourite place in THE WORLD. Buy everything. Dr. Jart+ is the sickest skincare brand going around. All of their products are incredible. The team is incredible and the ever-changing flagship is mind blowing. Think ceiling to floor pink fur, karaoke room, skincare tests, trampolines and gigantic disco balls.

It will probably be the highlight of your trip TBH! If you want glowing perfect skin go here.

Olive Young

Somewhere between a Sephora/Mecca and Priceline. Olive Young has all the best brands, sheet masks all the things. Make sure you go to one of their big flagship store and wander around for hours.

Gentle Monster

A really cool immersive eyewear brand that has incredible VM. It’s like a museum that also sells sick sunglasses.

Tamburins

SUCH a beautiful store. Selling the best boujie hand creams and other beauty products. It’s so damn chic and you could wander around for hours smelling their amazing products and marvelling at their beautiful interior design.