Seouled!

I looked at the calendar today and wow... in a little over a month we're going on our trip! Crazy.

I feel a sense of relief tonight because this morning we got 90% of our Seoul accommodations booked. Reservations are confirmed for Doulos Hotel and Namhyeondang Hanok Guesthouse. Still waiting to hear back from Rakkojae. Here's a nice Google map if you'd like to see where exactly in Seoul we'll be. We're splitting our time in Korea between one midrange Western hotel, 1 luxury traditional hanok, and 1 moderately priced hanok.

We made these choices after reading lots of TripAdvisor reviews. South Korea isn't a popular destination for people outside of Asia so there weren't many reviews in English, but that's okay. Selecting a good place wasn't as difficult since you can get more bang for your buck in Seoul than you can in Hong Kong. Rooms are larger and the beds are softer. You can stay in a centrally located clean and modern double room with free breakfast for around $100 a night. Traditional hanoks are even cheaper at about $80 a night for a double including breakfast.

Doulos Hotel is located in a district full of love hotels some reviewers described as very Blade Runner-esque (which gets us really excited since we both love that movie.) We saw a lot of love hotels when we were in Japan and I imagine they're no different in South Korea. Love hotels can look totally nondescript or very kitschy. Think castles, neon, ceiling mirrors, and rotating heart-shaped beds. A lot of them don't have windows or even front desks - instead you book your room through an automated system. They can be rented out for several hours at a time and are frequented by prostitutes or average amorous couples who just need some privacy in a very crowded country where people often live with their parents until they marry. They might seem a little sketchy, but they're totally harmless. My guidebooks even recommended staying in them. (We decided it wasn't for us.)

We are staying in two hanok guesthouses. Hanoks are traditional Korean buildings with landscaped courtyards, tiled roofs, paper doors, and heated floors called ondol. Guests sleep on the floor on a futon-like mattress called a yo. When we went to Japan, we stayed in a lot of traditional ryokans and absolutely loved the experience, so I'm excited to stay in a hanok. I know sleeping on the floor doesn't sound comfortable, but trust me... it is. Korean hanok hosts are apparently exceedingly gracious and I'm keen to try a traditional Korean breakfast while seated on a pillow at a traditional table.

Namhyeondang (try saying that out loud) is the budget hanok. I selected it because the reviews raved about the kindness of the host, it's clean, and was recently renovated. The room is quite small and the bathroom is communal, but that's okay because we're not planning on staying in our room all day. If I have terrible insomnia, there's a TV to watch insane Korean programs, ha!

We are only staying in the luxurious Rakkojae Hanok for one evening because it costs more than I care to admit - but we wanted to splurge for a night. To give you an idea of what it's like, here's a video and yes, we are staying in the Patio Room that the man in the video mentions. I hope the weather is nice so I can enjoy a cup of tea or soju on the patio. The hosts of Rakkojae serve a traditional Korean dinner and breakfast and there's a traditional clay mud sauna I am looking forward to relaxing in. It kind of reminds me of the traditional Kyoto ryokan that we stayed in the night we were engaged.

Next up... looking into whether I need to book a tour of the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) ahead of time. Apparently on some of the tours you're able to walk a few feet into North Korea, something that I really want to do. I told Mom about our DMZ tour intentions and it made her nervous. Don't worry, Mom!

Hong Kong accommodations booked: Seoul next

Well, we booked our Hong Kong places! We are staying at the YMCA Salisbury Hong Kong and Caritas Bianchi Lodge. I've made a handy little Google map for you to see their locations. Both places are in central locations in the Kowloon region. We like to break our trips up by moving around and staying in different locations.

Both places are about $150 a night after sales tax. If you want to stay in HK for less, you're going to end up in a place like the infamous Chungking Mansions. While I was researching accommodation possibilities, this place came up on my radar more than once since it' a very popular place for budget travelers. It's a monstrous structure full of guesthouses, shops, and residences. Part of me was intrigued by its weirdness and part of me thought it was a bad idea. After reading about it and discussing it at length with Mike, we decided to look elsewhere. I'm getting to a point in my life where slumming it isn't as glamourous as it used to be.

The YMCA came highly recommended from friends, books, and TripAdvisor. For it's location and price, it can't be beat. We requested a room with a partial harbor view. I'm looking forward to seeing the futuristic skyline of Hong Kong lit up at night.

Caritas Bianchi Lodge (or Carnitas as Mike calls it) wasn't our first choice, but it seemed the least dodgy for what we can afford. We selected this place after poring through countless reviews. It's run by a Catholic nunnery.

A lot of reviews mentioned that hardness is the standard for mattresses in that area of the world and that the beds are often too short for tall Western people such as ourselves. I am already imagining Mike's feet dangling off the end of the bed, ha ha! So many of the reviews also mentioned bad smells emanating from the bathrooms of many of these places. I think it has something to do with the plumbing? I am not sure. Apparently Hong Kong means "fragrant harbor" so maybe the water just stinks?

My list of Seoul possibilites are complete and we're in the process of deciding. Seoul is (surprisingly) somewhat cheaper!

The hunt for a place to stay is on!

Today I finished compiling my list of possible Hong Kong accommodations. I've been using TripAdvisor, Rough Guide and Lonely Planet books, and tips from friends. I haven't tackled Seoul yet- I want to nail down Hong Kong first. 

Hong Kong seems to have two types of accommodations: guesthouses and hotels. Guesthouses are not really houses. Rather, they're floors or sections of high-rise buildings called mansions. The word mansion in Hong Kong doesn't mean the same thing that it means here. Hong Kong doesn't seem to have any traditional lodgings like Seoul's hanoks. (More on that when I book the accommodations in Korea.) 

All my searching has taught me that Hong Kong is a very expensive city. A budget room the size of a closet that will sleep two people runs about $100 a night... and that's not including sales tax. And I am not exaggerating when I say closet. I mean, these rooms contain one double or two twin beds, and that's it. You can't stretch your arms out without hitting the walls. Space is at a premium in Hong Kong and you have to open your pockets if you want it. Japan was the same way, but we stayed at a lot of traditional ryokans so there was a certain charm to the compact rooms. 

Some of these places are real dumps, too. Looking at photos and reading reviews is a little nerve wracking! We can deal with cramped quarters and a shared bathroom. Our standards aren't sky high, we just want a clean and safe place where we won't get eaten alive by bedbugs or kept awake all night by noises heard through paper thin walls. 

We are planning on staying in at least two places in Hong Kong. A budget place for part of the time, and a nicer midrange place part of the time. Lower end midrange places start around $200 and the prices quickly escalate.  

I will keep you posted about which places we pick!