The Best Hotels to Book in South Korea for Every Traveller

From old-world guesthouses to forest-ensconced wellness retreats, there’s no lack of variety or originality when it comes to the best places to stay in South Korea.

Home to mountain-top temples, fragrant food markets and cutting-edge film schools, South Korea mingles ancient heritage with hyper-futurism. Nowhere is this more apparent than the capital, Seoul, filled with gleaming skyscrapers, neon-lit streets and bars blasting K-pop. Elsewhere, you can wander through mountain forests and guesthouses built in time-honoured architectural styles. We round up the cream of South Korea’s hotels to suit the needs of every traveller.

1. Hotel Cappuccino

Up-to-the-minute urbanites will find a home in Cappuccino Hotel Gangnam, a contemporary stay in Seoul’s most exclusive district. The look is minimalist and monochrome, echoing Gangnam’s forward-thinking attitude with interiors of concrete, glass and blackened steel. There’s a craft coffee shop on the ground floor and a window-walled bar and restaurant on the roof, where you can survey the skyline over sticky fried chicken and gin cocktails.

2. Small House Big Door

Double bed on wooden frame in plain white-painted room with bedside table and floor-to-ceiling window at Small House Big Door

Small House Big Door puts you in the heart of Seoul’s premier shopping district, Myeongdong – making it one of the best places to stay in South Korea for some retail therapy. The neon-washed streets cater to every whim, whether you’re in the market for Korean cosmetics, homegrown fashion or world-class street food. After a day of flashing the plastic, sip Korean beer in the hotel bistro before retiring to your ultra-minimalist room – the perfect counterpart to the fray.

3. Hongdae Jun Guesthouse

Double bed in silvery-grey room with air-conditioning unit and bedside table at Jun Guest House

No-frills stay Hongdae Jun Guesthouse is in hip Hongdae, an arty district that will appeal to night owls. The area gets its name from Hongik University, one of the best fine art schools in South Korea. Unsurprisingly, creativity is the lifeblood of the surrounding streets, which are full of indie music venues, independent galleries and vintage shops. Once a year, local art students band together to create murals, installations and live performances as part of the Street Art Festival.

4. Arban Hotel

Shaded open-air dining area with several wooden tables and chairs by a lawn at the Arban Hotel

In the heart of Busan’s bustling commercial district, Arban Hotel is a magnet for seasoned city breakers. The wood and marble-clad interiors cut a refined and modern figure in keeping with Busan’s cosmopolitan outlook. If you’ve been pounding the streets all day, you’ll find repose in the hotel’s rooftop garden, dotted with gnarled pines and decorative rocks.

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