Seoul

Checking into a Grand Suite at the Signiel Seoul, perched between the 76th and 101st floors of the towering Lotte World Tower (₩950,000 per night), offered a cloud-level perspective on this phenomenal city. Below, the Han River curved past endless bridges, while distant granite mountain ridges framed futuristic glass districts. Seoul radiates a vibrant, trendsetting cool that is utterly unmatched.

I started my day in traditional fashion, renting a tailored silk hanbok near Gyeongbokgung Palace (₩30,000). Slipping past the giant wooden gates into throne courtyards with free admission for hanbok wearers felt like stepping onto the set of a royal K-drama. Later, I wandered the hilly stone alleyways of Bukchon Hanok Village, admiring preserved 600-year-old tile-roofed residences before popping into an aesthetic tea salon for persimmon shaved ice and omija tea.

Beauty and wellness in Seoul is serious business. I spent an afternoon in Apgujeong-dong undergoing a bespoke 10-step glass-skin facial and scalp treatment at a high-end Gangnam aesthetic clinic (₩450,000), walking out looking completely reborn. Afterward, I browsed the flagship Gentle Monster and Tamburins stores in Dosan, which feel more like surrealist art museums than retail spaces.

Dinner was a celebration of Korean barbecue at Born & Bred in Majang-dong, where an omakase of Hanwoo 1++ beef (Korea’s ultra-marbled national treasure, ₩300,000) was seared over oak charcoal to buttery perfection. At 1 AM, I was still wide awake, joining the buzzing crowds at Gwangjang Market to share bindaetteok (crispy mung bean pancakes, ₩5,000) and spicy tteokbokki washed down with ice-cold makgeolli. Seoul’s energy is truly relentless and infectious.