The bf made a reservation at the Sheratin Grande Walkerhill hotel. For those familiar with kpop, you will know that many Korean artistes choose to hold their wedding here, at Astons house.
I had very high expectation of this hotel but was quite disappointed. There are still some pros about this hotel.
Our booking was at Douglous house which had a separate check-in area. The hotel receptionist was waiting at the lobby door and guided us on the hotel facilities and services. The check-in process was smooth and at the end of it, the bell boy helped us with our luggage. I would say that the service here is top notch.
The room is clean and comfortable however, the toilet is a little dated. They had free flow coffee at the lounge.
There are two pools, one indoor and one outdoor. We went to both but only managed to snap photo of the indoor one. If you are not a hotel guest, you have to spend more than SGD100 to get in to their outdoor riverpark. It consists of a lazy river (water is quite still though), a jaccuzzi (crowded), kids pool (with slides and all) and a main pool (filled with people playing beach balls). It was the worst pool I have ever visited and until now, I can't comprehend the high entrace fees. Worst of all, if you need to use the sunbed, you need to pay krw50,000. We had no choice but to place our belongings on the floor beside the sunbed. We got out in less than 30 minutes and headed to the indoor pool which was much better. But the pool was quite small and we were under the watchful eyes of hotel staff who had to explain the rules (if you are not swimming, keep to lane 1 etc) to every guest entering the area.
Summer is a good time to enjoy a dip in the pool. Almost everyone had rash guard on and many shops (including major brands like SPAO, who r u, 8seconds etc) were selling them as well. Got mine from who r u at krw29,000. Supposed to protect you from the harmful uv rays. I didn't stay in the sun long enough to test it out but feels great to have those belly fats covered.
Next, we visited one of the wedding venue, vista hall. There were many curious couples there. Without any deco, the place looked so average, different from their advertisement photos. The view from the ballroom was great though - overlooking han river.
Most artistes had their wedding at Astons house, outdoor wedding venue. Couldn't access the area, drove through the place instead and snapped some photos of their villa.
Our room came with free breakfast which was good and had great variety but still lost out to Conrad and Shilla.
If you are in Korea for summer, you have to try their grapes. One box like the one below costs krw9,900. It's seedless and really sweet. We usually eat the grapes without the skin; only popping out the flesh.
My other loots(honey butter chips, honey butter almond, market o cheese chips etc) from the supermarket. Stay away from the churros almond (bottom right).
Another trend in Korea is carbonated/sparkling water, to drink and to rinse. Due to its slightly acidic properties, it is said to be good for the skin and scalp. Many beauty programmes are introducing it as facial/scalp wash for detox. The brand below is quite popular in Korea, selling at krw1,000, cheaper than perrier.
After so many trips to Korea, found out that I have been purchasing cosmetics via the wrong channel. I used to purchase cosmetics off shelves in Myeongdong but the Lotte Duty Free app has changed my perception of duty free shopping. Lotte duty free shopping app is not just about purchasing products tax free. The discount coupons and discount events can reap substantial savings.
Link to English version.
How cheap is it? Using the Laneige purchase below, waterbank gel cream is sold at KRW 37,000 and waterbank essence is sold at KRW 40,000 on Laneige official website. However, Lotte duty free is only selling it at KRW 29,886 and KRW 30,996 respectively, almost 20% discount. Other brands might have even higher discounts.
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| From Laneige website |
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| From Laneige website |
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| From Lotte duty free app |
After you make your purchase, follow the instruction and collect it at the airport (after clearing immigration). Your products will be properly packed into a bag and once your number is called, the bag will be handed over to you. Simple and cheap. Be sure to click on every event to get discount coupons.
