Cheong Yeon Jae Hanok: Traditional Stay in Seoul, South Korea
Staying in traditional home stays was the highlight of my travels in Asia. During our time in Seoul, we stayed at a traditional guesthouse called a hanok in the Bukchon village. From the overabundant hospitality, beds on heated floors, healthy Korean breakfast, & playing dress up in traditional hanbok wear (#asiantourists) - it was such a unique and culturally immersive experience in South Korea.
A hanok is a traditional Korean-style house that’s built quite uniquely. A layer of stone is laid above the flooring and once it's heated, the heat spreads throughout the entire house making it super cozy. This heating system called “ondol” has influenced Korean culture as many Koreans continue to honor customs such as sleeping/ sitting on the floor and taking off their shoes when entering homes. The materials used to build hanoks are all-natural and environmentally friendly, such as the paper made of tree pulp to cover frames. Hanoks also have "excellent breathability" and apparently help in the treatment of atopic dermatitis and other modern skin diseases (Koreans are always on point with skin treatment).
The Bukchon village dates back to the Josean Dynasty where noble families used to reside. The village has a long history and is located between the Gyeongbok Palace, Changdeok Palace and Jongmyo Royal Shrine. The alleys and hanoks that make up the village are well preserved so the area serves as an epicenter to experience Korean culture and sightseeing. There’s also a plethora of restaurants and hip cafes in the Bukchon Village, and just up the hilly road is Myeong-dong for shopping and more dining options (i.e. Maple Tree House for Korean bbq…YUM).
Welcome to our hanok!
There are many hanokstays in the Bukchon Village (some cheaper than others). After doing research, we decided to stay at the Cheong Yeon Jae Hanok. The price per night was a bit more than the average hanokstay, but staying here was worth every penny + it was cheaper than basic hotels. The cute, Korean school girls who worked there were unbelievably accommodating. One morning we had a early JSA/ DMZ tour so the girls volunteered to make breakfast earlier than typically scheduled and served it in our room.
The hanok is quite hard to get to due to the windy alleys, but our taxi driver eventually found it. Once we arrived, the girls gave us a quick tour of the hanok and welcomed us with hot tea and a cute gift-set of Korean skincare and masks (YAS).
The hanok was spotless and had a beautiful common area outside between all the rooms. There was a communal kitchen and dining room where a healthy, Korean breakfast was served each morning. We booked a private room which was simple and clean. As much as my mom loved the experience of sleeping/ sitting on the floor, she was craving for a chair so 2 nights was just enough for her achy knees.
One of the highlights of our hanokstay was playing dress up in traditional hanbok wear. Hanboks are similar to kimonos and similar to Japan where girls can rent hanboks for the day and take an obscene amount of pictures with them on. We wouldn’t personally go that far so it was cool to be low-key cheesy and take pictures with the hanboks at our humble hanok.
Skip the fancy hotels in Gangnum and experience the traditional-side of South Korea. The hanok-stay is such a neat experience to immerse yourself in the Korean culture!
