Uljiro Co-Op Residence

“Best service for seasoned and forgetful traveler”

It was my first trip to Seoul with my eldest sister and my brother in law. We were all excited to step fought on the country that is one of the hotspots of the world, just hundred miles off the DMZ. Seoul was about an hour drive from Incheon and the Limousine Buses are exceptionally on time, clean… more

It was my first trip to Seoul with my eldest sister and my brother in law. We were all excited to step fought on the country that is one of the hotspots of the world, just hundred miles off the DMZ. Seoul was about an hour drive from Incheon and the Limousine Buses are exceptionally on time, clean and safe to ride on. Beats airport taxis that supercharge you since quite a bit of airport taxi drivers (especially in 3rd world countries) look at passengers as a fistful of currencies. But i digress. We had a planned trip and Uljiro Co-op Residence at Jung-gu, Seoul was the default destination. Having travelled extensively in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, I was adept at going it alone. This was, however, my first journey to a non-English speaking destination. I was informed that I had to bring with me either an English-Korean dictionary. It turned out (a our driver tour guide later recommended) an English Korean app would be best. After a smooth ride from Incheon to the outskirts of Seoul, we hit the morning traffic. Even with traffic we were able to get into the City and (surprise!) the Limousine bus station was right smack across Uljiro Co-op Residence (UCR). Uljiro does not provide an imposing facade but the lobby and accessibilty was impressive. Because check in was 2:00 pm and we arrived early, we were allowed to leave our bags enabling us to check out the area. We discovered that Uljiro Co-op Residence is just three blocks from the Design Center, a UFO-like structure that houses a warm hospitable coffee shop. After checking out where the City Tour bus would be (right on the street where the Design Center was), we went tack to UCR and was advised one room is available - 1003. My room 1004 became available later. The guest room at the 10th floor offered a view of the surrounding neighborhood. It was clean, with the amenities similar to Vancouver, Dallas, San Francisco and Miami hotels. The batroom/toilet does not have a divider (the shower stands right above the john) but I found out later, the bathroom floor was designed to let the water flow and dry faster. The room was more like a mini-studio by San Francisco standards with a microwave, ref, hot water boiler for coffee or tea, a closet, TV, in-room phone, and airconditioner above the bed. Since my right knee was bothering me, I was room bound for almost two days and that's where I appreciate how comfortable and businesslike the room was. I always had my laptop with me and I was able to get a power adapter (be ready to have 10,000 wons as deposit). So I was able to get work done. The coffee shop at the lobby serves as the breakfast area (yes, a buffet breakfast was included). Although the breakfast items did not vary - scrambled eggs, sausage fried rice, ham, veggies and cereals with abundant almonds and raisins -get us going the entire half day. The hotel lobby staff was friendly and had adequate English to engage hotel guests. For the next three nights and four days Uljiro Co-op was home. Then it was time to leave. I was already back home and was into my first day in office when I realized that I left my green army type jacket with ALL my office and home keys. I sent an email to Uljiro and was told that indeed my jaccket and items were inside the pockets. I asked what \i need to to get it back. The response was simple and reassuring: please give them my address and my jacket would be shipped. I wondered how long I would be without keys and would it be better to have duplicates made. Two days after the initial email exchange, my jacket and keys came in a box, delivered to my office. This gesture was more than sufficient for me to plan to visit Seoul again and of course, insist on staying at Uljiro Co-op Residence each time I visit. The staff may not be able to speak English but the excellent service speaks for itself.

less