Credit: ClipartKorea

Hotels in K-dramas are featured as places of work, dating, or where couples are blessed with eternal love. With the growing popularity of Korean shows, these luxurious and romantic hotels have become tourist sites. This summer, take a page out of your favorite K-Dramas and check into your hotel vacation, or as Koreans call it, “Hocance (a portmanteau of hotel and vacance)!”

| Grand Walkerhill Seoul

Credit: Grand Walkerhill Seoul

Grand Walkerhill Seoul offers a five-star hotel experience on the outskirts of Seoul. With mountains behind and a river in front, you can feel the changes of nature in the four seasons. There are many facilities, such as a swimming pool, picnic area, tennis court, library, and an immersive art exhibition hall (Théâtre des Lumières), so you have plenty of ways to unwind and rest. Ondal, a traditional restaurant featuring modern reinterpretations of the old Korean nobility's cuisine, is also a must-visit.

Grand Walkerhill Seoul is also home to “Aston House,” the wedding venue of Hae-in (Kim Ji-won) and Hyun-woo (Kim Soo-hyun) in the hit show Queen of Tears. Aston House was also where celebrity couples like Son Ye-jin & Hyun Bin and Bae Yong-joon & Park Soo-jin were married. This building is for banquets, so be sure to make a reservation to get in. Most rooms and dining areas offer panoramic views of the Hangang River and the well-kept gardens.

| Skybay Hotel Gyeongpo

Credit: Skybay Hotel Gyeongpo

Skybay Hotel Gyeongpo is a romantic hotel with a view of an endlessly blue sea. It was once used as a popular destination for honeymoons during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it featured in shows like Business Proposal, featuring Kim Se-jeong and Ahn Hyo-seop, and Yumi’s Cells, starring Ahn Bo-hyun and Kim Go-eun. More recently, it was included in the list “Travelers' Choice Awards Best of the Best 2024,” an award given out to the top 1% of each category in Tripadvisor, the world’s largest travel platform.

The centerpiece of Skybay Hotel Gyeongpo is Infinity Pool, which has warm water in winter and has a great view of Gyeongpo Beach. Let yourself float as the sky and the sea blend into one at the horizon. Another unique feature of the hotel is the presence of a specialized dermatologist in the lobby, which allows you to maintain your skincare regime even in vacation.

| Parnas Hotel Jeju

Credit: Parnas Hotel Jeju

The show King the Land depicts the romance between Gu Won (Lee Jun-ho of 2PM), the heir of King Hotel, and Cheon Sa-rang (Im Yoon-ah of Girls' Generation), a staff member of the hotel. Because of its setting, the show features different hotels across Korea. One memorable scene features a hotel with a cylindrically open lobby, with 30m-high glass ceilings letting in the sunlight.

This unique lobby in the show comes from Parnas Hotel Jeju. Famous for having 40% of its rooms with ocean views, it boasts special water facilities, such as the 110-meter Estuary Pool, the longest in Korea, and a baby pool. Located in Korea’s premier tourist destination, the hotel offers excellent access to natural sites, including beaches, falls, volcanic cones, and caves.

* This column was last updated in July 2024, and therefore information may differ from what is presented here. We advise you to confirm details before visiting.