November 26, 2015

Our Stay in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Korea | Stylish, Modern Airbnb

Hi everyone! As the title says, today's post is about our Seoul Airbnb!

If you're new to Airbnb, basically it's a website where you, as a potential guest, can book unique accommodations around the world!
"Whether an apartment for a night, a castle for a week, or a villa for a month, Airbnb connects people to unique travel experiences, at any price point."
Airbnb

We believe "unique experience" is its selling point. Beside the homey interior designs, you'll feel as though you're living like a local instead of a tourist because you can do all the stuff you usually do at your own home, like cooking and washing clothes! Not to mention the hosts are usually more than welcome to give you recommendations for restaurants and cafes nearby; or things to do. :) There are also some Airbnb that allow you to stay WITH the hosts or with other guests. And some even have pets with them! ^^
Just read the information carefully before you make any reservation, ok! 

We've tried more than 10 Airbnbs, and this Seoul Airbnb that's located in Gangnam area is definitely one of the best! See for yourself :)



OVERVIEW

It's a comfortable loft apartment with minimalist, cool rustic style with modern furnitures.
↑ Modern elevator & touchscreen door lock.
If you travel a lot and you are NOT a light traveler, which means you bring heavy suitcases with you, then an elevator would be a massive help, seriously. A lot of Airbnbs don't have an elevator in their building.
The entrance slash kitchen slash laundry room. Talk about efficiency!
Stairs to the 'second' floor ^^
Living room under the bed <3


BEDROOMS

There are two bedrooms and both of them are "upstairs". This is the first bedroom:
Love the chic yet comfy feel of this place!
We suppose this is the master bedroom because it has a TV 
And this is the second bedroom which is above the living room 
The ladder of this bed hurt our feet when we climbed up and down. So it's best to wear socks! And let the elders sleep on the master bed. :)
↑ View from each bed ^^ 
↑ The second bedroom might not have a TV, but it has a pandaaaa haha xD Not bad for giving us a lil bit of @miikopanda's vibe.
↑ Big cupboard located beside the living room.


LIVING ROOM

Both of us spent a lot of time here; watching anime while snacking, blogging, browsing, aaanddd... watching Korean TV shows and commercials (yes, we love observing commercials around the world lol, very interesting) here 
The TV is right across the living room!
↑ DVD player!
Photogenic sofa ^^


KITCHEN


Well, what can we say? (Seriously, what can we? Our mom said -->) This is a very well-equipped modern kitchen! It has mostly everything you need to cook up a simple feast; from kitchen utensils, cooking utilities like stove, rice cooker, oven, to cooking oil and cutleries!
↑ Bottles of mineral water were already provided! 
Side note: You CAN'T drink the tap water in Korea! At least that was what our host told us, so we'll just go with it.


BATHROOM

There's nothing more appalling to an accommodation than a dirty, old bathroom. That's why when we're staying at a new place, one of the first things we do is to check out the bathroom first. Thankfully, the bathroom here is very clean and filled with modern amenities!
It's quite small, alright, but it's perfect for a studio apartment! And it has a good drainage system.


AMENITIES

↑ Ok this is the best part! PORTABLE WIFI!!!
This reason alone is enough to choose this Airbnb haha.. You CAN take it anywhere you go! No need to worry of being disconnected from the outside world! Just make sure you bring a power bank too, in case it runs out of battery, ok. ;)
↑ Say what? Another Wifi!! This time it's a cable one for home. Hello, movie streaming!
↑ So happy that they provided a good hair dryer!
↑ Love the generous supplies.
↑ Modern washing machine and friend
↑ They provide a lot of big towels! Yay to that ;D
↑ Intercom and Heating System / Water Temperature. So high tech compared to other Airbnbs we've visited!
↑ Cleaning tools.
↑ In case you're wondering how the electrical outlets in Seoul look like... it's the same type used in Indonesia! :D (The standard voltage is 220 volts)


NEIGHBORHOOD

3 minutes walk to the nearest convenience store, and there are a lot of nice cafes and restaurants around! We really like the location :)


ACCESS

Near Yeoksam and Gangnam station.

If you happen to rent or own a vehicle, you can safely park inside the building! 


PRICE

IDR 1,133,289/night
Extra people: IDR 143,454/night (after 3 guests)


MORE INFO

Website: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/7974128?s=fXG14VFX

Contact Person / Host: Jiseon

If this Airbnb is already fully booked, or you want more choices, you might want to check out Jiseon's other listings:

Jiseon is very nice, friendly and responsive! Even when we had questions or concerns at 11pm, she still answered us very quickly and patiently. And when we needed more amenities like towels or glasses, she provided them on the very next day! She really made our trip easier and more enjoyable. Thank you, Jiseon!! ^^


XOXO

November 25, 2015

What to Eat in Korea | BINGSU at 'Sulbing (설빙): Korean Dessert Cafe'

Injeolmi (인절미) Bingsu

Annyeonghaseyo! Today we're gonna introduce you to this simple yet awesome Korean dessert called Bingsu!
Bingsu is made of super soft shaved ice with various toppings. It is most popular in Summer, but it's basically (and thankfully) available all season. ^^
This one is Injeolmi (인절미) Bingsu.
The topping is Injeolmi, which is is a variety of 'Tteok' / Korean rice cake / glutinous rice / mochi... we guess? So aside from the super soft snowflake shaved ice, you also get the chewy injeolmi rice cakes inside, topped with soybean powder AND it comes with a small cup of sweet condensed milk for the finishing touch. But hold on, on top of that, the Injeolmi (인절미) Bingsu here in Sulbing uses shaved frozen milk instead of shaved ice, so it's even moreeeee delicious!

 We also tried the Milk Red-bean flavour (₩ 7,000)! Yummyyy (especially if you're a fan of red bean), but still, we love the Injeolmi Bingsu more. ^^
 Their best choices of Bingsu ↑ So curious of the Cheese flavour (lower left)!
Besides Bingsu, the other must-try dessert in this cafe is Injeolmi Toast!
 It looks just like the photo! Σ(꒪ȏ꒪)
Love the sticky rice cakes in between. If your teeth is sensitive to cold foods, then this is your best choice here. :)
 The other toasts. All look delish! (;﹏;)
 As you can see, they have a pretty wide selection on the menu, and some of them were not included on this big menu yet. Like this Cheese Tteokbokki (SUPER yummy btw - smoking hot, spicy, savory-sweet and chewy, you gotta try it yourself):
 We saw it on the (supposedly) new menu at a table near the cashier, along with these other newbies:

For drinks, we opted for mineral water (which is FREE and always available for self-service refill lol) and our mom tried their Traditional Ginger Tea and loved it! :)

THE PLACE
The atmosphere is very cozy!

We had our first Bingsu here in Sulbing (설빙) Korean Dessert Cafe and few days later, we tried this other place that sold Bingsu as well (a famous cafe which has many branches in Korea). We really thought it would be the same or at least similar like, c'mon, it's just Bingsu man, how hard is it to make a good one *optimistic*, but nuh-uh! The other place's Bingsu is not as soft, tasty and... It's just not as good as the one in Sulbing, seriously!

We think the secret lies in the shaved ice itself. As we mentioned above, here in Sulbing, instead of using shaved ice, they use shaved frozen MILK instead for their Bingsu; resulting in a creamier and tastier bowl of Bingsu! 
Anyway, we stalked their website and found a very interesting fact that this cafe was launched in 2013 and it was a booming success; within only a year, they launched 490 stores. DAEBAK!!! So if you're going to Seoul and you're interested to try Bingsu here (which we really recommend you to do so), here you go:

SULBING (설빙) KOREAN DESSERT CAFE
Busan original store (본점): 부산광역시 중구 광복로 54-2
Sangnam-dong: 창원시 성산구 상남동 21-12 (그랜드빌딩 201/202호)
Yongho-dong: 창원시 의창구 용호동 73-24번지 2층
Palyong-dong: 창원시 의창구 팔용동 100드림피아상가 201호

Ah, NOW we're craving for a bowl of Bingsu! ><