being angie: A Stop in Seoul

I thought taking a long flight with multiple stops wouldn’t be too horrible; boy did I underestimate my stamina and my body. I left LAX on a 14 hour plane ride to Incheon with a 2 hr stop in Narita. After a 14 hour layover in Incheon, a 2 hour plane ride to Beijing.

I stayed in the Incheon Airport Hotel Queen and found it to be a nice stay. When you arrive in the airport you can go to the Hotel Information Desk (once you clear customs and after baggage claim) and they will call the hotel and direct you to where the shuttle will pick you up. About 10 minutes later the shuttle was there and I was brought back to the hotel, quick and easy. In the morning, the first shuttle from the hotel back to the airport leaves at 6:00am.

Overall the stay in the hotel room was cozy and nice, free internet is provided in the room along with other complementary toiletries and small appliances. I think it’s great for people with long layovers and for ~$70 it was cheaper than the option of staying in the Incheon Airport’s Transit Hotel.

As for Incheon Airport, it is absolutely amazing with tons of shops and restaurants both at the departure concourses and in the gates. The airport has multiple Cultural Experience Centers in which foreigners can enjoy making crafts and dressing up in traditional hanboks for free, free wi-fi(!!!), and lots of nice-brand name shops and department stores. At the request of my best friends, I dropped by the Missha/Etude House (located on 3F, area G of the Departure area) and it was a bit small, but having both shops in one store was convenient. The airport is very large, but there are helpful touch-screen information computers that show you where you are and show the best route for you to reach your destination in the airport! I highly recommend a layover in Seoul compared to other airports because it has been the best one.