Check in
Nothing beats a five-star hotel, except for a home-grown five-star, and in Seoul that's the redoubtable Shilla (shilla.net, £££) and its amazing sculpture garden. Or try a homestay (homestay.jongno.go.kr, £) in a traditional house known as a Hanok, where owners offer extras such as language or cooking lessons.
Dig in
Ondol at the Sheraton Walkerhill (sheraton walkerhill.co.kr, £££) dishes up traditional Korean food that's as healthy as it's tasty. Book one of the restaurant's private rooms for some extra exclusivity. As an alternative to Korean, Everest (everestfood.com, £) does Nepali, Indian and Tibetan fare really well.
On the radar
A tour of the DMZ or Demilitarized Zone (tourdmz.com) is not so much a must-see as a can't-not-see. The trip leads right up to the border with communist North Korea, and below ground into potential invasion tunnels, which were dug in secret. Ironically, the DMZ is a haven for wildlife as there are so few humans.
Below the radar
Vinyl (411-1, Seokyo-dong, Mapo-gu) is not so much a bar as an alco-takeaway: cocktails such as Malibu Pineapple (£2.75) are served in a bag with a straw, and customers then roam the streets drinking, chatting and, as the evening progresses, singing in one huge alfresco party.
£££ Work on that bonus
££ Spoil yourself
£ Great value
BA (ba.com) flies to Seoul via Hong Kong as part of a codeshare with Cathay Pacific.
