The Korea Herald

Spring Greens with Hyatt Regency Jeju

Hyatt Regency Jeju on Jeju Island presents flavorful spring herbs and fresh fish from Jeju Island at Terrace Caf. The six-course Korean Spring Greens menu is comprised of Jeju canola salad with Halabong tangerine as a starter, with seasoned spring namul (seasoned vegetables) with seafood and soba noodles, assorted spring namul bibimbap with bean paste, broiled mero fish and yam mugwort, and clam bean paste soup to be served as main dishes. Fresh strawberries and Japanese apricots will be served

March 30, 2012

Sheraton Incheon launches Earth Hour

As the one and only LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified Hotel in Korea, Sheraton Incheon Hotel has prepared special offers in time for Earth Hour, during which the hotel will spend an hour in the dark on March 31 from 8:30 p.m. On the same day, the hotel’s Italian restaurant Bene, Japanese restaurant Miyabi and Chinese Restaurant Yue offers candlelight dinners specially created with a healthy and green themed five-course menu along with a complimentary green cocktail.

March 30, 2012

North Jeolla Province beckons spring travelers

In time for 2012 Yeosu Expo, regions in North Jeolla Province offer various tourism packagesFor those who have never visited North Jeolla Province before, now is the perfect time to visit the warm, southwestern region of the country. In celebration of 2012 as the Visit North Jeolla Province Year and the three-month 2012 Yeosu Expo which will soon kick off on May 12, in nearby South Jeolla Province, various regions of the province are offering interesting festivals and attractive tourism package

March 30, 2012

North Jeolla Province beckons spring travelers

New Zealand offers tourists tanks for their memories

In a country regarded as the adrenaline-pumped home of adventure sports, one New Zealand company is offering frustrated drivers the chance to squash a car with a Centurion tank.Tanks for Everything in Christchurch has a fleet of eight tanks, armoured personnel carriers and Jeeps, the largest of which can easily crush a family sedan pancake-flat in a crescendo of squealing metal and shattering glass.“I think it maybe releases repressed frustration, to go and crush something with a tank,” owner Jo

March 30, 2012

Phone service makes Seoul travel easy

‘tt’ call center operators offer information, careOn a cold December day last year, an elderly Japanese woman was found sitting on the steps of Myeong-dong subway station. The person who found her wanted to take her to her destination but couldn’t communicate in Japanese.The person called 1330 and was able to communicate with the woman through the Japanese language interpreter on the phone. The call was also transferred to the police who tracked down a report of the disappearance of an elderly J

March 27, 2012

Sunday brunch at Ritz-Carlton’s garden

Ritz-Carlton in Yeoksam-dong, southern Seoul, invites guests to get an early taste of spring at its European restaurant The Garden. The Sunday brunch features around 60 fresh, healthy selections such as balsamic onion with Korean wild chives, deep-fried fatsia, smoothies made from carrot and blueberry, lobster, grilled lamb chops, king prawns with scallops, foie gras mousse, black bean mousse, and eggplant cheese terrine. The brunch runs from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and costs 65,000 won, exclusi

March 23, 2012

Westin Chosun Seoul offers buffet lunch deal

Aria, an open kitchen live buffet restaurant in the Westin Chosun Seoul in central Seoul offers “Happy 4 Lunch” promotion through April 30. If a party of four adults visits Aria for lunch on weekdays, they can enjoy a buffet lunch for the price of three. The guests can also receive a 20 percent discount coupon for their next visit, valid until September. The offer is priced at 204,000 won, excluding of tax and service charges. Aria is a spacious and open kitchen buffet restaurant which offers a

March 23, 2012

The North Face searches for disabled hikers

Registration for outdoor brand The North Face’s “2012 Together Mountain” event is open until April 6. The event, now in its seventh year, invites the disabled as well as non-disabled to climb mountains together. This year, the event will be held on April 15 at Mount Nam in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province. Those who want to participate can sign up through The North Face’s website (www.thenorthface.com) or at the brand’s stores throughout the country. The registration fee of 30,000 won will be

March 23, 2012

Hyundai Card offers early bird benefits to Guam

Jointly organized by Hyundai Card, Guam PIC, Jin Air and Modu Tour, a three-night-four-day package takes travelers to luxurious all inclusive resorts in Guam every day from April 13 to May 23. Early birds who register for the package by March 30 will be charged 899,000 won for adults, 499,000 for kids and 150,000 won for toddlers (package does not run from April 27-30 due to Japanese holidays). In addition to a variety of sports and activities to experience, kids can participate in free English

March 23, 2012

Hanoi is emerging as a destination for foodies

HANOI ― In Hanoi, soup is a way of life ― the connective tissue of Vietnamese culture. With noodles, herbs and sinew, it strings together twisting streets and varied lifestyles. Here the bones, crumpled napkins and squeezed limes that litter the ground beneath tiny plastic tables are symbols of a good meal and a life well lived.I came here in early December largely because of Hanoi’s growing reputation as a culinary capital. In 2010, the website Sherman’s Travel (www.shermanstravel.com) ranked H

March 23, 2012

Hanoi is emerging as a destination for foodies

Lombok offers royal vacation for peasant fare

LOMBOK, Indonesia ― It can be hard for some vacationers to find that perfect mix of the rural and the urban with a side of raw, untouched culture. Lombok Island, however, offers all that and more to those looking for an affordable tropical getaway.Moments after stepping out of the newly constructed sole airport on the island just off the coast of the tourist powerhouse Bali, one can see just how untouched the island is. On the lawns and outside the gates of the airport, it is a common pastime am

March 23, 2012

Lombok offers royal vacation for peasant fare

KTO opens tourism center in Sendai

Korea Tourism Organization opened Korea-Japan Tourism Exchange Center on Monday in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. Japan’s tourism industry expects the center will help revitalize Korea-Japan tourism which has suffered since the deadly quake that hit eastern Japan last year. The center will serve as a gate to increase the number of Korean travelers to Japan as well as Japanese tourists to Korea. Since the quake last year, KTO has been hosting campaigns to promote travels to Japan. For more inf

March 16, 2012

BBB KOREA app offers interpretation service

Language and cultural NGO BBB KOREA released a BBB Translation service application for smartphones. Through the app, users can be directly connected to BBB volunteer workers without having to go through operators. It can be used anywhere and on any occasions, and the language one used once will be added to the favicon list. The app can be downloaded from the Android market and iTunes app store. The global versions of the app will be released in April. For more information, call 1588-5644 or visi

March 16, 2012

Hallyu hits Singapore with Korean Festival

Korea Tourism Organization hosts Korean Festival 2012 at City Square Mall Atrium, one of Singapore’s largest shopping malls, through March 18. It is composed of various events to introduce Korean traditional and pop culture such as taekwondo demonstrations, hanbok (Korean traditional costume) fashion shows, fan dance performances, Korean cuisine contests and K-pop contests. Notably, the winner of the K-pop festival will win a ticket to visit Korea and participate in a one-day tour with K-pop gro

March 16, 2012

Dance & dine at Renaissance Seoul Hotel

Renaissance Seoul Hotel’s Italian restaurant Toscana presents a special evening titled ‘Dance & Dine at Toscana’ every second and fourth Saturday starting from April 14 where customers can enjoy food and dancing all at the same time. From 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., those who want to learn sports dancing ― Cha cha cha; jive; rumba; international blues; waltz; tango ― can get a private one-point lesson alone or as a couple from a professional instructor from Sherry Kwon Dance Sports School. Then from 6 p.m

March 16, 2012

One-hour lunch course at Lotte Seoul

The high-end French restaurant Pierre Gagnaire Soul in Lotte Hotel Seoul presents a new course menu titled “One-Hour Business Lunch.” The usually long French dining course has been shortened to one hour to fit the busy schedule of today’s businessmen. The course begins with langoustine with sliced pork shank and red onion as appetizer. The main dish is veal garnished with grilled mushroom, watercress cream and celery. A small cake and cookies are served as dessert. This three-course dinner is pr

March 16, 2012

NASCAR among new Myrtle Beach attractions

MYRTLE BEACH, South Carolina (AP) ― Free falling from a 18-meter tower, slipping down an oceanfront zip line or fighting through a curve in a car once driven by a NASCAR great are among the new attractions that will greet visitors to Myrtle Beach during a new beach season.There are also improvements to one of the area’s most popular piers and, for a change of pace, a yearlong celebration marking the local art museum’s 15th anniversary.Myrtle Beach is located on South Carolina’s Grand Strand, 96-

March 16, 2012

NASCAR among new Myrtle Beach attractions

California’s Palm Springs is just right for sun-starved families

PALM SPRINGS, California ― Like most of the people soaking up Sunday brunch at the Parker Palm Springs hotel, the hungover-looking dude in slacker attire with the fashionista girlfriend looked as if he had just rolled out of bed at 10:30 a.m. He also looked strikingly familiar ― like a richer version of me from about 10 years earlier, pre-child.“Cute kid,” he lazily remarked as he passed our table.My 4-year-old daughter had caught his and many other brunchers’ attention by lifting a shot glass t

March 16, 2012

California’s Palm Springs is just right for sun-starved families

Pororo Park KINTEX branch to open in Ilsan

Pororo Park KINTEX, a play-and-experience venue for children, will open on the ground floor of Exhibition Center II, at KINTEX in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province, on March 16.Themed on the Korean television animation “Porong Porong Pororo,” Pororo Park offers performances, games and chance to play with the animation characters. Built on a 3,000-square-meter site, Pororo Park in KINTEX includes a theater for performances and 3-D animated films, a playground and Pororo character stores. It will also feat

March 15, 2012

Pororo Park KINTEX branch to open in Ilsan

Germans seek solace from hectic lives on spa breaks

BERLIN (Reuters) ― Massages, steam baths and a rest from an increasingly busy lifestyle are drawing a growing number of Germans to spa breaks, one of the tourism sector’s fastest-growing segments.Tour operators boast above-average growth in spa holiday bookings and see no end to demand as Germans, the world’s biggest spenders on holidays, add more short “wellness” trips close to home to their annual vacation schedule.“After the crisis of 2008/2009 we saw that wellness picked up again,” Matthias

March 14, 2012