Around the hotels

W Seoul-WalkerhillThe hotel offers two special romance packages. The “W Dreams in Romance” package includes one night stay in the Wonderful room – with balloons and a set-up bath -- a course dinner at the buffet restaurant Kitchen or the Japanese restaurant Namu, and a Ralph Lauren perfume gift set for two. The price starts from 465,000 won. For those thinking of proposing, the “Who’s Tying the Kn

Jan. 28, 2011

‘Little Russia’: A foodie’s winter haven

Warm up with comforting food and heady tipples near DongdaemunWith Siberian temperatures and biting winds gripping the peninsula, your motivation to get out and about may be close to zero. But if hibernating your weekends away is growing dull, a trip to Seoul’s “Little Russia,” for a dose of hearty fare and strong alcohol, is a fitting antidote to the cold weather. Part of the Central Asia distric

Jan. 24, 2011

Skiing in Andorra: Tiny place, tall mountains

EL TARTER, Andorra (AP) ― It is less than 32 kilometers from border to border. It has two heads of state, a bishop from Spain and the president of France, but its official language is Catalan. Its mountains rise higher than 2,745 meters, and they accommodate some 20 kilometers of ski slopes.This is Andorra, a tiny landlocked principality that is almost all vertical, tucked in the eastern Pyrenees

Jan. 21, 2011

New Madrid hotel is absolute garbage

MADRID (AFP) ― A new hotel has opened in the heart of Madrid proudly declaring that it is complete rubbish.More of a wooden shack than a five-star establishment, the walls of the Beach Garbage Hotel are strewn with detritus dragged up by the tide, recovered from landfills or snapped up at flea markets.Among the wall decorations: plastic drums, wooden frames, musical instruments, striped socks, tir

Jan. 21, 2011

Jeju’s Yongcheon Cave full of peculiarities

A maintenance worker planted an electricity pole in Woljeong-ri, Jeju Island in 2005. The next day, the pole was gone. Upon close inspection, he discovered that the pole had sunk into a deep hole with seemingly no bottom.That is how Yongcheon Cave was accidently revealed to the world, after lava from the volcanic eruption on Jeju Island made a series of lava caves, called “Geomun Oreum Lava Tube S

Jan. 21, 2011

Colombian cops catch cocaine carrier pigeon

(AP)A drug-smuggling pigeon which played a role in transporting drugs into a prison has been caught by police in Bucaramanga, Colombia, the British Telegraph reported.According to police, the carrier was trying to fly into the jail with a bag containing drugs, including 40 grams of marijuana and five grams of cocaine. But the hapless bird was exhausted by the task and it could not complete its mis

Jan. 21, 2011

CICI honors Korea image promoters

Incheon International Airport, the U17 Korean women’s national soccer team, and French scholar Guy Sorman will receive awards Wednesday for promoting Korea’s image. Sponsored and organized by the Corea Image Communication Institute, the annual CICI Korea awards previously honored female weightlifter Jang Mi-ran, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, the Cheonggye Stream and singer Rain.This year, In

Jan. 18, 2011

Youngest Everest climber to set new record in 2011

Jordan Romero at 13 became the youngest person to reach the top of Mount Everest. (AP)At the age of 13, Jordan Romero became the youngest person to reach the peak of Mount Everest in 2010. Romero, now 14, is attempting another record-setting year for 2011. His goal is to reach the peak of Mount Vinson, Antarctica’s highest point. If he succeeds, Romero will be the youngest person to climb the tall

Jan. 18, 2011

Tourists overrun Haneda international terminal

A surprising name recently has joined the pantheon of popular Tokyo tourist spots―Haneda Airport’s international terminal.Since the international terminal opened in October, it has been inundated with visitors who came to the airport not for flights but to stroll the terminal itself. The sightseers outnumber genuine air passengers by more than 2-to-1 on weekends and holidays, according to the airp

Jan. 14, 2011

Traveling for business in Germany, and enjoying it

NEW YORK ― I practice intellectual-property law in New York, but as a dual U.S.-German national, I have considerable cross-border work, which is why I go back and forth quite often. I have a working wife and a toddler who has developed the ability to be in three places simultaneously; that means I have to keep my away time as short as possible and make every business hour count. But that is still

Jan. 14, 2011

Voting campaign launched to pitch Jeju for ‘New7Wonders of Nature’

JEJU ISLAND ― South Korea has launched a campaign to encourage people to vote for Jeju Island in an initiative to list seven natural wonders of the world. The island is one of the final 28 global candidates for “New7Wonders of Nature.”Lead by the Swiss-based, non-profit New7Wonders Foundation, the New7Wonders of Nature initiative started in 2007.With 300 days left before the final voting date on N

Jan. 13, 2011

Korea Pass Cards to spur demand during 50-day shopping event

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said it would aggressively promote the use of Korea Pass Cards during the “Korea Grand Sale,” which kicked off Monday at major department stores and shopping malls and runs through Feb. 28.Korea Pass Cards, consisting of pre-paid cards and check cards for non-Koreans and credit cards and check cards for Korean nationals, can be used on subways, buses and

Jan. 10, 2011

Holiday Inn opens in Gwangju

InterContinental Hotel Group has partnered with AMJ Developments to open the first fully managed international hotel Holiday Inn Gwangju. The 205-room hotel started operations in December.Gwangju, the capital city of South Jeolla Province, attracts many visitors through its cultural events, 26 golf courses and the Korean Formula One track. Holiday Inn Gwangju is ideally placed to provide accommoda

Jan. 9, 2011

Tourist town at the tip of Baja California keeps rocking in a good way

CABO SAN LUCAS, Mexico ― While the rest of Mexico is in turmoil, the good times keep on rollin’ at Cabo San Lucas.Landing at the tourist destination at the very southern tip of Baja California, it seems like you’re in a parallel world. Here’s an Applebee’s, a downtown mall, a Home Depot and pristine beaches as far as you can see.With only 4 percent unemployment, Cabo is safe compared to much of th

Jan. 7, 2011

Singapore looks to tourism, casinos to power growth

SINGAPORE (AP) ― Wear red if you want to win at Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands casino, but sport white to boost your luck at rival Resorts World Sentosa.So says feng shui expert Danny Cheong, who has seen demand for his skills soar thanks to last year’s opening of the city-state’s first two casino resorts.“Before I would occasionally get clients who asked for help with playing the horses or the lott

Jan. 4, 2011

Shopping event for foreigners to kick off Jan. 10

The nation’s largest-ever tourist shopping festival will kick off on Jan. 10 to lure international travelers to get discounts at major department stores and shopping malls through Feb. 28, the Visit Korea Committee said.During the “Korea Grand Sale” event, visitors to Korea who are identified as foreign nationals will be able to enjoy shopping, dining, hotel accommodation and cultural shows, eithe

Jan. 3, 2011