What to Expect When Taking Asiana Flights with Kids

What to Expect When Taking Asiana Flights with Kids

So you’ve finally decided to take that trip across the Pacific to Asia? But there’s all the choices for flights with airlines that you’ve never flown with before! Asiana is one of the bigger companies flying to Korea and other places across the Pacific. But still we were unsire about taking Asiana flights with kids in tow.

On our most recent trip to South Korea we used Asiana Airlines. And we were traveling with a three year old.

Well, here’s what to expect:

Flying out of SFO has it’s own unique trials and tribulations, but getting to and onto the plane are the same as most other flights. But once you’re on the flight there are some Asiana-specific experiences that you’re going to come across.

In the Air

The interior cabin was extremely clean, although it was in very drab colors. I think my parents had a scratchy couch in these colors when I was growing up in the 80’s. And the seats were rather uncomfortable. Come prepared.

asiana flights with kids puzzleOnce we were in the air, one of the stewardesses brought Flying Lad a nice little puzzle, although it was completely in Korean. Well, it’s a long flight, so it’s a perfect time to learn to read Hangul!

They are also going to provide everyone with their own slippers which is great! Unless you have giant American sasquatch feet. Still it’s a neat, very asian perk. That being said, everyone is going to take their shoes off at the same time to put on their slippers… in a crowded airplane.. and… well you get the idea.

Food is Served

Meal-wise the options were bibimbap, steak, sandwiches, chana masala, chicken lasagna, and a SPICY fish. Of course they will come with the typical ban chan you would expect from a Korean meal (rice, kimchi, a tube of gochujang, etc). Having sampled a few of them, I can say they’re… ok. It’s still an airplane.

When you go to the bathroom you’ll see you’ve been provided toothbrushes and toothpaste! An airplane is no place to ignore oral hygiene!

Asiana’s Service

The service was OK. Nothing over-the-top, but they were there when you needed them, and did what they were supposed to do.

On the way back we did have a major problem with our reservation, but they were on top of it and made everything better!

Verdict

Overall it was a pleasant experience albeit a bit uncomfortable and a bit of an eyesore. But the interesting foods and perks were very nice. And taking Asiana flights with kids is an A+.

November 18, 2018 / by / Tags: , , ,
Park Hyatt Seoul

Park Hyatt Seoul

The first stop on our around the world trip was a multiple week jaunt around Seoul. We had previously visited South Korea, but this time wanted to take more time to explore the sights of Seoul and be able to kick back and relax a bit more, rather than rush from one part of the country to the next. So to give a little more insight from our Seoul guide, we’ll drill down a little more to some specific parts.

The first hotel we visited was the Park Hyatt Seoul.

In the past we have tried to stay in Hyatts as much as possible since they’re generally dependable and you know what to expect. But there are a few turds in the bunch and we have stayed at those as well and they’ve made us question our decisions. We also have the Chase Hyatt (affiliate shill – but only because we actually use and believe in it!) which gives us 3x bonus points for our Hyatt stays, and a free night every year (my wife and I each have one, so TWO free nights!). And right now they’re offering a 40,000 bonus point sign up which is worth a few free nights on its own.

We arranged for the hotel to come pick us up from the airport since we knew we’d be tired from the long flight and wanted to deal with as little fuss as possible. They even made arrangements for a child seat in the car. And car seats aren’t a huge thing in Korea so they really went out of their way for that one. The driver was a bit of an unfriendly grump- a stark contrast to 99% of the people we met in the country – but he delivered us in style in a very comfortable Mercedes sedan.




So since we were traveling with a kid, we were looking for things that were kid friendly. The Park Hyatt isn’t what we would consider a family hotel, it’s very much business minded. However, they did some things that were VERY kid friendly that no other hotel has done for us in all of our travels.

But first – check-in. This was the oddest thing about the hotel, and something I’ve never seen before. The lobby for the hotel is located on the top floor. Seriously. You come into the bottom floor, get on the elevator, go all the way up and THEN you can see the front desk.

After checking in and getting to the room, they had left a variety of kiddie friendly items!

And not just one or two things, either! A Park Hyatt Seoul Teddy Bear T-Shirt, a stuffed lamb, Teddy Bear Cookies, and kid-friendly bath items and a rubber ducky!

 

Needless to say we were immediately impressed and they had us on the hook. And we were only staying for two nights!

 

The room itself was quite stylish and modern. We had a corner location with lots of glass overlooking the area. This gave our little Flying Lad a birds-eye view of all the city buses coming and going that looked lie Tayo, Rogi, Cito, and all of their pals.

The glass enclosed bath and shower area might be a no-go for families with more shy kids, or people who don’t want their roomies seeing them bathe.

Speaking of the bathroom, the first thing Flying Lad wanted to do was make a phone call from the phone next to the toilet.

That apple you see with the cookies? They brought fresh fruit every day we were there.

Even if you’re not one for working out while on vacation, I highly recommend making use of their facilities. It’s the sort of place that provides all of your work out gear for you and then provides lots of high quality products to help you primp and look your best after your workout/sauna time.

The Park Hyatt staff was immensely helpful with getting us to our destinations, calling cabs, providing insight on the area, and being generally friendly and responsive.

The hotel is very well located to a shopping center across the street that house the Pororo café which was a ton of fun for the kid, and is recommended for anyone with small kids traveling the area. There was also a Korean craft beer festival going on one evening. Yes, Korean craft beer!

All in all, would we stay there again? We definitely would! The modern luxury of the Park Hyatt Seoul hotel matches very well with the business traveler, but they sold us on the super family friendly perks. If you can make our kids happy, then we’ll likely follow suit!

 




April 20, 2018 / by / Tags: , , , , ,
Coffee Prince Coffee Shop

Coffee Prince Coffee Shop

On our trip to Seoul we took MANY side trips! We were super excited to visit the actual Coffee Prince Coffee Shop!

Coffee Prince PosterSince we are medium sized K-Drama fans, we saw an opportunity to visit the actual filming location from one of the great K-Dramas, Coffee Prince and jumped at the chance!

For those of you not in the know, from Wikipedia – “The drama tells the story of an unlikely romance between a tomboyish woman, who dresses like a man in order to get work, and a young food empire mogul. It contains homoerotic elements, as the man does not initially know of the tomboy’s true sex.”

Ok, now that I look at it, it sounds REALLY strange, but I promise it’s worth the watch.

As far as visiting the actual, working coffee shop/set of the show?

 

Maybe not so much.

If you want to check it our for yourself, hop in a cab and head on over to 5, Wausan-ro 29-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul 04053.

Upon arriving you’ll notice that the place looks sort of… derelict. And there’s a bit of an unfriendly sign basically stating that you can’t come in, take pictures, or breathe near the coffee shop unless you’re going to buy something (in several languages). Ok I can understand that since people probably come by and don’t contribute to a successful business in any way. But there’s probably a better, more friendly way to go about this.

coffee prince front

 

So we’re obviously from out of town and decide it’s worth the opportunity. When you start getting closer, and eventually inside the premises the looks of everything don’t get any better. It’s basically gone to sh*t. And the owner is a bit of a grumpy old man. I’m not sure how or why he stays in business. Seems like anyone could do a better job and enjoy it. If you don’t like running a semi-world famous coffee shop, then don’t.

coffee prince waffle

But, we decided to be good customers and ordered some teas and a waffle, which were all fine. Nothing blew my hair back (aside from maybe the prices).

Ultimately, if you’re a Coffee Prince fan and you’re in Seoul, I guess it’s neat to see. But it may also ruin the good thoughts you have of the shop itself. Angry owner, mediocre, expensive product. Keep in mind along with the cost of whatever you’re forced to buy in the store, you also have to factor in the cost of getting to the store and back.

Perhaps the store should be taken over by someone who will take care of it, or at least by someone who would put it on some sort of a landmark tour where they’re guaranteed steady business.

So… cue the sad trombone.




 

February 15, 2018 / by / Tags: , , , , , ,
Filivino Goes to Seoul

Filivino’s Guide to Seoul

Filivino and family recently went to Seoul!

Not long after our trip to Denver we were back in the air for an extended international trip to Seoul, South Korea. While this was not my first trip to Seoul, it was our first trip with a child on hand. And this post will focus on this trip, a future post may include our trips to Jeju, Busan, and the DMZ. And this may become a multipart post because we were there a while and there is TONS to do!

I found the most of the time when we told someone we were going to Korea, the reactions, were, “Business?”, “Military”, and “Why?”. Unfortunately people don’t really know a lot about Korea as a travel destination which is too bad because it is an extraordinarily beautiful country with lovely people and something to offer everyone.

Things to know:

Jet Lag

It took a good three days for us to adjust to the time change.  The subtitle of this part of the blog is “Dragged around the world by a toddler”, but on this trip, in the beginning, we were the ones dragging the toddler around.  Which brings me to tip #1.

Tip #1 – Bring a stroller.  Flying Lad fell asleep a number of times while we were out and about.  We brought an umbrella stroller.  It would’ve been nice to have a stroller that reclined to keep his head from falling forward as he slept, but our umbrella stroller was a bit easier to lug around. You will notice around Seoul that anyone else that has a stroller has something super fancy. Don’t get stroller envy! You need to be agile and light!

Back to the jet lag.  One day we’d be falling asleep and Flying Lad would still be up playing on the computer and would come to bed when the battery died.  The next day, Flying Lad would fall asleep in the early evening and wake up in the middle of the night (fully rested)!

Another thing about waking up early–breakfast.  Most coffee shops and restaurants don’t open until 8:00 or later, which feels late when you’re waking up at 5 or 6 AM.  There are some cafes that open early – 6:30/7:30 – Starbucks, for example – and we got some yogurt at a convenience store one morning.  We were really happy to have breakfast included at our second hotel and that the buffet opened at 6:30.  I eat eggs and veggies in the morning and Flying Lad likes oatmeal some mornings, a breakfast sandwich others, so having the hotel breakfast buffet just downstairs helped us get a healthy start to our days.

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February 12, 2018 / 1 Comment / by / Tags: , , ,