Hotel Venue-G in Seoul, Korea

During our whole trip in Seoul, we stayed in two separate superior rooms with twin beds in hotel Venue-G. No more midnight snacking, watching TV, checking vacation pictures, and planning activities together in a spacious living room, but the room was still large enough to fit four chatting and snacking adults, without feeling too cramped.            

The beds were comfortable and I had a good night sleep. The curtains held the light out properly and there was no noise. In the room, you can also find a small tea corner with two chairs and a larger work desk with stool (not pictured). There were enough sockets to charge our electronic devices (very important!) and they were also located at convenient places (no hanging in the air or needing to place the devices on the floor). Every day, we got complimentary bottles of water and on one day, when one of us stayed in and put a "Don't disturb" sign up, the cleaning lady waited until she saw us enter the room late afternoon to ring the door bell and give us new towels and bottles of water.

From other reviews, I read that there might be issues with the temperature control in the room, but when we stayed there, it was early October and the temperature was pleasant both during the day and at night, so I cannot comment on that.    

The bathroom had a modern design and it was relatively clean. The bathtub was a bit small, but it was great to have a warm bath, after a long and exhausting day. The only problem was that there were no hooks or places to put clothes. I had to place them on the toilet lid and it wasn't very hygienic.

In the bathroom, there is also a hairdryer and a high-tech Japanese toilet with seat warmer.

How to reach hotel Venue-G and go to the airport from there

Airport bus

From Incheon international airport, you can take Airport bus 6002 (takes about 70 min, fee: 10,000 won with T-money card) to Jongno 3-ga and walk to the hotel. When you leave, you can take the Airport bus again at the stop, which is near Jongno 3-ga metro station.

Train

I prefer taking the train instead of the bus (I get nauseous more easily in a moving car and especially, when it is a bus ride of over an hour), so I took the train to Seoul station and from there, I took the metro to the Jongno 3-ga station (exit 14 with an escalator). There is a AREX express train (about 43 min. ride, fee: 9,000 won + 500 won refundable deposit) and an all-stop train (about 58 min ride, fee: 4,150 won). I have taken both, as I missed the AREX express train and needed to take the all-stop train on my return trip, and there wasn't a huge difference in terms of comfort and duration. Both were doable, when you can find a seat to sit down during off-peak hours, but when you can get the AREX Express train tickets with a discount (see saving tip underneath), the small difference in price makes it better to take the AREX Express train.

You can buy the AREX Express train tickets at the AREX customer information center desk located at the airport or at the Seoul station (the desks are located at B2 and B3). There are also orange, touch screen AREX ticket machines with instructions in Korean, English, Chinese, and Japanese, but you cannot apply some of the discounts. 

Saving tip:
1. When you travel in a group of more than three people, you can get a group discount and get the AREX Express ticket for 7,500 won each.
2. If you flew with Korean Air, Asiana Airlines, Jeju Air, T'way Air, and Eastar jet (7,500 won) and Delta airline, Thai/Malaysia/Singapore Airlines, and HK Express (8,000 won), you can show your plane ticket to buy the AREX Express tickets at the discounted price shown in between the brackets. It is valid for 7 days from the boarding date.
3. With the receipt of buying the AREX Express train tickets, you can get the return tickets for 7,500 won (within 15 days).        
4. I also discovered that on the receipt from the foreign exchange counter of Woori Bank at the airport and on the receipt of the Lotte Mart at Seoul station, there is an AREX Express train discount coupon printed at the end of it. Back then, the price of the Express train ticket was discounted from 8,000 won to 6,900 won.    

What do I think?

Hotel Venue-G has a great location, as two metro stations, Jongno 3-ga (line 1, 3, and 5, exit 14) and Euljiro 3-ga (line 2 and 3, exit 3) can be reached by a 5 min. walk and many shops, restaurants, cafes, and touristic attractions, such as Gyeongbokgung palace, Changdeokgung palace, Myeong-dong, Insadong, and the traditional Gwangjang Market, are at walking distance or only a few metro stops away. There were a lot of hardware shops around the hotel, but when I went, it was around Chuseok, so everything was closed for a week and I wasn't inconvenienced by it. The roads around the hotel are a bit uneven though, so it is advised to wear comfy shoes, and some parts were not that well lit by street lights. The Cheonggyecheon stream is just outside and it was nice to have a relaxing stroll there. Overall, I don't have any big complaints, so I would stay here again, if the room rates are acceptable.        

Hotel Venue-G (official website)

117, Cheonggyecheon-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, Korea