"Built entirely with the same traditional techniques used in temples... staying at Rakkojae gives the impression of visiting the home of a Joeson-era aristocrat." Full review

"This beautifully restored hanok, with an enchanting garden is modelled after Japan’s ryokan. The guesthouse’s mud-walled sauna is included in the prices." Full review

"The most authentic of the bunch, character-wise. Not only is the hanok an 1870s original, but the owners serve traditional food for dinner: a little like a Japanese ryokan."

"One of the best, Rak Ko Jae, has fancy touches such as jade floors and a mud sauna. Guests can perform a tea ceremony and make their own kimchi to take home." Full review

"The guest rooms feature white wallpaper and silk blankets filled with cotton wool. The hanoks are even equipped with Japanese bathing tubs and yellow soil jjimjilbang saunas." Full review

"Like W hotels in other cities, Seoul's is the hippest joint in town." Full review

"The hippest hotel in town (as all W’s aim to be) occupies an angular, 14-story glass building overlooking the Han River, 30 minutes east of downtown Seoul." Full review

"With artfully designed furniture in the rooms, neon gym rings in the elevators, sharp-suited staff and a loungey beat pulsing through the lobby, every inch of it is achingly trendy."

"In contrast to the copious cement high-rises quickly slapped up after the war, this 252-room all-glass hotel combines space-age playfulness with Zen tranquillity." Full review

"Fashionable and chic, the rooms are spacious and the design innovative."

"Starwood’s W Hotel chain is known for its contemporary style and design, and the W Seoul-Walkerhill is no exception." Full review

"Formerly the W Seoul, the trademark pinks have given way to more restrained whites and greys at this elegantly rebranded, high-tech hotel perched on a hillside in the far east of the city." Full review

"The all-new Vista Walkerhill promotes "sustainable luxury" and it can be felt upon entering the lobby complete with an 800-year-old olive tree." Full review

"High-tech hotel perched on a hillside in the far east of the city. It's a good place to get away from it all, especially at Skyard, a terrace with sun loungers, spa pools and gorgeous views" Full review

"The first W hotel in Asia would have to be impressive, and this one certainly is—the W Seoul is an eye-catching sculpture in blue glass, in something of a unique setting, alongside the Han river, at the foot of Mount Acha, on the grounds of the semi-rural Walkerhill hotel and casino complex" Full review