Four Seasons Hotel Seoul: A luxury stay with a secret bar, high tea and gold chocolate

Blending old-world Korean charm with cosmopolitan polish, this five-star hotel is more than a place to rest your head – it’s a destination in its own right, with sultry cocktails, palace views, a Korean sauna and Michelin-starred cuisine all under one roof.

There’s a certain kind of traveller who likes to drop their bags, then drop into a deep bathtub overlooking the city skyline before even thinking about unpacking. At Four Seasons Hotel Seoul, you get the sense that’s exactly who they’re catering for, whether you’re travelling for business, leisure or simply to indulge in Seoul’s more refined pleasures. It’s polished but never stuffy, steeped in traditional Korean style but fully modern in comfort and execution.

Location

Four Seasons garden terrace — Cultural enthusiasts will enjoy the hotel’s proximity to the city’s stylish spots.

Tucked into a prime corner of Jongno-gu, the cultural heart of central Seoul, Four Seasons Hotel Seoul puts you just a few strides from Gyeongbokgung Palace and a short walk from the boutiques and galleries of Insa-dong. The subway is practically on your doorstep, meaning the entire city is in easy reach, but you may find you hardly leave the immediate neighbourhood, especially with some of Seoul’s best restaurants and bars within arm’s reach inside the hotel itself.

Style and character

Four Seasons hotel lobby — The interior of the hotel strikes a harmonious balance between modern and traditional elements. (Image: Emily Murphy)

The look is quietly luxurious, with natural materials, warm lighting and an abundance of space. Instead of cold minimalism or over-the-top glitz, the interiors reflect a deliberate fusion of old and new. Think traditional lattice motifs reimagined in glass and steel, ceramics displayed like sculpture, and curved timber lines inspired by Korean hanoks juxtaposed against contemporary art. You feel like you’re somewhere distinctly Korean, but distinctly Four Seasons too – which is to say, sophisticated, soothing and beautifully designed.

Facilities

Four Seasons gym — There’s a 24-hour gym for guests who can’t skip workout days during vacation.

The standout facility? A full Korean sauna (jjimjilbang) – open only to hotel guests – complete with hot and cold plunge pools, steam and dry saunas and dedicated relaxation areas. There’s also a 24-hour gym, a heated indoor pool, personal training and fitness classes, a golf simulator and one of the best spas in Seoul for both Eastern and Western-style treatments.

Rooms

Four Seasons premiere room interior — The floor-to-ceiling windows create a sense of grandeur and enhance the overall mood of the space.

Rooms are generous, refined and functional, offering floor-to-ceiling views over the city or towards Gyeongbokgung Palace. My premier room featured two plush double beds, a marble bathroom with a rainfall shower and soaking tub, and soft lighting that could be controlled from the bedside tablet. Little details – like Diptyque toiletries, blackout blinds and a whisper-quiet aircon – make all the difference. It’s the kind of room you genuinely look forward to returning to after a long day exploring the city.

Food and drink

Maru afternoon tea — Linger over delicate and pastel-coloured pastries at Maru. (Image: Emily Murphy)

Dining is where Four Seasons Hotel Seoul truly excels. After checking in, I made my way to Maru, which translates to “living room" in Korean, for the hotel’s 101 Days of Summer afternoon tea. True to its name, it felt like stepping into a fairytale: a whimsical curation of pastel-hued sweets, savouries and Korean teas presented with theatrical flair and seasonal finesse. From banana Sansho pepper mousse with passion fruit confit to pink lollipop-shaped Peking duck rillettes, every detail was deliberate and delightful – like a grown-up wonderland in the heart of the city.

By evening, the mood shifted completely. Charles H. – the hotel’s hidden, speakeasy-style cocktail bar – ranks among the best in the world for good reason: it was #42 on The World’s 50 Best Bars list in 2021 and climbed to #7 on Asia’s 50 Best Bars in 2022. But the true star is bartender James Lee, affectionately dubbed “Professor James" for his depth of knowledge and philosophical approach to mixology.

Charles H. Four Seasons — This speakeasy bar is hailed as one of the finest in Asia.

Watching him behind the bar was mesmerising. With each pour, swirl and flame, he crafted cocktails with the precision of a scientist and the flair of a storyteller.

Perched at our outpost at the bar, my friend and I sipped our way through the signature menu – from the Spilled Milk (sesame-infused rice milk and gin) and the Vixen Fix (French Burgundy and red berries) to the playful Birthday Boy (a twist on the classic Hanky Panky). Paired with the bar’s cult-favourite Korean fried chicken and buttery lobster rolls, it was an unforgettable sensory experience.

kimchi buffet section at Four Seasons — The kimchi in the buffet section is so noteworthy. (Image: Emily Murphy)

The following morning, The Market Kitchen delivered what can only be described as the biggest breakfast buffet I’ve ever seen. There was a full Western hot breakfast station, a live egg station with poached eggs and truffle hollandaise ready to go (plus a chef cooking eggs to order), a Korean section with pork and kimchi, a dumpling and noodle bar, a seafood spread, a 24K gold chocolate fountain, a patisserie-grade pastry section, freshly squeezed juices, a salad bar, fruit display and barista-made coffee. The sheer scale was impressive – but it was the quality and care that elevated it far beyond the average hotel buffet.

Elsewhere in the hotel, you’ll find a Michelin-starred Cantonese fine-dining (Yu Yuan), modern Italian at Boccalino, and contemporary Japanese with flair at Akira Back. Every venue has its own mood and menu, but the same unwavering attention to quality runs through them all.

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Access for guests with disabilities?

The hotel has clearly prioritised accessibility, with spacious lifts, wide corridors and several rooms specifically designed for guests with disabilities. Bathrooms are thoughtfully configured and public areas like restaurants and the spa are easily navigable. Staff are well-trained and attentive to individual needs without fuss.

Family-friendly?

Maru, Four Seasons — You can certainly bring your kids along while staying here.

Despite its grown-up atmosphere, the Four Seasons is very family-friendly. There’s a dedicated kids’ plunge pool, family connecting rooms, babysitting on request and a ‘Kids For All Seasons’ lounge that runs creative and cultural activities to keep little ones entertained while parents unwind. It’s stylish without being exclusive, making it a great fit for well-travelled families.

Details

Charles H. cocktail — Charles H. has a stellar approach to cocktail mixing.

Best for: Luxury seekers, culture lovers, couples, and families with taste.

Address: 97 Saemunan-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea

Cost: From approx. A$690 per night, depending on the season and room type.

After youth-led protests in 2025, this year Nepal elected a 35-year-old former rapper as Prime Minister. In a country where tourism is its biggest industry, what’s next for travellers?

In 1986, Nepal changed its clock. It had used India Standard Time since 1920 so, to differentiate, it wound its clock 15 minutes ahead of, not behind, its big-brother neighbour. Boss move. “Nepal is strongly opposed to the idea that our identity is connected to India,” says Community Homestay Network (CHN) guide Bikal Khanal.

Tharu dance is traditionally set to hand drums. (Credit: Kate Lewis)

Today, Nepal is the only independent country with a 45-minute deviation to universal time; an oddity that’s become a symbol of national pride. The quirk is nearly as endearing as Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan airport where carved varnished wood and shiny red bricks rule. One sign points to a ‘Travelator’ and another to a ‘Grievance Handling Desk’ while visas are noisily stamped at customs for US dollars, cash only. When am I?

Spot the endemic Nepal gray langur. (Credit: Simon Urwin)

The 15 or 45 minute anomaly sees me tap out completely on timezone calculations. Why bend my brain calculating if it’s quarter to or quarter past elsewhere when I’m in the honking here and now of Kathmandu where the air is high-altitude crisp, the prayer flags flutter and the street dogs howl?

How tourism is changing in Nepal

Bardiya National Park is rich with wildlife. (Credit: Simon Urwin)

India is not the only association many Nepalis would like to shake. With eight of the world’s 10 tallest mountains, including Mount Everest and Annapurna, Nepal has long attracted mountaineers and trekkers, and expedition numbers are continuing to rise.

Tourism is one of the country’s biggest sources of foreign currency, so this growth is not negative, per se. But according to Ang Tshering Lama, who co-founded Phaplu Mountain Bike Club, being reduced to a mere trekking destination is limiting.

“Trekking is just one layer of our identity,” says Ang. “When it becomes the dominant narrative, it limits how we’re seen and how we see ourselves.” Nepal’s recent success, however, in diverting trekkers to less-trafficked areas such as Manaslu mofuntain, where visitor numbers rose by 117 per cent last year, offers hope that tourism can diversify even more radically.

Local men in Bhada village. (Credit: Simon Urwin)

The founder of CHN, Shiva Dhakal, wants that change. “The whole idea of the Community Homestay Network is to promote experiences outside of trekking,” he says. “Community tourism changes lives and helps kids stay home instead of coming to the city or migrating to the Middle East.”

Ang grew up seeing people leave, “not because they wanted to but because there weren’t enough opportunities to stay”, he states. Yet from remote villages to living traditions; food, art, music and emerging subcultures, “there’s so much that’s not being seen.”

CHN is opening some of those doors. It doesn’t own, or fund, any homes. Rather, it promotes homestays to travellers on a single, slick platform, while fostering entrepreneurship in places where women, marginalised castes, Indigenous people and the youth stand to benefit the most.

A new generation demanding more

Dalla Town Hall, where volunteers discuss anti-poaching tactics. (Credit: Bheem Thapa)

The future prospects of next-gen Nepalis can no longer be ignored. On a Kathmandu tour with 33-year-old guide Monica K.C, we pass buildings torched in the September 2025 ‘Gen Z protests’, including the Supreme Court and Parliament House. Seventy-two people died. “They were anti-corruption protests,” says Monica. “Politicians’ children are living a lavish life but the airports are crowded with youngsters leaving to find work.”

We stop in ‘little Tibet’ at the wondrous sixth-century Boudha Stupa. “The wheel of life is Buddhism in a nutshell,” says Monica. “Things such as hate, ignorance and anger keep you rotating around the wheel, so you must follow the principles of Buddhism to detach. If you can’t, there’s no nirvana for you.”

Boudha Stupa's prayer wheels — Boudha Stupa’s prayer wheels are used to recite Buddhist prayers. (Credit: Kate Lewis)

In a sun-drenched twist to the usual temple visit, we ascend the stupa’s sloping plinth and roam its whitewashed dome. Tendrils of diaphanous prayer flags stream from a steeple-like structure where the Buddha’s unblinking eyes stare out. No nirvana for you…

bouda stupa prayer flags — Tibetan-style prayer flags embellish the whitewashed dome of Bouda Stupa, a Buddhist temple. (Credit: Kate Hennessy)

The dome is delightfully free of guard rails or chiding from security. There is, however, a stern ‘No TikTok’ sign, perhaps in response to the youth’s newly flexed power. The booted-out Prime Minister, K.P. Sharma Oli, was replaced in a resounding election victory in March by 35-year-old Balendra Shah of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) – a former rapper and mayor of Kathmandu. The RSP’s manifesto indicates tourism is a priority, and that Nepal’s cultural identity in areas such as gastronomy will be strengthened.

Boudha Stupa vendors — Vibrant souvenir shops and cafes around Boudha Stupa. (Credit: Kate Hennessy)

A more confronting stop awaits at Pashupatinath Temple. Today is Bala Chaturdashi, a Hindu festival where thousands of devotees gather to honour their dead ancestors. Vendors hauling foam mattresses do a lucrative trade as people set up for a night of vigil. This includes burning the bodies of recently deceased relatives on bamboo pyres in the Bagmati River, which flows into the sacred Ganges.

A woman at annual Hindu festival Bala Chaturdashi, in Kathmandu. (Credit: Kate Hennessy)

Wrapped in a shroud, the bodies are positioned with their heads facing north to the Himalayas where Lord Shiva resides. They’re covered with flowers and straw and set alight by male family members.

Hours later, the ashes are swept into the river where devotees will take a holy dip the next day. As much as Monica assures us it’s not voyeuristic to watch, I struggle to do so. “Here you see the reality of life because everyone ends up there,” she says, gesturing to the river.

Life unfiltered in the Terai region

tharu woman — Tharu woman and master weaver Parbati Chaudhary in Bhada Village. (Credit: Bheem Thapa)

The reality of life needs processing time, which the western Terai region delivers in spades. The Terai is largely separated from India by the Karnali River and Bardiya National Park, where elephants, rhinos and the elusive Bengal tiger roam.

Once a nomadic tribe, the Indigenous Tharu people are now the largest ethnic group here. “They didn’t know their daily life was interesting for international travellers but they’re starting to understand now,” says CHN founder Shiva.

Take a Jeep safari through Bardiya National Park. (Credit: Bheem Thapa)

We fly Buddha Air to Dhangadhi airport and drive five hours to stay in Tharu homes. The journey to Bhada village is a blur of roadside fruit stalls, traffic-stopping sacred cows and fields sown with wheat, rice, mustard, spinach, cauliflower and potatoes. Nepal’s agriculture feeds only Nepal.

Marigolds are an important part of Hindu rituals. (Credit: Simon Urwin)

“The only thing we export is young people,” says our guide Bikal. As the light dims and we plunge evermore rural, mysterious mounds of compacted hay – some house-sized – loom like the creatures from Where The Wild Things Are. Even our trusty driver gets flummoxed by a dirt road that abruptly ends and we find ourselves hurtling across a paddock.

On arrival, some are ferried to mud-walled cottages greened by gourd creepers, with thatched roofs and rustic-chic mosquito nets. Myself and two others are ushered to the home of corner store owner, mechanic and mushroom farmer Man Kumar Chilaruwa and his wife Rajkumari.

community homestay entrance — A warm welcome at a community homestay. (Credit: Simon Urwin)

They escort us to a bunker-esque back building with steel doors and a folding security gate, behind which is gleaming linoleum, dolphin-printed tiles and a shower cavity that must be gingerly stepped through to reach the toilet.

The ceiling lights emit a rainbow of colours (the bathroom light gets stuck in, frankly, a quite frightening red). We’re nevertheless touched that our hosts invested in all this bling when the average salary is around $275 a month.

In the coming days, we participate in Tharu traditions such as making moonshine, dancing, weaving straw handicrafts and gold-panning. We’re fed well with staples of rice, mustard greens, lentil pancakes, daal, curried chicken and tomato chutney served on antibacterial saal leaves.

food at community homestay — Dig in. (Credit: Kate Hennessy)

Sonara community homestay president Indradevi Tharu tells us river snails are often served, and the boiled and pickled flesh of rats hunted in the rice fields. “Perhaps next time?” we say and all have a laugh.

The power of community homestays

community homestay owners in Nepal — Barda community homestay owners Parbati Chaudhary and Ram Krishni Devi Chaudhary. (Credit: Simon Urwin)

Immersing Western visitors in foreign cultural practices is not new. But with the Tharu, I never get that uneasy sensation that I’m being performed for. Despite being the only tourists, there’s no ‘othering’; just warm, composed and ultra-dignified welcomes. Like we’ve always been here.

“I love to have travellers in my village so I can see the world,” says local woman Parbati Chaudhary. “Why would I travel the world when the world comes to me?”

The graceful acceptance the Tharu offer, as well as the slow pace, works miracles on my frazzled nervous system. One day I even take a nap on a vacant homestay bed.

Sonara community room — An authentic stay in the Sonara community. (Credit: Kate Hennessy)

Roosters strut and goats bray as we sit on the ground in al fresco kitchens, rolling rice flour into cylinders steamed to make dhikri (dumplings). When water is needed, we fetch it using a hand-operated pump as a family of ducks strolls by, side-eying us like curious neighbours.

Animal lovers will delight in Tharu villages. Kind and resourceful inventions are everywhere, such as snacking stations where two posts lean together, with leafy boughs dangling on rope for baby goats to forage from.

CHN’s CEO, Aayusha Prasain, nods knowingly when one in our group says she cried when she left her host, Shayam Chaudhary, in Bhada. Shayam’s 17-year-old son, Prashant, had translated, which deepened the connection.

“Community tourism turns travel into a relationship, not a transaction,” says Aayusha. “It places decision-making power in the hands of local communities, especially women and youth.” Since 2018, CHN has hosted more than 4000 travellers from 52 countries in 408 households, and estimates women’s participation has increased by 381 per cent.

In the Bardiya community, where vexing human-animal conflict has been a balancing act for decades due to elephants raiding crops, long-time homestay operator Salik Ram Chaudhary says young people keep the older ones on their toes.

“We can’t keep homestays stagnant,” he says. “We have to upgrade our service and redefine our product or young people won’t see it as an attractive business. If we can keep evolving with this travelling trend we’re confident the youths will stay and continue it.”

Back in Kathmandu, Monica explains that after the deaths of young protestors in September, a determination had spread to not let their sacrifice be in vain. “We want to keep holding the government accountable,” she says. “We don’t know what situation we’re facing, but we’re ready to face it.”

Interested in Nepal but prefer to experience it in total comfort? Read our guide to luxury travel in Nepal.

A luxury Seoul stay with a secret bar, high tea and gold chocolate