Day 2: AirBnB Lina's Loft > Shopping at Ewha Women's University > Lotte Mart Mapo
Day 4: AirBnB Lina's Loft > Lotte Mart Mapo > Changdeokgung Palace
Staying off the beaten track, away from the usually hustle and bustle of tourists attractions and shopping can be a welcoming change. And that was just what this stay was all about. Gongdeok is conveniently connected to other parts of Seoul, yet allows you to be able to ‘blend’ in more with the locals: traveling and seeing the things they do.
Having a Lotte (super)Mart within the vicinity we were staying was good: the supermart is located below the Lotte City Hotel Mapo (about 10-15 minutes walk from our AirBnB accommodation) where other cafes, restaurants and shops are located. Lotte Mart is akin to Singapore’s NTUC/Cold Storage with discounts and local products/produce ranging from food, to cookery to drinks and detergents/soaps. I haven’t been to the Lotte Mart at Seoul Station which is said to be a good place for gifts and souvenirs, particularly in the food and drink line, but this one was a good indication of what to expect in a larger store.
The Lotte Mart at Lotte City Hotel Mapo is not that big (at a corner of the basement) but good enough (especially when lugging back packets of seaweed and drinks back to the apartment!); grocery shopping has never been easier. It has a wide (enough) range of local products that made us keep (entertained and) going back for more during our time in Seoul. This was also one of the first places we went for our dinner on the first day - we bought some fruits and foodstuff to bring back after a day out shopping at Ewha Woman's University Fashion Street.
Day 4: AirBnB Lina's Loft > Lotte Mart Mapo > Changdeokgung Palace
Staying off the beaten track, away from the usually hustle and bustle of tourists attractions and shopping can be a welcoming change. And that was just what this stay was all about. Gongdeok is conveniently connected to other parts of Seoul, yet allows you to be able to ‘blend’ in more with the locals: traveling and seeing the things they do.
Having a Lotte (super)Mart within the vicinity we were staying was good: the supermart is located below the Lotte City Hotel Mapo (about 10-15 minutes walk from our AirBnB accommodation) where other cafes, restaurants and shops are located. Lotte Mart is akin to Singapore’s NTUC/Cold Storage with discounts and local products/produce ranging from food, to cookery to drinks and detergents/soaps. I haven’t been to the Lotte Mart at Seoul Station which is said to be a good place for gifts and souvenirs, particularly in the food and drink line, but this one was a good indication of what to expect in a larger store.
The Lotte Mart at Lotte City Hotel Mapo is not that big (at a corner of the basement) but good enough (especially when lugging back packets of seaweed and drinks back to the apartment!); grocery shopping has never been easier. It has a wide (enough) range of local products that made us keep (entertained and) going back for more during our time in Seoul. This was also one of the first places we went for our dinner on the first day - we bought some fruits and foodstuff to bring back after a day out shopping at Ewha Woman's University Fashion Street.
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| Pretty standard supermart layout ^^ The only difference? Everything is in Korean! hehe |
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| Toufu and other local Korean produce |
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| Fruits for the healthy! :) |
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| Need your daily caffeine/Korean celebrity fix? ^^ |
This was also the place where we bought our seaweed to lug back home. The seaweed that was sold was really in bundles and cost about 5,000 to 8,000 won (depending on the flavor and brand). It took a little packaging “skills” trying to fit all the seaweed we bought into the carry-on bag (actually it even spilled over to two additional paper bags). Not knowing with brand was nicer, we bought a few But it was worth it, since the seaweed is yummy (should have bought more!). >.<
Note: One thing to note about supermarts or grocery shops in Seoul (South Korea) is that you have to either bring your own bags, carry the goods you have purchased without any bags or pay for their plastic bags. At this Lotte Mart, it was 100 won per plastic bag (if I remember correctly); very environmentally friendly indeed!
Related Posts
- Seoul Trip 2013 Day 1
- Seoul Trip 2013 Day 2
- Seoul Trip 2013 Day 3
- Seoul Trip 2013 Day 4
- Seoul Trip 2013 Day 5
- Seoul Trip 2013 Day 6
- Seoul Trip 2013 Day 7
- Seoul Spring 2013 Trip Itinerary (7D/6N)
- Upcoming Trip: Seoul Spring 2013 (7D/6N)
- My South Korea Travel Resources
- South Korea Itineraries
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