Accommodations | GRRRL TRAVELER

Is Siloam Sauna the best jjimjilbang in Seoul?

Filed under * Korea tips & stays, Accommodations by Christine Ka'aloa on March 12, 2012 at 7:04 am {17 comments}

: Siloam Spa at night

So, I’ve promised some of you the inside tip on the best jjimjilbang in Seoul…

After the disappointment of Seoul’s much hyped Dragon Hill Spa, I was reluctant to return for another night of overnight non-thrill on a hard wood floor. However, I still wanted to stay at a jjimjilbang and enjoy the Korean bathing culture. Fortunately, a friend offered me an alternative suggestion…

From the outside, Siloam Sauna may not look like much. In fact, you may think you’re walking into a shady neighborhood jjimjilbang dive or a love motel. But step inside and explore its five floors of therapeutic health, bathhouse washing and 24 hour sleeping rooms and you’ll feel like you’ve hit the hidden jackpot of luxurious j-bang finds!

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Vaginal facials: Hip or hype at Seoul’s Dragon Hill Spa?

Filed under * Korea tips & stays, Accommodations by Christine Ka'aloa on February 10, 2012 at 9:15 am {12 comments}

: Why does my face look like it’s going to explode? You don’t really want to know, but keep reading to find out …

One of the things I occasionally enjoy are the jjimjilbangs and bathhouses. It’s not that I enjoy being naked in front of others, but I do love the pampering of a good soak and scrub, whilst relaxing with the Asian bathing community. In fact, being naked in a bathhouse is actually more comfortable than wearing a bikini on a beach! Seeing bodies of all shapes, sags and sizes, parade around non-chalantly and matter-of-fact, I get to feeling less judgmental in general, about a pinch of fat here, cellulite there…

On my return to Seoul, there was one “luxury” jjimjilbang I’d heard hype about. Dragon Hill Spa has been raved about by CNN.com, The New York Times and bloggers being one of the deluxe spas in Seoul, where celebrities frequent and TV broadcasts like Yoo Jae Suk‘s show, Happy Together (I think), occasionally film. It was a spot I’d been dying to try. (more…)

White Sheets Review: 3 Bangkok boutique hostels to rest your Baht.

Filed under Accommodations, Bangkok by Christine Ka'aloa on December 19, 2011 at 3:43 pm {3 comments}

All smiles at Smile Society.

Does budget dollars mean dingy rooms? From bungalows, boutique hotels, guesthouse resorts and overnight trains… in Thailand you can experience a gamut of chic ways to lay your head or rest on your laurels. Though budget hostels aren’t as cheap as it used to be; the prices are still pretty good and matched with the Thai aspiration to provide first class hospitality, it’s raised my travel standards considerably. And the design? Well, the Thai can be pretty stylish (more…)

White Sheets Review: A most unique stay at Beung Pai Fish Farm, Thailand

Filed under Accommodations, Chiang Mai by Christine Ka'aloa on October 27, 2011 at 8:10 pm {2 comments}

thai fishing hat

A” catch-and-release” fish resort?

This was the first time I heard this term.

I was on a minivan bus, thrilled by my last-minute decision to whisk away for a two-day weekend to a place, I’d known only from a paragraph in a guidebook. It was like a blind date. I didn’t know what to expect and I was nervous; I hadn’t a clue where I’d be staying!

Pai, the Thai-hippie backpacker town, just three to five hours north of Chiang Mai and 362 road curves to survive, was my mysterious destiny. Little did I know then, that Beung Pai Fish Farm would be the destination that sold me on the entire place!

“It’s not in the guidebooks and there’s so many resort and guesthouses in Pai. It’s spread mostly by word-of-mouth. It’s a little outside of the main antics of the town- in the middle of some rice fields- but trust me, staying there is worth it!”

Graham, a 40-ish expat from the U.K., sitting next to me, eagerly divulged his secret hideaway. My curiosity was hooked. I held onto it like a college kid waiting for SMS text directions to a secret rave.

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White Sheets Review: Gonkaew Chiang Mai Guesthouse, Thailand

Filed under Accommodations, Chiang Mai by Christine Ka'aloa on October 19, 2011 at 2:05 am {3 comments}

Gongkaew Chiang Mai (website)

When you first step onto the grounds of Gongkaew Chiang Mai, you’ll think you’ve found home. Nestled off of a quiet side street, just 8 minutes from the Sunday walking street and Wat Phra Singh, the relaxing vibe of this guesthouse is a perfect sanctuary for budget travelers wanting a personal feel, without a loss for Thai quality, professionalism and hospitality.

Why I love Gongkaew Chiang Mai Guesthouse:

On my very first visit to Thailand, the most horrific thing happened- my DSLR camera malfunctioned and died on me! Happening two days before my 3-day trek into the mountains, I was in a panicked snit. This was my first full-solo trip and one I wanted to remember with photos. (more…)

What will your Kip buy in Laos budget hostels and hotels?

Filed under Accommodations, Laos by Christine Ka'aloa on June 23, 2011 at 12:37 am {4 comments}

In Laos, it seems that you’ll always have a place to lay your head. Even if it’s peak season. That’s certain.

Taking advantage of Laos’ budget accommodations is where the backpacker’s fun is at. But awesome digs at a quarter of the cost takes real shopping. The pads I slumbered down in might give you a fair idea of the budget median you’ll find in Vientiane, Nong Khiaw, Muong Ngoi and Luang Prabang.

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Review: Naked in a Mineral Bath (Chocksan Spa, Mt Seoraksan)

Filed under * Korea tips & stays, Accommodations by Christine Ka'aloa on November 7, 2010 at 1:57 am {one comment}

We arrived in Sochko at Chocksan Spa around 11PM. The spa had already closed, so we checked into our room. A small room, there was no traditional bed (well no, let me take that back)…there was a traditional yo (a Korean floor bed, where comforters are put down for padding), and just enough floorspace for a five-person squeeze. The room was well-sized for either the standard four-person Korean family or a midget. We got a coffee table with a hotpot, some cups and a hotel refrigerator stocked with items “for purchase”. While the latter is common to hotels in the

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White Sheets Review: “PJ Hotel: Seoul ’boutique’ with urban chic!”

Filed under * Korea tips & stays, Accommodations by Christine Ka'aloa on June 29, 2010 at 2:18 pm {9 comments}

When you think of staying in an international city like Seoul, there are few hotels you think you’ll get for under $100/night and if you do, people might caution you to it being a love motel. So when my sister found a deal on Orbitz and booked my family into a hotel which didn’t have a website, for $83/night, I had all the reason to be a little reluctant. The good news is this– remarkable gems in cities like Seoul, doesn’t always have to come with remarkably high price tags and you don’t have to be a king in order to stay in a palace!

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Review:”Gambling on the East Coast: The Mohegan Sun & Foxwoods Casino”

Filed under Accommodations, Others by Christine Ka'aloa on August 29, 2009 at 6:34 am {no comments}

Ask me about casinos on the east coast, aside from the ashtray of Atlantic City? Never knew they existed. With my sister and her Hawaii teammates in town for a canoe regatta, the “islander gambling bugs” had their curiosities peaked on Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods. I went along for the entertaining ride…