Article: 3 Hanok Stays in Seoul Worth Experiencing
3 Hanok Stays in Seoul Worth Experiencing
Many Himedi customers stay in Gangnam because it is close to health checkup centers, clinics, restaurants, and modern hotels. It is usually the most practical area for completing a medical schedule. Seoul, however, is not defined by Gangnam alone. One of the city’s most interesting qualities is how quickly its modern landscape gives way to old neighborhoods, palaces, tiled roofs, and narrow alleys.
For travelers with time after their appointments, spending one or two nights in a hanok can offer a quieter and more personal way to experience Seoul. These are three stays I find particularly interesting—not only because they are beautiful, but because each has a different idea about how a traditional Korean house should be experienced today.
Blue Jae, an elegant blue hanok in Bukchon Hanok Village(official website)
Since the 12th century, blue has symbolized beauty, elegance, and nobility(official website)
Nostalgia Hanok Hotel
For travelers who appreciate contemporary Korean design
The idea for Nostalgia began with a conversation in New York. Founder Park Hyun-gu met a Korean American who said that, on his next visit to Korea, he did not want another conventional hotel. He wanted to stay somewhere that could only exist in Korea. That conversation led Park, who had spent decades working in branding, to travel around the country and experience different hanok accommodations himself. He saw cultural value in them, but also found that many required guests to accept considerable inconvenience. His goal became to retain the character of the original architecture while creating a level of comfort more familiar to international travelers.
Nostalgia now operates a collection of private hanoks around Bukchon. Rather than applying one design formula to every house, Park invited different Korean designers and artists to interpret each property separately. As he explained, no two Nostalgia hanoks are intended to tell the same story. Slow Jae was designed around the idea of slowing down. It includes a pottery studio, original music and scent, and a kinetic artwork that responds to movement and sound inside the house. Blue Jae takes a different approach. Designer Lee Dong-il preserved details from the 1930s, including patterned glass and decorated wooden ceiling panels, while introducing contemporary Korean furniture and art.
Nostalgia therefore feels less like a historical reproduction and more like a collection of contemporary Korean homes built inside old architecture. Among the three, it is probably the easiest to recommend to travelers who normally choose design-focused hotels and expect comfortable beds, modern bathrooms, privacy, and concierge support.
Rakkojae’s Bukchon Binkwan, offering one of the finest views in Bukchon(official website)
Rakkojae Seoul
For travelers seeking the most traditional experience
Rakkojae takes a more traditional approach. Its founder, Ahn Young-hwan, created the brand around the belief that Korean culture should not simply be displayed to visitors. It should be experienced through architecture, food, hospitality, and a close relationship with nature. The Seoul property is a hanok compound with approximately 130 years of history. It was restored by master carpenter Jeong Yeong-jin, with its tiled roofs, stone walls, wooden verandas, pond, courtyards, and pine trees forming part of the experience rather than serving merely as decoration.
The result is more traditional than Nostalgia. Rakkojae emphasizes ondol floor heating, low furniture, antique objects, Korean food, courtyards, and the slower rhythm of an older Korean home. Guests can also experience traditional cultural programs and a wood-fired red-clay sauna. This traditional character is also the reason travelers should choose Rakkojae carefully. Some beds and seating are closer to the floor, and the proportions of the rooms reflect the original house rather than those of a modern hotel. It may not suit someone who simply wants a large luxury room with Korean-style decoration.
For guests who genuinely want to understand how hanok architecture connects indoor space, the courtyard, weather, and nature, Rakkojae remains one of the most meaningful choices in Seoul.
Hanok Essay Seochon has a quiet, unpretentious beauty. Of its three hanoks—Gahoe, Nuha, and Seochon—Seochon is my personal favorite(official website)
Hanok Essay Seochon was created as a quiet expression of gratitude and warm hospitality to every guest(official website)
Hanok Essay Seochon
For couples who want to experience life in a Seoul neighborhood
Hanok Essay Seochon is an approximately 80-year-old urban hanok hidden inside a residential alley in Nuha-dong. It was renovated for host Jeong Seok-won, who wanted to reinterpret the house as a place of rest suited to people living today rather than restore it according to a rigid historical formula. The name Essay comes from the French word essayer, meaning “to try.” For the host, it represented the freedom to experiment with the hanok form. His idea was unusual for a hotel: instead of filling the stay with programs and activities, he wanted to create a space where guests could comfortably do nothing.
The house is organized around a small courtyard with a crape myrtle tree. A quiet lounge, fireplace, music system, bedroom, and deep bathtub are connected visually to the garden. There is no television, kitchen, or work desk. The space intentionally removes many of the things that normally occupy a traveler’s attention. The host paid particular attention to the relationship between the house and its neighborhood. The exterior wall was rebuilt to align with the neighboring hanok, while the L-shaped layout allows the small courtyard to remain visible from almost every part of the interior. His recommendation is simple: turn off the lights and ventilation, sit quietly, and observe how the garden and natural light change.
Mark Tetto, an American businessman known for his interest in Korean architecture, selected Hanok Essay Seochon for Stayfolio’s Best Stay 50. He described it as feeling transported to the countryside and said that, while inside the house, he could imagine himself as a resident of Seochon.
That captures what makes the property distinctive. It is not separated from Seoul like a resort. It sits among ordinary homes, cafés, galleries, and small neighborhood streets. The experience is less about being served by a hotel and more about briefly imagining that you live there.
How I Would Include a Hanok Stay in a Himedi Trip
Nostalgia and Rakkojae are located around Bukchon, while Hanok Essay is in Seochon. These neighborhoods are well placed for palaces, museums, galleries, and walking through older parts of Seoul, but they are less convenient for medical appointments in Gangnam.
For that reason, I would not usually recommend staying in a hanok throughout a busy medical schedule. A more practical plan is to complete the health checkup and clinic appointments while staying in Gangnam, then move north of the Han River for the final one or two nights.
Choose Nostalgia for a contemporary interpretation of Korean design, Rakkojae for the most traditional cultural experience, and Hanok Essay Seochon for a quiet and private stay that feels closer to living in a Seoul neighborhood.
After experiencing the efficiency and modernity of Korea’s medical system, a night in a hanok can show travelers a very different side of the city.
About the Author
Donkyo Seo
Co-founder & CEO, Himedi
For the past 9 years, Donkyo has helped international patients navigate Korean healthcare. Himedi is licensed by Korea's Ministry of Health & Welfare (License #A-2016-01-01-2345).
Sources & Further Reading
Nostalgia Hanok Hotel
- CNA Luxury: “Where to Stay: Nostalgia Hanok Hotel in South Korea” — Interviews with the founder and designers, including the stories behind Slow Jae and Blue Jae.
- Maeil Business Newspaper: Interview with Park Hyun-gu — The founder’s New York conversation and the origins of the business.
Rakkojae Seoul
- VISITKOREA: Rakkojae Seoul Bukchon Hanok Hotel — History, restoration, architecture and facilities.
- VISITKOREA: Rakkojae Hanok Collection — Cultural programs and the brand’s approach to traditional hospitality.
Hanok Essay Seochon
- Stayfolio: Interview with host Jeong Seok-won — The meaning of the name, restoration process and intention to create a space for doing nothing.
- Stayfolio: Hanok Essay Seochon — Property design, facilities, location and guest information.
- Stayfolio Best Stay 50 — Mark Tetto’s selection and personal description of the stay.
Written by Himedi Inc.
