There are hotels that try to impress you the moment you walk in, and then there’s The Shilla Seoul — a place that takes its time, as if it already knows you’ll come around.
I arrived after an overnight flight from Vancouver, already half-dissolved, and the check-in was so quiet and effortless I almost didn’t notice it happening. Someone handed me a warm towel. Someone else handed me a small glass of cold barley tea. By the time I found my room key in my pocket, I was already seated.
The Room
Floor 14. City-facing. The curtains were already drawn to a soft afternoon light, and the room smelled faintly of hinoki wood — that clean, earthy Japanese cypress scent that I associate with really good sleep. The bed had four pillows, which is exactly four pillows, and the sheets were cool to the touch despite the humidity outside.
What I noticed: the bathroom had a deep soaking tub and a separate rain shower. There was a small wooden tray on the desk with a single origami crane on it. The TV was tastefully hidden behind a sliding panel. These are not accidents — someone thought about all of this.
The Grounds
The Shilla is tucked into the edge of a forested hillside in Jangchung-dong, which means the city noise falls away almost immediately. There’s a landscaped garden that winds around the back of the property. I walked it twice — once in the evening, once just before sunrise. Both times I had it to myself.
The outdoor pool is heated and open year-round. I didn’t swim but I appreciated that it was there, reflecting the tree line in the early morning like a very calm painting.
