First of all, I am not sure when this post will be useful again. I actually feel sad that we can't plan a Korea trip anytime soon (bye cherry blossoms and Crash Landing shooting locations! 😩) because of the NCov travel ban, but I am hoping that everything will be for the best and this will eventually die down soonest. I am just thankful that I am already back here in the Philippines before this blew up and it will be harder to fly back, but I am also praying for the people in affected areas that they may remain safe and healthy.
For now, it's nice to finally look back on each day of my recent 20-day adventure in Korea. I will take my time to write everything per day or per activity, in the hopes that soon we can book our flights to Incheon once again. Here it goes!
My first blog post for this 20-day trip will start the moment I (crash) landed at the Incheon International Airport at almost 12 midnight. My Day Zero. I am sure a lot of you will get this same flight and will wonder if there are still public transportations from the airport going to your accommodation in Seoul, but I think all buses and trains are already closed by this time.
Some of the options that I could have done are the following:
1) Take a taxi, which is a bit expensive and also naisip ko baka wala na sumalubong sa akin sa guesthouse when I arrive at around 1am. But if meron na kayong arrangements, okay na option to.
2) Rent a private car via Klook, para may sasalubong na sa akin from the airport heading straight to my accommodation. But then again, same concern as No. 1--dapat may sasalubong padin sakin sa guesthouse baka mamaya mag antay ako sa street if they don't give me the passcode or key.
3) Book for a hotel in Incheon, just near the airport, and spend the night there. Take a cab going to the hotel. Again, make sure to set arrangements on your late night arrival.
4) Sleep in the airport, wait till the first bus for Seoul. I always choose this option coz it feels safer and less hassle for me. But I'll try the other ideas above next time so I have something new to report to you guys, haha!
SLEEPING IN INCHEON AIRPORT
There are several options where you can sleep at the Incheon International Airport. You can book for a lounge, but naisip ko tig 3 hours lang sya and wala pang shower yung fee. You can occupy any seat in the airport for free, but naisip ko ang laki ng luggage ko and madami akong valuables like my money and camera so medyo hassle matulog pag ganyan. I also considered Incheon Airport's Darakhyu Capsule Hotel, but it is pricey for me and was already fully booked. So I ended up going to Spa On Air again, but this time more prepared.
SPA ON AIR
Spa On Air is Incheon International Airport's Jjimjilbang or public bathhouse. Same concept, but a bit modern and pricier than city jjimjilbangs. Here are some information when staying in Spa On Air.
Location
Spa On Air is at the B1 Eastside Incheon Airport Terminal 1. You can take the escalator, or if you have luggages with you just take the elevator from the arrival section and press B1.
Reservations
After lining up for more than 2 hours the last time I tried Spa On Air, I already checked online if they accept reservations prior my trip but unfortunately they don't have one. It's on first come first served basis, so I just went straight from arrivals to the line.
Based on my 2 experiences, line will take more than two hour so prepare your heart for it! I made sure to preoccupy myself with either a Kdrama, a video editing that I needed to finish, etc. This time alam kong matagal ang antayan so medyo hindi na ako as anxious as my first time.
Price
I paid for the 22,000 KRW (Around Php 1000+), which is inclusive of 12 hours of stay, use of shower and sauna, and the sleeping area.
The fee also includes one luggage storage, but since I also have a small luggage for my hand-carry, they charged a separate 5000 KRW for it. No choice naman ako haha, but next time I should have placed my small luggage inside the big luggage just to minimize expenses.
Price list from my 2019 stay. Not sure if there are price updates but more or less almost same din binayad ko this year except for my extra luggage.
Shower+Sauna Area
After leaving my luggages with the front desk, they gave me a tap card and a tap bracelet. The card will be used to enter the sleeping area, while the bracelet is used for the lockers. You have to take off your shoes sa reception area palang, and place it on the designated locker that you'll pass by before heading to the bigger locker area at the Shower+Sauna.
Locker for Shoes:
Left everything inside the big locker assigned to me before taking a nice hot bath. They will provide 2 small towels and a shirt+shorts set that everyone should wear:
File Photos: Locker provided is really small, just big enough for your vanity kit, your valuables (camera, wallet, etc), and the clothes you'll wear the next day. They also have clean water station so you don't have to buy bottled water during your whole stay.
Wearing the Spa On Air brown uniform after taking a bath.
The vanity section has a hair dryer, a comb, and some basic body and skincare products like lotion, hair gel, earbuds, facial toner and moisturizer.
Don't forget to BRING YOUR OWN facial wash, toothbrush and toothpaste. But if may naiwan ka they also have a vendo machine for some of your basic essentials.
Don't forget to BRING YOUR OWN facial wash, toothbrush and toothpaste. But if may naiwan ka they also have a vendo machine for some of your basic essentials.
May bodywash and shampoo na sa shower cubicles:
Since I got in around 2am na, I had enough time the next day to just chill around the airport, have my breakfast, load my T-Money in the CU convenience store, and withdraw Korean Won at the ATM without the need to carry all my stuff with me during these errands. Iniwan ko muna lahat sa Spa On Air. I also had the luxury to take a bath and use their amenities TWICE, one before sleeping and then bath time again the next day before leaving the airport. Super sulit siya for me.
Breakfast and airport errands without bringing all my things with me:
Hassle-free airport errands before you go to Seoul! Make sure to reload or buy your T-Money Card, have your money exchanged or withdraw some Korean Won, or maybe purchase a sim card or rent a wifi unit for your trip.
Sleeping Area Tips
Lastly, aside from the waiting time, another challenge for me at the Spa On Air is the sleeping area. The shower+sauna for boys and girls are separate (of course), but the sleeping area is just one wide unisex space with zero privacy.
They only provide hard cushion mats and blocks (or pillow na matigas) on first come first served basis, but since I've tried this na before and I knew mahirap makatulog with the hard flooring, the lack of privacy, the lights on, and the noise from those checking in and out at the nearby reception area, here are some tips:
1) Find your corner faaaaar from the area where you need to tap your card, para lang hindi gaano kaingay at dinadaan-daanan. Pull a mat at the far and darker corner, wag madyahe to move around and make yourself feel comfortable.
2) Bring your own pillow and blanket. I swear, this made a big difference! I was able to sleep soundly compared to my first time here.
My mini comforter made me sleep soundly till 8:30am:
3) Bring an eyeshade and ear plugs if you can't sleep with the noise and light.
Here's mycorner spot faraway from the entrance so I won't wake up from footsteps and card beeping sounds:
Had another chance to take a bath in the morning:
Did you ever take a red eye flight to Incheon? What did you do?
Excited to write about my Day 1 in Seoul on my next post, including my stay in a goshiwon.
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