Awkward flight time? Stay at Paradise City and eat the best of Korea in one night
Yunjae
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Landing at 11 pm? Flying out at 8 am? Then don't sleep in Seoul. Central Seoul is about an hour from Incheon Airport (인천공항), and for an early flight you'd have to leave before the subway even starts.
Paradise City (파라다이스시티) is right next to the airport, on Yeongjong Island (영종도). I stayed there in June 2020. It's a resort with a casino, a spa and a lot of art. My favorite part was the food: two top-tier Korean restaurants under one roof.
Getting there
I drove. If you're coming from the airport, there's a free shuttle bus every 20 minutes, every day.
- From Terminal 1: 1st floor, stop 3C (across from Gate 3). Buses leave at :10, :30 and :50 past the hour. First bus 05:10, last 23:10.
- Back to the airport: buses leave the B1 entrance at :00, :20 and :40, from 05:00 to 23:00. You're at Terminal 1 about 10 minutes later.
- Terminal 2: the shuttle only goes to T1. Take the free bus between the terminals to T1 first, or a taxi.
Times from Paradise City's website, October 2026.
The hotel
The lobby feels like a museum. Yayoi Kusama's giant yellow pumpkin sits in the middle, and Damien Hirst's golden winged horse, Golden Legend, stands close by.
We stayed in a suite, with a separate living room. And you can watch the planes taking off.
The outdoor pool was under construction when we went. Sad, it looked great. We skipped breakfast.
Who shouldn't stay here: if you like to sleep in and you're sensitive to noise, skip it. You can hear the planes in the morning. Everything else? Very, very nice.
Rooms start at about ₩300,000–350,000 a night, and suites from about ₩760,000 (official site, October 2026). Check prices for your dates.
The Plaza (플라자) is a small street of shops and restaurants inside the resort, with art everywhere, including Robert Indiana's LOVE.
Eat Korea in one night: Bongpiyang and Pro Ganjang Gejang
Both restaurants are on the 2nd floor of the Plaza. They're a bit pricey, but really, really good.
Bongpiyang (봉피양)
Bongpiyang has been around since 1986. It's famous for Pyongyang naengmyeon (평양냉면), cold buckwheat noodles in a light beef broth. We had the naengmyeon and the bulgogi (불고기), which comes in a copper pan. Do I even need to say it? Amazing. Pyongyang naengmyeon tastes plain on the first bite. That's the point. Keep eating.
Lunch is 11:30–15:00 (until 16:30 on weekends). Dinner is 17:30–22:00, last order 20:40.
Pro Ganjang Gejang (프로간장게장)
Pro Ganjang Gejang started in 1980 and was the first restaurant to make ganjang gejang (간장게장) its main dish. Ganjang gejang is raw crab marinated in soy sauce. Suck the meat out of the legs, then mix your rice into the shell. Their famous original branch is in Gangnam. Here you get the same thing without crossing the city.
Open 11:00–22:00, last order 21:00.
What about Inspire?
Inspire (인스파이어) is the newer resort next door, with an indoor water park and a big digital light street. I haven't been yet. I'm going soon and will write a separate post. For Korean food, I'd still pick Paradise City: Inspire has a few Korean places, but nothing in the same league as these two.
Staying in Seoul for the rest of your trip? Here's how I'd choose a hotel in Seoul.
Found this helpful? Here's everything I'd sort out before a Korea trip: the eSIM I'd get, the airport train, and where I'd stay. Some are affiliate links, so if you book through them I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It's what keeps these guides free.
Going to Korea soon? Grab my free Survival Korean cheat sheet with the phrases, signs and local rules you'll actually use. And follow @yunjaekorean for more honest Korea tips from a local.
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