Korea Travel Vlog: best things to do & eat in Seoul, Korea 2025 🇰🇷

Oh my gosh, what happened to my neck? Good morning, everybody. It is currently 7 a.m. and we're going to hit the ground running. On our first day in Seoul. Wait, it's a cat! It's a cat! Wait, can I go get this real quick? Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's cute. I'm going to send it to him. Yay! After an hour and a half of waiting. I know, an hour and a half. It's very moist, chewy. It's a McDonald's cafe bar. So cute. We are at the Salton Cafe and it is so crowded. Apparently it's worth it, so we'll see. I don't know what to say. One minute is done. Oh, one minute? Okay. We're going to do the caricature. There's also one in Hongdae, but I didn't know there's one in Ikseon-dong. Try it. On fire, mom. Oh my gosh, this lip plumper. Have you ever tried that? It doesn't look like it, but it's cute. It's a bad thing to wear white when you're eating pizza. I know. It's so good. Off to the tea house. Ocelot tea is really popular because it's straight from Jeju. And they say that the soil in Jeju is cultivated differently to ensure that the tea is in its purest form. So popular. They're closed on Mondays. But it's convenient because they're right next to each other. So if you wanted to look at the skincare, then it'd be right next door. So many people. The Bukchon Hanok Village is a beautiful place, but it's gotten really crowded. Like a lot more crowded than when I came like 2-3 years ago. This is crazy. We were walking to the train station, and then we just saw this line. And then it's custard and pudding. Whoa, it's like a healthier. Chocolate pudding. Yeah. I bought a pair of sunglasses, which I'll share with you guys later. And then we headed over to Hanmiok, which is a viral restaurant. I had never tried it before. The one in Yeouido is a lot less crowded than the one in Gangnam. We waited a total of 2 minutes. We ordered a set, but I feel like this could have fed 4 people instead of 3. It was so much food. We were so stuffed. This is a different type of Korean BBQ that I've never seen in LA. And the waiter was able to share with us how we're supposed to eat this. I give this experience a 7 out of 10. Because I don't have to come back, but if I was with someone who's never been here, I'd be down. On top of being a YouTuber, I also work full-time. And I didn't take any PTO, so I needed to hop online to do a few things. Time for me to work. Today, we have a very chill day. We're gonna grab lunch with my friend Kiyoon. And pasta is actually really well-known in Asia. They do pasta very differently than America. Because most of the pastas have a little spicy kick to it. And they also love seafood, of course. But we are in Gangnam right now. This is where I stayed with my mom for 3 weeks. 3 years ago? I would say it's a little bit less crazy in terms of the amount of people. But there's a lot of cars. We're here! Time for my haircut! I saw this place show up on my TikTok. I think it was Sally Kim. But a lot of people recommended this place for the long layered look. It was a lot more pricey than the places I've been to in the past. The salon was really busy. And I was able to book directly with the hairstylist on Kakaotalk. This is the type of place where you need to just trust the hairstylist. He literally didn't even ask me what I wanted. He was like, I'll make it pretty. It was crazy to me because he cut everything so fast. I was done with my entire haircut in 45 minutes. And there were 2 people just drying my hair. But this is the final look! Actually, this haircut is still cheaper than what I pay in LA. This part of Gangnam has a lot of stores. But I was ready to head back to my hotel. And then prepare to see my family in the evening. My friend and her mom told me that the Conrad Sol's salt bread is life changing. And it truly was. I think this is the most delicious salt bread I've had. So I got some for my family. I feel like whenever they style it, I'm always like, Oh, I don't know if I would've styled it this way. But once I shower, then I'll really know what the haircut looks like. He was so fast and so efficient. I did go to Gentle Monster. And I got the sunglasses that I really wanted in LA. Ta-da! So they changed their glasses cases from white to black now. It says Gentle Monster. This is called the New Her. So Her is one of the most popular sunglasses. They're huge. And Gentle Monster is popular because Koreans are really obsessed with small faces. The hope is that with bigger glasses, your face looks smaller. And they look like this. So the difference is that this has a gold emblem. And they're huge. Protective of the face. The rest of today, I'm actually going to go see my grandma. If you're watching this, so you can figure out what you want to do in Korea. Of course, family time is different. I probably would've spent more time in Gangnam. But I'm going to go back tomorrow. Okay, well off to my grandma's house. I went to go see my mom's side of the family. And it's so crazy to me still to know that my parents immigrated to the U.S. But all of their family is in Korea. So I try my best to get to know them. I love the fact that at 9.30pm, I can be on a subway. And feel totally safe while I'm in Korea. Good morning. It is our last day at the Conrad before I move over to the Hyatt. I thought I would share with you guys a little tour of the hotel. This is probably one of my favorite hotels here in Seoul. I loved it. I would definitely be back. And the price for the Conrad here is a little bit more affordable than, let's say, Japan or America. But we're going to go over to the breakfast buffet. They say online that this is rated the number one breakfast buffet. But I do find that Koreans throw around the word number one quite often. But it's really good. The location is perfect. It's about a 9 minute walk to the subway station. But it's all through the mall. And even if you arrive late at night, they keep that part of the mall open. So that you're walking through basically in a covered space. So I felt very safe. I mean, I would feel safe on the subway. I would feel safe on the streets too. But it's a little different. Okay, but the order of how I eat things is very important. I got some natto again. If you watch my Taiwan vlog, you know I tried it. I mean, it's tolerable. And it's really good for us. It's growing on me. The aftertaste is kind of crazy. And there's also lentils in here. So I feel like it kind of helps mute the flavor of the natto. My uncle told me a story yesterday. That apparently Koreans are now in this new trend. That any type of bean helps your hair grow. The miyeokguk here, they add perilla oil. Or perilla seeds also. Perilla is a very similar consistency to sesame seeds. But I actually like the flavor a little bit more. The grand Hyatt Seoul has a beautiful view of the Namsan Tower. And they also have Koei water filtration in the rooms. I actually stayed here with my mom three years ago. Before I got married. But it is a little inconvenient because it's on top of a hill. So you have to walk down the hill. And I just love Hyatt. So that's why I chose this one. And there's not too many Hyatts in Korea. So we're going to head over to Seongsu. After I eat my snacky. This is an apple konjac jelly. I've been using Naver Map the past few days. And it's really efficient. It also tracks where you're walking. So I find that very helpful. Because on Google, they don't have the live tracker. Highly recommend. Such a sunny beautiful day today. I think this is the only sunny day in Seoul while I'm here. I'm so hungry. I checked out a few popular clothing stores. But I realized I just don't have room in my luggage. So I'm not going to buy a lot of things. But here is what Korean fashion looks like nowadays. Just remember. You can stay strong, mind controlled, never give up, self evident. And I thought this hat was just crazy. It's time for us to have some salt bread. Which is like a little baguette. But it has some salt on it. It looks like a croissant. But it's a baguette. It's so cute. It smells so good. It's right under the gin advertisement. We are at one of the biggest Olive Youngs. It's in Seongsu in Seoul. Olive Young is where people get a lot of their Korean skincare. And it's an affordable price. There are so many favorites of mine. And I'm going to share with you guys what's actually popular in Korea. That Koreans use. And then I'll also share my personal favorites. Oh my gosh. It's huge. There's even a cafe in here. I definitely think you should go to a smaller Olive Young first. So you know what you're looking for. And then come to this one. Because it's very overwhelming. Olive Young is a one stop shop for Korean beauty. And they're all really good quality. They told me that this one is a very popular cleansing oil. But I've also seen that this one was number one. I haven't tried either of them. Because I love the Anua cleansing oil. It washes off well without leaving any residue on my eyes. I found that anything from Roundlab is going to be gentle and clean. Beauty of Joseon is huge in the US. But it doesn't seem as popular in Korea. I also love Skin 100 for sunscreen. It is a little more watery and hydrating. But my favorite one of all. I bought four bottles. And I know I'm going to use it all within a year. Is the Roundlab sunscreen. The good old Vitamin C serum is number one in Olive Young Korea. But I also really like the Roundlab one. The tubing though is not that great. The Roundlab toner is also number one. And I bought a big bottle of this one too. And their lotion is very light and moisturizing. In terms of face masks. The number one in Korea is actually the Torriden dive in mask. But instead of a face mask if you want to use pads. Then the Mediheal one is number one. I saw on Reddit this lip syrup. It's also a great moisturizer for your lips. And this moisturizer is also incredibly hydrating for your face. I don't wear a ton of makeup. But the best mascara is the Clio lash lift. This one will not budge at all. Quick story time. So Illiyoon is really popular in the US. And people have been using it on their face. On their body. And my husband and I have been using it all over our face. Then when I went to Korea. I saw that this is the number one body lotion. So I was like oh. We've been putting body lotion all over our face. But it's been great. Very moisturized. So that was Seongsu. I think it's a really cool place where it's like a one stop shop. With so many things. And if you want to go shopping. I heard Myeongdong is crazy. But Seongsu is starting to get pretty crazy too. But I went during the day time. And Seongsu was fine. I think around the evening time. When people are out of work and school. That's when it gets really crowded. So definitely prioritize Seongsu on the weekdays. In the middle of the day. I'm so excited. We're going to get a makeup tutorial. Slash class today. They're going to show me how to do Korean makeup. I originally booked with a really popular makeup artist. On Instagram. But she's on maternity leave. We love a strong woman. So I just booked with anyone else that she recommended. And this makeup artist was such a good time. She was so funny. And she actually did half of my face. And had me do the other half. She started off by moisturizing my skin. And then we put on some sunblock. That was also water based. And then she put a YSL primer all over my face. Then she picked out which foundation. Was going to fit me the most. I was surprised to see that they actually used American brands. So she recommended NARS to me. She applied my foundation with a brush. And then she wet a sponge lightly. And then she started tapping away. You always want to apply everything twice. And she said to have a light grip on the sponge. But tap aggressively. Unlike Americans. Koreans really like soft eyebrows. And the trend is to have lighter color eyebrows. So she used this eyebrow tint. To soften the color. She literally walked me through every step. And I noticed that Korean style makeup. Is definitely a lot lighter than American style. So this is the final look. We are now in the city center of Gangnam. Gonna grab some dakgalbi with my cousin. Dakgalbi is spicy chicken marinade. Sometimes they'll put rice cakes or tteok in there. And it is so good. And so affordable here. It's so good. We are off to a face clinic today. Because I have some moles on my neck. That have just developed. I'm gonna see if I can get them removed. I was gonna go to a clinic that's really popular on TikTok. But then my friend who has lived in Korea for so long. Told me that her friend has a clinic. She trusts the dermatology. So I'm gonna go to them. I unintentionally am wearing just all black. I have a lot of moles on my neck. Because of the sunlight. You can get rid of most of them at once. You can't get rid of them all at once. But you can get rid of some of them. I feel like this clinic was a little too expensive. For my taste. If you prefer someone that you know is gonna be super professional. And you don't mind paying the price for it. I do recommend this place. But for me, I also want to save some money. But he did an amazing job. Very meticulous. And literally got every single speck. I didn't even see. But what I love most about getting skincare treatments in Korea. Is that they do a lot to prep your skin before. And then they also do post care. So I really thought he was getting rid of like 8 moles. And he got rid of like 40 things. And when in Korea. Even if I have a ton of bandages on my face. I know other people are gonna look at me. And say. She just got her moles removed. I made a grave mistake. I booked a hair treatment in Myeongdong. But I didn't realize there was another location in Hongdae. So I ended up in Hongdae. Totally missed my appointment. But they were nice enough to just move it to the afternoon for me. Hongdae and Myeongdong are about 25-30 minutes apart. So I went to the Daiso in Hongdae. So I could get some money envelopes. They're only 1,000 won. So these are perfect if you're gifting money. At a wedding or to your relatives. Because it's in a cute envelope. A pro traveler tip is always check on Klook. If you're looking to book something in another country. So thank you Klook for sponsoring a portion of this video. Because they have saved my American butt. So many times. I've used Klook in Indonesia, Korea, Japan. It's a travel booking platform. With over a dozen languages and 40 currencies. And I look up any activity I want to do on Klook first. Because booking is so much easier. It's in my own language. I can use my credit card. And it's usually cheaper. So you can see all of these different options. Click the link in my description. And use code MAYA to get 10% off. And try this experience when you travel to Korea. Or any of the other amazing experiences. That you can book on Klook. This 30 minute scalp treatment was really relaxing. Especially in the hustle and bustle of Myeongdong. I was able to just sit back. She washed my hair. She put products to ensure my hair and my scalp are going to be healthy. And then she massaged it all in. Oh my gosh. My hair is so soft. It's like silky smooth. This is crazy. Okay I need to dry my hair. I don't think it's ever been this soft. It's so nice. Okay now we are off to dinner. Even though I had lunch like 2 hours ago. One of my friends in LA told me. That when I go to Korea. I must go to Itaewon and eat at this pub. So I don't really drink. But they are known for Makgeolli. Which is a sparkling rice wine. And a lot of people say they don't really taste the alcohol. For me I'm so sensitive I can taste it. But apparently this place is really good. About 30 minutes above Hongdae. Is Cafe Pokpo. It's a man made waterfall cafe. I will say the cafe is a little underwhelming. But the waterfall itself was beautiful. I can feel my energy leaving my body. So I wanted to have some vitamin C. Of course while we are in Korea. We must have raw marinated crab. And that's how we finished off our last night in Seoul. Every person here got their own set of side dishes. And I feel like in Korea. You really get the most bang for your buck. Because of the amount of food that comes out on a table. It's a lot of preparation. What happened to my neck? I had a pimple right there yesterday. And he injected it with something. And now it's basically gone. Crazy. My husband was like maybe we should have planned this a little better. But I didn't know they were going to take off so many things on my neck. I only had 8 moles on my neck. I thought they were just going to remove those. But my cousin who's husband is a dermatologist. Also told me my dermatologist probably also got the little sun spots. That could turn into moles in the future. They were incredibly detailed. In LA I would not care to take out my moles. But since I was in Korea. I was like oh might as well. But I did leave one right there. I feel like this trip was a total girls trip. I got to do a lot of the girly things that I like. I did not adjust to my jet lag very well this trip. Because it's been gloomy. And the sun really makes a huge difference. When it comes to adjusting to the time zone. If you like what you see. Please like and subscribe. And I'll see you later. Today we are actually off to. To die.