The things you do for family!

The story that I’m telling myself, in order to justify the copious amounts of wine consumed last night, is that I had to!  For family! haha.  I went to the COEX Intercontinental Hotel happy hour and it is so much better than the one at Novotel Hotel.  For around 23 000 KRW it’s all you can drink wine, sangria, beer, champagne, and soju cocktails (looked a tad frightening).  You help yourself to what you’d like and there’s no scornful looks if one should take 2 full glasses back to their table.  Right now the happy hour runs from 6-9 but you’ll have to check to confirm the dates and times depending on when you want to go.

There is also a buffet that has more variety like identifiable meats (ie labels in English and Korean as to what it is), various cheeses, fruit, sliced veggies and various breads.

There is entertainment but this is where Novotel, for those in the mood to dance, is better.  At the COEX Intercontinental Hotel there was someone on the piano singing which was great for background music.  The happy hour is in the lobby of the hotel in this very open, vaulted ceilings room.  There had to have been close to 150 people there but it certainly didn’t feel “Seoul” busy – no pushing, no shoving, you could even lift your arms and twirl around should you have the desire to do so.

At Novotel a live band comes on, as far as I remember, around 8:30.  The happy hour, the last time I went, ran from 6-9, and cost around the same price but the food wasn’t nearly as good as at the COEX Intercontinental Hotel AND they pour you the wine – ie, you have to encourage them to keep up the rounds and to pour a decent sized glass.

What does this have to do with family and me justifying drinking my face off?  Well, I can tell them to check it out when they come for the wedding ^^ Of course, I may need to go back, just to reconfirm how good it really is.

Have you been to any other happy hours in Seoul that you’d recommend?

(BTW the COEX Intercontinental Hotel is near the aquarium at COEX, not the Grand Intercontinental Hotel near the Hyundai Department Store – although they most likely have a happy hour too).