Bus schedule for Airport Bus

There are many ways to get from the Seoul Incheon International Airport, and more are even coming with a subway line being built that will connect the Airport all the way to downtown.

The airport is actually quite a distance from downtown – it takes about an hour and a half to 2 hours.  However, there are many airport buses that lead to almost anywhere you want to go in the city, they are very comfortable (with lots of space for luggage), and it is easy to figure out where to go – even after stepping off a long international flight. We were going to Insadong-il, and there was a stop that dropped us a 10 minute walk from our hostel.  There are easy to read schedules, and English-speaking people at the airport to help you out.

We went for lunch yesterday at Lynn’s Thai Restaurant, a new Thai restaurant in Cotati, in Sonoma County.  The address is 8492 Gravenstein Hwy, Suite M, Cotati, 707.793.9300

We were very impressed.  The decor was very nice (ignore the tattoo parlor next door), the food was excellent, and the prices were very reasonable. I had a red curry with chicken – it was nice and spicy (like I asked for), but not so much to hide the taste.  The chicken was very good and tender.  Wendy had eggplant with tofu (instead of seafood/pork/chicken) and enjoyed her meal as well.  The Thai iced tea is very good. We had a great conversation with the very friendly owner and swapped some travel stories.

By the way, we found out about it from the article in the Press Democrat, which also had a very positive review.

Wine tasting at Lynmar Estate Winery is a sit-down, relaxed affair.  There was two tasting menus, one at $10 and the reserve at $20.  There are places to sit down inside and out, and the building itself is open to the outside looking out onto the vineyard.  Even though there was only one other table, the service was pretty slow, but no one was in a hurry.  There are paths to wander around, lots of tables with umbrellas, benches, etc.

The wine was good, but very expensive. We tasted mainly whites, and we couldn’t be convinced to drop $50+ on a bottle.  But it was a pleasant way to hang out with some friends, drink a little bit of wine, and enjoy the beautiful surroundings.

We found that making reservations ahead of time outside of Seoul was thankfully not necessary (at least in July when we were there).  People at the hotels did not speak English, so reservations would have been very difficult.  What we did do was to go to the nearest tourist info centre when we arrived in a city and have them call the places we were considering. 

Tourist information offices are clearly signed in English and pretty much anyone who sees you looking lost (and foreign) will direct you to the nearest one.  There always seemed to be one very near to the train/bus station and they all have someone who speaks good English.  They were very helpful and it was nice to know that there would be a room after we walked over to the hotel! 

Seoul is the only place we had trouble finding a room without a reservation – but people who work in hotels there speak English and you can reserve by email at the hostel we stayed at – the Holiday In Korea.