Expat Community > Korea

googoose
Joined 2016
Posts: 1

Serviced apartments - yea or nay?

8 years ago

Hi all,

I'm planning to move to Seoul with my husband, 18-year-old daughter and 2 small dogs for a family 'gap year' starting in July, 2017. Our relocation consultant recommends "serviced apartments" (like Fraser Suites Insadong or Oakwood Premiere in COEX) as a simpler alternative to entering into a Korean rental agreement and buying or renting all new furniture for living in an apartment. It is very tempting not to have to jump through all the hoops of providing key money, setting up a TV/audio system, figuring out garbage pickup, and calling all those utilities to initiate service for a relatively short stay. I also like that if we have guests come to visit, they can easily rent a room that suits their needs in the building.

My main concern is that it wouldn't really feel like "home," you would probably never get to know your neighbors, and I'm not really keen to feel like I'm staying in a hotel for 9-12 months. Has anyone out there lived in a serviced apartment before who could share their experiences? If anyone has experience with Oakwood or Fraser Suites in particular, I'd love to hear about that, but any advice would be most welcome!

Thanks so much,
Erika Papakipos
Portola Valley, California

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SJB Global is a top-rated financial advisory firm specializing in expat financial advice worldwide, offering retirement planning & tax-efficient solutions with a regressive fee model.
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Expat Community > Korea

Serviced apartments - yea or nay?

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