Category: Review

▪ Tour: HERITAGES OF KOREA (5 days/4 nights)

“The itinerary was good, I enjoyed the historical and cultural side of GYEONGJU and the drive through the beautiful countryside was great. The locations in Seoul were great but maybe a few more could be added. I wasn’t a big shopper and could have done some different things instead of going to a lot of markets although the experience was good.

The food was the best part of the whole trip as I never liked to eat spicy food before. It also helped me with losing weight and I eat spicy Korean food all the time now. The range of food was amazing and I tried everything. The meal experience was also a good experience compared to Western meal time. Sitting on the ground was new to me, as was being able to choose a large variety of foods at one time and not be restricted to a set course (entre, main, desert). I thought only Australians were good at BBQ, but Korean BBQ is fantastic, particularly the marinated GALBI.

The guide had a good grasp of english and was very knowledgable about the itinerary and about other general knowledge questions I had. He was very passionate about all topics and enjoyed talking about them. He was very flexible and allowed me to go at my own pace in most cases.

A very enjoyable and easy going holiday with plenty to see and offer whether you are traveling alone, in a group or with family. The guide are friendly and know what they are talking about. A great way to see Korea”

Andrew Philips
Sydney, Australia

▪ Tour: Personalized tour (SEORAKSAN MOUNTAIN ~ CARIBBEAN BAY water park + EVERLAND ~ SEOUL)

“The experience with HAPPIMIZE is great too. as we’re 2 moms with 4 energetic boys. Private tour enabled us to have very flexible schedule. Each day was carefully arranged according to our interests, time, energy level etc. So we had hot spring bath after hours of hiking and shopping for moms while our guide, Alex, taking care of boys in toys shop. Our tour guide is so important that we can’t go without him. He’s our driver, guide, baby sitter (he had no choice but to take all 4 boys with him to men’s changing room in water park and in bath place) and photographer (ya, he took hundreds of great pictures for us using his own professional-like camera). boys just love him and were reluctant to leave in the airport.”

Ying Deng and Vivienne Wong
Hong Kong

▪ Tour: Personalized Tour (SEOUL ~ CHEORWON DMZ TOUR ~ MT. SEORAKSAN ~ GYEONGJU ~ SEOUL)

“From the time of the quote/tentative itinerary being sent, HAPPIMIZE was very professional. Always very prompt and thorough responses to all my e-mails.

I have travelled the world a lot (by myself, on group and private tours) and this was the first time ever I got an itinerary itemized by the hour (not just a daily summary giving no clue how much time where, how much time driving, etc. as others do): something that I always wanted yet only HAPPIMIZE delivered on (without me even having to ask for it). So, from the very start my expectations were high. Throughout the tour my already high expectations were not only met but even exceeded! The cars were new, very comfortable, and always clean. The hotels were well chosen: conveniently located quality hotels.

The itinerary was truly professionally put together just how I wanted it, and there was flexibility to always change it on the spot as desired.
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Most of all, we always felt like VIPs: the words “that is not included” were not in the guide’s dictionary – the tour was truly all inclusive, including not only all meals and entrance tickets (for planned and unplanned places), but also all refreshments and snacks along the way. That is something that made a huge difference: truly feeling like a VIP and not being nickel and dimed.

But best of all, this was not just a sights tour. It was not just a cultural tour. It was not just a culinary (food) tour. Not a single minute was wasted and it was a combination of all three: a sight-seeing, cultural and culinary tour – all combined into one! When we were not out seeing places or enjoying cultural experiences (with the very helpful insight and information always shared with us by the guide), the included lunches and dinners were truly wonderful: each meal something different, from traditional Korean to fusion foods, trying various different types of food and local specialties. The meals were not picked on a set budget (some were pricey – including an exquisite lunch in GYEONGJU, others not so), but rather based on the quality and letting us experience various different Korean foods: from the three types of GALBI, to chicken stew, to fresh sashimi, to royal foods, and a lot more. There was always more than enough food ordered, to let us experience all the best that each restaurant has to offer. That is something that we could never accomplish by ourselves, as many of the restaurants we went to (in fact, most of the best ones) only have menus in Korean and only cater to locals.

All in all, to accomplish what we did in just six days with HAPPIMIZE would have taken us at least two weeks by ourselves, and still we’d have never known where to go and what to order for the full kaleidoscope experience of the various Korean foods.

Truly well done and very professionally operated. Highly recommended.”

Haralds Jass
USA
Superb Internet Corp, President & CEO
https://www.superb.net/about/leadership

▪ Tour: Personalized Tour (SEOUL ~ CHEORWON DMZ TOUR ~ KOREAN FOLK VILLAGE)

“HAPPIMIZE TRAVEL is simply the best travel company out there if your looking for a Travel Guide in South Korea.

My Mother, girlfriend and I had the guide, who spoke English that it was very easy to follow and he was very nice and easy to talk to as he led us through Seoul, DMZ, and Hanok Village.

He said that HAPPIMIZE TRAVEL is short for Maximizing Happiness, and he surely did not disappoint. The company is very easy to deal with and very flexible as well, for 3 days we had a private tour and every day we changed something on the agenda including the last day where I met my birth family and he was able to take pictures, translate and record the meeting. Since I created a custom tour we were able to makes changes ask the days progressed, I had already seen some of the things on our agenda and he was quick to substitute with something and NEVER made us feel bad or guilty for switching out schedule.

One thing that I thought was key to our trip was he had us try a variety of authentic foods. The guide was aware of our likes and dislikes when it came to eating so we never went hungry. We were able to experience delicious Korean cuisine including street food and various candies and snacks along the way.

He was incredibly knowledgeable about Korea in general, with a lot of history and culture he was a real treat to have with us when visiting site. He was even able to give us some more information that we did not get on the tour of the Palaces. I think that we really enjoyed Hanok Village and we spent a lot of time there which was great as it was beautiful there.

The other thing that I think that he did a great job was his driving, he was always very careful and planned our routes as to make sure that we would arrive on time and without feeling rushed. His time management and his ability to understand what the customer wants in a tour is simply outstanding. I could have not asked for a better person to show us around Korea, for three days he was very very polite, answered all of our questions and showed us the very best time that we could have asked for in Korea. Having a private tour guide with such a nice vehicle, that was a safe and courteous driver along with his knowledge of Korea was all that we could ask for.

10 out of 10 stars”

Jason Narverud
Minnesota, USA

▪ Tours: HIGHLIGHTS OF SEOUL, CHEORWON DMZ TOUR, HWASEONG FORTRESS AND KOREAN FOLK VILLAGE, SEORAKSAN MOUNTAIN TOUR, and HIGHLIGHTS OF GYEONGJU (2d1n)

“Your careful planning of the seven days spent in your company allowed us not only to visit the most important hallmarks of your country, but – more importantly for us as experienced individual travelers – to see places which only an insider like you could lead us to, based on your historical, geographical, lifestyle and culinary knowledge and expertise.

We greatly appreciated your company, discreet guidance, flexibility in changing the program – be it due to our preferences and interests, be it due to changing weather conditions – and careful driving and reliable communication by email and SMS. We returned home with many pictures and fond memories and will not hesitate to recommend you and your company whenever an opportunity arises.

With best wishes for success and well-being, and the hope that we’ll meet again”

Prapasri and Reto Callegari
Singapore

▪ Tour: Boys over Flowers – filming locations tour

“Do you know that feeling of coming out of the arrival hall in an airport, knowing you’re going to have a friend picking you up, a friendly expectant face in the crowd? Well, I have no friends in Korea; it was a holiday destination, one that my family and I have considered going many times, but due to the language barrier and a lack of contacts, we have decided against traveling there many times. Having come across HAPPIMIZE’s website in October last year, we finally decided to go out on a limb and plan a trip for the winter season.
It was a very pleasant experience.

From the start of the planning, up to the end of the trip, HAPPIMIZE’s travel consultants were friendly, cheerful, and filled with a can-do attitude that matched my own. It was my first time to Korea and I was eager to see everything. I wanted to experience every part of the culture- the shopping, the food, the classical theatre, the museums and most of all, the filming locations! With Korean dramas being so popular, how could we go to Korea and not see the place where it all happened.

We arrived at the airport on a cold December morning and were greeted by our guide. Very efficiently, he ushered us to our private car and told us, in fluent English (no more language barrier) that we would begin our tour immediately. Unlike big group tours, where you would have to wait around for every member of the tour group, our HAPPIMIZE tour started that very morning. We had a jammed packed itinerary, filled not only with sightseeing, but also a great learning experience. Our guide took the time to explain the different dynasties of the Feudal Korean era, pointing out the different buildings and the key points of Korean history. For a history major like myself, it was an eye-opener to actually stand on the same steps where monarchs once stood!

Our guide also interspersed bits of historical and cultural sights with the Korea’s pop-culture industry. He was very knowledgeable, worldly, and could answer all of the queries we had, and very willing to teach us. Most guides I have met merely point out buildings and sights, bring us to restaurants but our HAPPIMIZE guide was sincere in showing us Korea. On the first day, for breakfast, he drove us (with awesome skills, weaving through the traffic) through the meandering city of Seoul, only to park outside a nondescript store. We learnt later that this store sold the best fish stock soup in the city. Not quite understanding the terms ‘best soup’ my sister and I were not impressed. However, the quality of the food spoke for itself. This was where the locals ate, the home-cooked style. After finishing our meal, my family left the restaurant, only to find the a queue of people snaking all the way around the block! Now this is what I call an authentic experience!

I want to say a big thank you to everyone at HAPPIMIZE who has helped me to plan a brilliant winter holiday for my family. Never in our wildest expectations did we expect to see so much of Korea in the short time that we were there. It was the first time I took responsibility of planning a family holiday for my parents and my sister, and safe to say, it was a huge success. We look forward to returning to Korea in the future and if we do, we will most definitely be approaching HAPPIMIZE once again!”

Kristie Michelle
Singapore

▪ Tour: Personalized tour (SEOUL – EVERLAND – VIVALDI PARK – NAMI ISLAND)

“I had the opportunity to use the tour services provided by HAPPIMIZE TRAVEL for my recent Winter vacation to Seoul. I’ve very much wanted to visit Seoul for some time but have reservations about booking a tour from Singapore, after learning about the negative reviews from my family members and friends. Besides, a group tour provides a fixed itinerary which could not fulfill what we were looking for in Seoul. On the other hand, we’ve heard many negative reviews about Korean food during group tour.

After much research on the internet, I decided on a partial free and easy, meaning, 4 days on our own while another 4 days spent via a customized tour service provided by HAPPIMIZE TRAVEL.

There was definitely a regret. Why? Well, I should have planned my itinerary to visit Seoul with HAPPIMIZE before going free and easy on my own (instead of spending 4 days on our own before going for the customized tour)!!

Aelx, was extremely supportive and helpful in the planning of the trip that comprised of a visit to the ski resort and EVERLAND Theme Park. What impressed us most were his honest advice and his willingness to extend a helping hand (not only once, but many times!!) in ensuring we enjoyed our stay in Seoul completely. Costs of the whole trip was very reasonable, given that this was a customized trip, with an English speaking tour guide and it was a private tour. I would say that though the tour services may sound expensive from the start, we’ve made substantial savings from the great food he has brought us to and accommodation he has arranged on our behalf. We would have saved a lot more time traveling on our own after hearing Jay’s advice during the trip.

I’ll definitely use the tour services provided by HAPPIMIZE for my next trip to SEOUL and JEJU ISLAND. Thanks to HAPPIMIZE for the beautiful Winter vacation!”

Audrey Aw
Singapore

▪ Tour: HIGHLIGHTS OF GYEONGJU with filming location of QUEEN SEONGDEOK

“When we went for a holiday in Seoul we chose HAPPIMIZE TRAVEL to take us in different places. We were very thankful that we made right decision to choose them. The good thing about HAPPIMIZE TRAVEL was that they will take you to the places according to your interest.

The guide – Ms. Crystal Han – from HAPPIMIZE TRAVEL really did care about her client. When she found out that we didn’t bring thermal garments, she bought one for my family. Every time we travel she made sure we each had water bottle in the van. And right to the very end, he didn’t left us, she accompanied us in the check in counter and made sure everything went smoothly in regards to our flight.

Thank you very much for the wonderful time we had in Korea.”

Arra Gerodias
Sydney, Australia

▪ Tour: Highlights of Seoul (2 days)

I had so much fun during the 2 days in Seoul. Thanks for sending Heather as my tour guide.
My itinerary was great because it was custom-made to my needs (so relaxing and flexible) and I really enjoyed the places I have visited so much (Seoul tower, Kimchi making, shopping and the show “Jump”).

I love everything I ate in Seoul (very traditional). I think I am falling in love with Korean food and wish that I can have them everyday.”

My tour guide Heather Kim did a fantastic job. I felt like I am going on a trip with a close friend of mine. Very caring, passionate, knowledgeable, cheerful and hard working. Heather did a lot of research in order to take me to the best cooking school in town for making Kimchi and I really appreciate her effort. Without her, my trip in Seoul will not be the same.

I highly recommend your company to my friends and family. Heather made my visit in Seoul one of the best memories in my life. Thanks again for such a pleasant trip and I am loving it so much. I wish I had stayed there for a longer time, you’ve made it feel like home to me.
Once again, thanks for everything.

Teresa Mek
Canada