There’s a specific sociological reason why the children’s facilities throughout South Korea are so spectacular, making it a top destination for those traveling with kids.

Here we take a look at some of the reasons why traveling with young children in South Korea is so fun.

Hotels are kid’s wonderlands

It's difficult to pinpoint which opulent South Korean hotel came up with the concept of creating expansive play areas specifically for kids, but most top-tier accommodations strive to outdo one another with imaginatively created kid- and season-specific activities.

As a result, staycations in South Korea have become the newest travel craze, known as "hocance" (a contraction of the words "hotel" and "vacance," the French word for vacation). During the holiday season, local families with children completely fill up hotels.

Le Meridien Seoul (previously the Ritz Carlton Seoul) boasts a gorgeously constructed year-round children's play area attached to an adult's lounge, and in the summer transforms its rooftop into a kids' water park. Children's culinary workshops are also offered to hotel visitors on a drop-in basis.

Due to its kid-friendly swimming pools, drop-in kids' cooking lessons, a sizable indoor play area, and suites decorated in Hello Kitty, the Lotte Hotel on Jeju Island is one of the most well-liked family vacation spots. Due to its vast indoor and outdoor play areas and children's bowling alley, Paradise City Incheon is another family-friendly destination. "Wonderbox," a children's indoor theme park, is a recently added darkly whimsical attraction.

Whimsical kid cafes are everywhere

Kid cafes are pay-per-hour indoor play areas that may be found in practically every neighbourhood in South Korea. The most astonishing thing about them is how seriously they treat both the parents' requirements and the children's desire to play.

In addition to having an open layout that allows parents to watch their playing kids while eating, drinking, and having real adult discussions in the café area, they are also exceedingly well-designed to appeal to this Instagram- and blog-obsessed population. Lilliput, a kid café chain that can be found in every major city in South Korea, even has a spa-themed kid café brand called Plouf that offers indoor pools, mini manicures and blowout stations.

Shopping with kids is actually fun

Department stores all over the country offer services to parents, including drop-off kid cafes, free pram rentals (which are sanitised after each use), loaner push cars (which resemble strollers but are shaped like cars), private nursing rooms and kid cafes installed on the childrenswear floors. In Seoul, the Gangnam branch of Shinsegae Department Store includes a drop-off kid café where you can leave your child for up to two hours while you go shopping. It is attached to a café serving up fresh baby and toddler meals for kids. There is also a cutting-edge children's lounge with a feeding area imaginatively furnished with a sanitising machine, microwave, electric kettle, and toddler stations. Hyundai Department Store in Pangyo has a Children’s Museum of Kids Books and Art (admission US$5), a full-size merry-go-round and whimsical hot air balloon-like picnic stations.

Ingenious kid products

Insulated stacking lunch boxes. Specially cut towels so that your tots don’t get wet while brushing their teeth or washing their faces. Light-up LED umbrellas. Pacifier cases that sanitize on-the-go with UV lights. Toddler beds that unfold into playmats. Ingenious children’s products that seem like the stuff of wishful parental dreams are not only easy to find but cheap to purchase. Seoul’s Namdaemun (South Gate) and Dongdaemun (North Gate) markets have entire plazas devoted to children’s toys, accessories and clothes.

Fantastic museums

There are many children's museums in South Korea, making them the ideal place to spend a hot or wet day. The pink-themed displays and play areas at the Hello Kitty Museum on Jeju Island are so large that even three hours is not enough time to explore them all. On Jeju, there is a Teddy Bear Museum that explores the history of teddy bears, and in Seoul, the Children's Folk Museum has interactive displays that highlight legendary animals from Korean folklore. Meanwhile, kids may feed anything from sharks and wallabies to hedgehogs and crested porcupines at petting zoos Zoolung Zoolung in Seoul and Hi Zoo in Busan.

One word: KidZania

The international family entertainment chain's Seoul location features role-playing jobs that are unique to South Korea. Children can select between using a flight simulator while dressed as a pilot or helping passengers as a flight attendant at the Korean Air part, where they can also assemble ramen cups using a ramen machine. Additionally, they can build hamburgers at Lotteria or find bugs at CESCO. The firefighting unit, which uses miniature firefighters and actual water to put out actual flames in a three-story building, is the attraction.

Everywhere offers walk-in medical care

Last but not least, every neighbourhood has affordable access to every form of high-quality walk-in medical care. Not only do you not have to worry about needing emergency care while travelling, but you might even end up getting your child's teeth cleaned while you're there as South Korean healthcare is still far less expensive than it is in other countries. Due to the recent increase in dental tourism, Seoul in particular boasts a large number of English-speaking dentists.