Korean Job Discussion Forums

[eventually]

had a bad guesthouse experience on my last visit and was thinking of staying in a proper hotel in seoul. can anyone recommend any decent ones (that don't cost $400 a night)? hongdae preferred but not necessary.

[CentralCali]

Do you intend to stay in the hotel room for the whole time or get out and about with the room just for sleeping and storing your stuff? If the latter, I recommend the place I used to frequent when I went to Seoul. It's called 광덕여관 (Gwang-deok Yeo-gwan). Here's my best description of how to get there.

1. Go out Exit #3 (West Side) of Seoul Station (not Exit #3 of the subway station, but of Seoul Station itself).
   
2. Either take the stairs or the elevator to street level.
   
3. Turn right.
   
4. Walk past Lotte Mart, the airport buses, and continue until you get to the major intersection with the flyovers.
   
5. Cross the street at the pedestrian crossing.
   
6. As soon as you hit the sidewalk, make a left, then go right at that corner.
   
7. Cross at the unregulated zebra crossing.
   
8. Turn right and walk up the sidewalk until you see the very long driveway going uphill.
   
9. Turn left up that driveway. The hotel is on your right.

I think these are the correct directions. You might be better off plugging 광덕여관 or the inn's phone number into Daum's or Naver's map search. Daum tells me it's a 400 meter hike.

Even during holidays, this place cost me 30,000 won a night for the room. Once, a group of three of us stayed there and that came to 10k won per person. The rooms are small, nice enough, have cable TV with two or three channels showing some English programming late at night, and have a private bath with bath tub and western commode.

Info on the joint

Name: 광덕여관 (Gwang-deok Yeo-gwan)
Phone: 02-392-6655
Old style address: 서울 중구 중님동 331-14 (Seoul Jung-gu Jung-nim-dong 331-14)
New style address: 서울 중구 만리재로35길 49 (Seoul Jung-gu Mal-li-jae-ro-35-gil 49)

Forgot to mention that on Daum's map site, you can use the street view to see what the route is for walking and also the front door of the joint.

[eventually]

sweet. thank you!

[createasaurus21]

Stay in a love motel in nearby Sinchon (1 subway stop from Hongdae). They're cheap, clean and have free movies and internet.

There are love motels in Hongdae as well, but in Sinchon there are a few streets with just love motels and they tend to be cheaper when they're grouped together.

[Unibrow]

There are lots of hostels in Hongdae, some are actually fairly nice.

[thurst]

the hamilton in itae is like $80/night. when my dad came to visit, he stayed in the ramada near seoul station at about $120/night and the grand hyatt is about $220/night.

i don't really know about any hotels near hongdae, but all of the nicer hotels are generally in jung-gu (around seoul station) or in gangnam and their prices are generally what you'd expect back home.

if you're trying stay somewhere cheap you're better off with a motel or goshiwon.

[Vianca]

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