You now scored that coveted seat sale promo to Seoul, but you're having a hard time looking for a great place to stay. Don't fret, for I will be helping you by listing down my top 5 hostels in Seoul that are all under $30 (some are even lower, I promise)!
A. RIO GUESTHOUSE (HONGDAE, SEOUL) - PHP 1,163/per person/per night (private room for 6 pax)
First one is the Rio Guesthouse which is the Top 4 "Best B&B and Inns in South Korea 2015" according to TripAdvisor. And this is where we stayed last 2014. For me it was one of the main reason I enjoyed my trip last 2014. Mr Insung, the owner, is approachable and helpful, he is always a LINE away if we have questions.
The guesthouse is a minute away from Hongdae Station, Exit 2. By walking it is 5-10 minutes away from Hongdae Park and15 minutes away from Hongik University. There is an abundance of convenience store in the area so you don't have to worry if you don't have a stock of water bottles or you might get hungry in the middle of the night.
This guesthouse is perfect for a group with 5-6 people in it. We were 6 in a room last time and each of us only paid PHP 1,163/night, a total of PHP 11,630 for 10 nights.
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| *Room for 5-6 people* photo cr: http://www.riohousehongdae.com/ |
If you want save up on eating outside, you can cook your own meal because the room has it's own kitchen, just like what we did (actually I did not cook, haha! my friend Lulur did the cooking and we just helped her in the eating part, hahaha!)
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| *spam & eggs for breakfast. don't forget the rice! this was taken from our last 2014 trip* |
All of their rooms are private and is in a condominium building. It has a guard at the lobby and also has elevators.
You can also book your tours with them, just ask their friendly staff. Oh, they also offer discounted entrance ticket to Trick Eye Museum ;)
Me and my friends are planning to stay here again during our Spring 2016 trip this coming April :)
Room / Guesthouse Amenities:
Airconditioned Room - ✓
Elevator - ✓
WIFI - ✓ (you can rent a portable egg wifi, separate fee applies)
Private Bathroom - ✓
Kitchen (with Refrigerator) - ✓
Cable TV - ✓
Breakfast - X
Laundry - ✓ (located at the basement of the building)
Payment: As of our booking last year, Mr Insung didn't required us to pay down payment and asked us to pay in cash upon arrival.
Website: http://www.riohousehongdae.com/
Facebook: Rio House Hongdae
Also Read: Seoul-id Trip Day 1.2: Hongdae + Myeongdong
The next hostels on the list I haven't stayed at yet, but based on my research they are worth checking for they provide comfort at an affordable price.
B. BOA TRAVEL HOUSE (HONGDAE, SEOUL) - PHP 997/per person/per night (dorm room) or PHP 1,120 / per person (private room for 4)
Also on the list of TripAdvisor's "Best B&B and Inns in South Korea 2015" is Boa Travel House. What I love about this guesthouse is that they always update their Facebook page where they share cool places to go in Seoul and they always hold a monthly contest with a 10% room discount prize offer in their page, so keep an eye on that :)
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| *Family Room for 4 people - Bathroom en suite* photo cr: http://www.boaguesthouse.com/ |
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| *Sweet Room for 3-4 people - Bathroom en suite* photo cr: http://www.boaguesthouse.com/ |
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| *6 Bed Dorm Room* photo cr: http://www.boaguesthouse.com/ |
Room / Guesthouse Amenities:
Airconditioned Room - ✓
Elevator - ✓
WIFI - ✓
Private Bathroom - ✓
Kitchen (with Refrigerator) - ✓ (public use)
Cable TV - ✓
Breakfast - ✓
Laundry - ✓
Prayer Room (Muslim) - ✓
Payment: Upon inquiring last year, Boa Travel House requires at least 20% down payment for them to reserve a room.
Website: http://www.boaguesthouse.com/
Facebook: BoA Travel House
C. KIMCHEE GUESTHOUSE (5 Branches in SEOUL) - price varies depending on location
Kimchee guesthouse has 5 branches: Sinchon, Gangnam, Hongdae, Seoul Station & Dongdaemun, so just choose where do you want to stay the most to save transportation expenses. Out of all the options given this guesthouse offers the cheapest price. Better to catch their seasonal promos that can go as low as ₩10,000 per person/per night for a dorm room!
Here's the price range per branch:
A. Sinchon: The largest branch of Kimchee, staying here costs PHP 656/per person / per night (dorm room) or PHP 2,050/per room (twin private room). This branch only offers shared bathroom & shower even if you book a private room.
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| *8 Bed Mixed Dorm Room* photo cr: https://kimcheeguesthouse.com/sinchon |
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| *Twin Private Room* photo cr: https://kimcheeguesthouse.com/sinchon |
B. Gangnam: Located in the heart of the luxury district in Seoul, a few blocks away from the top KPOP agencies: SM, JYP & Cube, and there are also heaps of restaurants, cafes and plastic surgery hospitals nearby.
A night's stay costs PHP 1,025/per person / per night (dorm room) or PHP 2,460 per room/ per night (twin private room). This branch offers breakfast plus all of the rooms has a private bathroom & shower.
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| *10 Bed Mixed Dorm Room* photo cr: https://kimcheeguesthouse.com/gangnam |
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| *Twin Private Room* photo cr: https://kimcheeguesthouse.com/gangnam |
C. Dongdaemun: If you want to be near cultural hotspots and shopping destinations both at the same time, then I suggest you stay in this branch. Room rates are in between those of Sinchon's and Gangnam's: PHP 697/per person /per night (dorm room) or PHP 2,255 per room / per night. All private room has a bathroom en suite, while the dorm has a shared bathroom.
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| *6 Bed Mixed Dorm Room* photo cr: https://kimcheeguesthouse.com/dongdaemun |
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| *Twin Private Room* photo cr: https://kimcheeguesthouse.com/dongdaemun |
D. Hongdae: The branch that has the lowest dorm rate that costs PHP 615 per person/per night, while the twin private room costs PHP 2,050 per room / per night. Just like Sinchon, they only offer shared bathroom.
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| *10 Bed Mixed Dorm Room* photo cr: https://kimcheeguesthouse.com/hongdae |
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| *Twin Private Room* photo cr: https://kimcheeguesthouse.com/hongdae |
E. Seoul Station: A minute walk away from Sookmyeong University Subway Station, this is the only branch that doesn't have dorm type of room. A night costs PHP 2,460 per room, bathroom en suite.
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| *Twin Private Room* photo cr: https://kimcheeguesthouse.com/seoulstation |
Room / Guesthouse Amenities:
Airconditioned Room - ✓
Elevator - (not specified in website)
WIFI - ✓
Private Bathroom - (depends on where will you stay)
Kitchen (with Refrigerator) - ✓ (public use)
Cable TV - ✓
Breakfast - (depends on where will you stay)
Laundry - (not specified in website)
Website: https://kimcheeguesthouse.com/
Facebook: Kimchee Guesthouse Korea
D. NAMSAN GUESTHOUSE (5 Branches in MYEONGDONG, SEOUL) - price varies depending on location
I came across this guesthouse through many blogs, and I think this is quite popular with backpackers or budget travelers unlike the first two options above. And just like Kimchee, Namsan also has 5 branches but all of them are located in one steep street across Myeongdong Shopping Center (MSC), the Namsan Guesthouse 1 being the farthest from it and also the closest one to the Namsan Tower.
Below's the list of room rates per branch and I'll start with the closest to MSC:
A. Namsan Guest House 3: There are no dorm rooms for this branch, they only offer Twin and Triple Rooms. A stay in a twin room costs PHP 2,665 per room / per night. Breakfast's already covered in that rate.
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| *Twin Private Room (Bathroom en suite)* photo cr: http://www.namsanguesthouse.com/namsan3 |
B. Namsan Guest House 2: Same as Namsan Guest House 3, this branch only offers private rooms: Twin, Triple & Quadruple. Their twin room is slightly cheaper than Guest House 3, a night's stay costs: PHP 2,460 per room/ per night (with breakfast and private bathroom).
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| *Twin Private Room* photo cr: http://www.namsanguesthouse.com/namsan2 |
C. Namsan Guest House 4: This is the biggest branch, with dorm rooms, private rooms that can accommodate up to 6 people. A bed in their dorm costs PHP 1,230 per person / per night, and a twin room costs PHP 2,665 per room / per night. All rooms have private bathrooms except for dorm room. They also serve breakfast for their guests.
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*Twin Private Room*
photo cr: http://www.namsanguesthouse.com/namsan4
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*Twin Private Room*
photo cr: http://www.namsanguesthouse.com/namsan4
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D. Namsan Guest House 5: The cost of the twin room in this branch is same as in Guest House 3 which is PHP 2,665 per room/per night (with breakfast & private bathroom included).
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*Twin Private Room*
photo cr: http://www.namsanguesthouse.com/namsan5
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E. Namsan Guest House 1: The one farthest from MSC, also offers the cheapest twin room out of all the branches with PHP 2,255 per room/ per night room rate (breakfast & private room included).
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*Twin Private Room*
photo cr: http://www.namsanguesthouse.com/pay_e.htm |
Website: http://www.namsanguesthouse.com/
Facebook: Namsan Guesthouse
E. YE'4 Guesthouse (SEODAEMUN-GU, SEOUL) - PHP 1,078/per person/per night (dorm room) or PHP 1,078/per person (private room for 4)
Are you a fan of 2NE1 and/or Winner? If yes, I'm pretty sure you've seen the 2015 web drama of Dara (2NE1) and Kang Seung-Yoon (Winner) which is entitled "We Broke Up". And one of the drama's location is the iconic dorm house of Woori and Won-Yeong which was shot in... YE4 Guesthouse (Seoul, South Korea)
Besides the living room, the drama was also shot in the rooms offered by YE'4 Guesthouse.
YE'4 offers dorm and private rooms. For the dorm room, a night's stay costs Php 1,078 per person / per night. And same goes with a private room for 4 people.
If you are traveling with just a buddy, the guesthouse also offers a private twin room which only costs Php 2,874 a night.
Facebook: YE'4 Guesthouse
There you have it, I could list hundreds of hostels but this post might get pretty long (if isn't long enough). Those listed above are just some of the guesthouse you can check out while you're preparing for your trip to Seoul.
Do you have other hostels / accommodation in mind? Or do you have any questions? Please leave a comment on the comment box below and I'll gladly answer all of them. :)
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