i ♥ Seoul (#9)

♥ SLEEP ♥

Budget

Seoul's has two unofficial backpacker districts, Jongno (Anguk/Sinseol-dong) to the northeast of the city and Hongdae out to the west. Within walking distance to Dongdaemun Market, Jongno is better located for sightseeing and can be reached directly from Incheon Airport on limousine buses or city bus 6002 to Sinseol-dong stop (₩9000, 90 minutes), while Hongdae has quite a party scene.

Jongno

• Backpackers Korea, 1054 Sungin-dong, Jongno-gu (2 min from Line 1 Sinseoldong stn exit 11), Tel.+82-10-4942-2268, +82-10-5001-0307. Friendly cool English speaking staffs, Free breakfast, free wifi, free laundry, air-con, hot water, rooftop terrace. Dorms from ₩17,000/night private from ₩29,000/night with own bathroom.

• Hostel Korea, 178-65 Sungin-dong, Jongno-gu (4 min from Line 1 Sinseoldong stn exit 11), Tel.+82-2-762-7406, +82-2-766-7406. Friendly English/Chinese-speaking staffs, Free breakfast, free wifi, free laundry, air-con, hot water, . Private from ₩25,000/night, Ensuit private from ₩30,000/night.

• Mr. Kim's Friends Guesthouse, 446-11 Seokyo Dong Mapo-Gu Seoul (Metro Line 2 Hongik University, exit 1; or airport bus #6002, 9,000 won), ☎ +82-2-70-4123-9059, +82-11-9059-7191. checkin: anytime; checkout: anytime. Facilities: Internet access, guest kitchen, fax service, card phones, bicycle hire, cable TV, DVD`s, common room, library, linen included, security lockers, BBQ area, washing machine/dryer, 24 hour security, towels hire, hairdryer for hire, parking, free parking, bicycle parking, air conditioning, iron/ironing bard, tours desk, luggage storage, 24 hour reception. Dormitory from 15,000 won, private from 20,000 won.

• Seoul Backpackers, 205-125, Namchang-Dong, Jung-Gu, Seoul, Korea (Metro Line 4, Hoehyeon stn). Take exit No 4 and walk down the road; turn left into the next road and you will find the hostel on that road after about 100m. Tel. +82-2-3672-1972. Backpacker hangout with English-speaking staff. single/double ₩40,000/₩50,000 with own tiny bathroom. Free breakfast, internet and laundry.

• Seoul Guest House, 135-1 Gyedong, Jongno-gu (Metro Line 3, Anguk stn), tel. +82-2-745-0057. Basic rooms with air-con in a traditional Korean-style house from ₩35,000/night. Shared bathrooms, Internet (WiFi), TV etc. For a higher price you can purchase a room with a private bath, television and computer with internet. Some find it spartan, other like its homey feel, friendly owner and big, fluffy guard dog.

• Wind Road & Flower Guesthouse,1F 85-5, Myeongryun-dong 3-ga, Jongno-gu, Tel.+82-2-6407-2012~3. E-mail: cowindrea@paran.com. Dorm from ₩15,000/night, free internet.Laundry also available (but not free). The friendly staff speaks good english.

• Yim's House, 33 Waryong-dong, Jongno-gu (Metro Line 3, Anguk stn), tel. +82-2-747-3332. This excellent value hotel is unsure whether it caters to businessmen or backpackers. Rooms are clean and spacious, and Mr. Yim speaks fluent English. En-suite singles are ₩30,000 while doubles are ₩38,000.

Hongdae

• Bangrang hostel, 397-12 Chungnim-Dong, Chung ku (Metro Line 2, Chungjeongro stn, exit 5), ☎ +82-2-6614-2246. checkin: 14:00; checkout: 11:30. A Brand new hotel,opened Jan 2010. distinguished interior. 1 min from subway station, 2 min from airport bus stop, can go any tour top attraction within 15 min. 18,000won~.

• Blu Guest House, 464-63 Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu (Metro Line 2, Hongdae stn, exit#1; Line 7, Hapjeong stn), tel. +82-70-7692-9484, +82-11-9921-5621. Free wifi, free laundry, aircon/heating, lockers, breakfast, no curfew. From ₩18,000.

• Golden Pond Guesthouse, 188-40, 14/5 Myeongryun-dong (Metro Line 4, Hyehwa stn, exit #4), Tel. (02)741-5621 Cell. 010-9921-5621 Golden Pond is one of the newest and cheapest (₩17,000 for a dorm) hostels in Seoul. A comfortable, family style atmosphere, with decent bathrooms and a friendly owner make this hostel hard to beat. Two computers available for Internet use and wireless throughout. This place is near a lot of universities so shops and restaurants are a plenty. 10-minute walk from Changgyeong-gung. No curfew.

• Hongdae Guesthouse (홍대게스트하우스), 159-6 Dongkyo-dong 159-6, Paradisetel unit 302, Mapo-gu (Next to Line 2 Hongdae stn exit 1), ☎ +82-2-336-0003 (hongdaeguesthouse@yahoo.com). checkin: anytime; checkout: 11 AM. Clean, spacious rooms with high ceilings, ondol heating, aircon, hot water. English spoken. From ₩19,000. (one night,2 months)

• Kims' Guest House, 443-16 Hapjeongdong, Mapo-gu (Metro Line 2/7, Hapjeong stn), tel. +82-2-337-9894. This comfortable guest house, run by a friendly English-speaking family, is located in the western part of Seoul, 15 minutes walk from Hapjeong subway station. The dormitory (₩15000), single, double and triple rooms (₩27000/₩37000/₩47000) all have air-conditioning and heating. Guests share a kitchen, toilets and showers and have free use of cable TV, washing machine and internet. Breakfast (jam, toast & coffee) is included. No curfew. Discounts for stays over 1 night.

• Lee & No Guesthouse, 561-29 Yunnam-dong, Mapo-gu (Sinchon), ☎ 02-336-4878. checkin: 1 PM~9 PM; checkout: 10:30 AM. Near Hongdae, has four-bed dorm rooms and doubles. 22,000KW.

• Namsan Guesthouse, 50-1 Namsandong 2-ga, Chung ku (Metro Line 3, Myeong-dong stn, exit 3), tel. +82-2-752-6363. Superbly located in the shadow of Seoul Tower in Namsan Park, this hostel has the usual draws: free internet access, free breakfast, kitchen & laundry and advice with tours. There are no singles but a 4-share costs ₩60,000 while a twin or double costs ₩40,000. All rooms are ensuite. Manager Robin is eager to help and speaks near-perfect English.

• Soul Guesthouse, Unit#505, 159-6 Paradisetel,Dongkyodong, Mapogu,Seoul(Metro Line 2, Hongdae stn, exit 1), tel. +82-10-5137-0604. Female Dormitory. ₩20,000 per night per person. Clean and close to subway. Located at central Seoul.

Love hotels are also a great option. They cost from ₩25,000-80,000 a night, more on Saturday nights and holidays. They are usually in pretty good condition and they sometimes have a PC in the room. Love hotels are mainly visited by couples who want some private places during day or night, most of the love hotels (especially those in Gangnam district) are exceptionally clean and usually have widescreen TVs, PCs and so forth. Don't let the name fool you...some of these are the best bets for budget travelers! Be aware that some love hotels discourage stays of more than one night. Main love hotel districts in Seoul include Teheran Street near Yeoksam station in the Gangnam district, Nambu Terminal in Seocho-dong, Bangi station in Jamsil and the area near the Nakwon market in Jongno.

• IMI Hotel, Yeoksam 2-dong 718-18, Gangnam-gu, tel. 02-3453-4303. At the higher end of the love hotel spectrum, some rooms feature Japanese spas and oxygen generators. Rooms from ₩60,000/night.

• Tomgi Hotel, right next to Metro Line 4, Jongno 3-ga stn, exit 4. A fine example of the genre, with a variety of unique rooms to choose from.

Alternatively, try a jjimjilbang for between ₩4,000-12,000 per night. You don't get a room of your own, but you can store your luggage into one of the small lockers and you can live quite cheaply for a long time, sleeping in the public sleeping rooms and enjoying the hot-tub and steam room facilities (sometimes a gym is available, also movies and TV shows often play until 11pm or so). To find a Jjimjilbang keep an eye out for the distinctive symbol of a plate with rays of heat rising from it. You may have to investigate as smaller hotels often use the same symbol as well.

• Silloam Sauna, 10 minutes' walk from Seoul Station. One night costs ₩12,000, which includes access to public baths, exercise facilities and various entertainment rooms. This is a very large jjimjilbang with great facilities, but the family atmosphere of other jjimjilbangs is sometimes lacking. The locker-room staff will stow oversized luggage if you ask, and a morning wake-up call can be arranged. Sleeping facilities are excellent, clean, comfortable and usually fairly quiet. There are two large dormitories for men and women, plus a snorers' room which sounds like a dragon's lair. The dormitories are arranged unconventionally into lines of bunk beds, more like an open capsule hotel than a standard sleeping floor. In the communal area there are various hot rooms, an ice room, a large gym, a PC room, singing and games rooms and a restaurant. The sauna area has 6 main pools with supposedly healthy minerals and showers.

Mid-range

• Hamilton Hotel, in the heart of the Itaewon shopping district, and next to the Itaewon subway station. Nice rooms, stay here to help reduce culture shock.
• Ibis Hotel Ambassador. Walking distance to the COEX in Gangnam-gu at Samsung-dong, next to line 2 subway system Samsung. Convenient for international travelers as it is very close to the check-in and limousine server at KCAT, Korea Air City Terminal, next to the COEX. Free shuttle to KCAT and free wired internet.
• Ibis Hotel Myeong Dong. Across Lotte Young Plaza. 1 min walking from Euljiro-1 station exit 7. Very central, free internet access.
• Best Western Hotel, formerly the Holiday Inn, located in the Mapo area across from Yeouido Island.
• Han Suites, in Chungmuro, right near Myeongdong. An unassuming building, it has a range for rooms from ₩80,000 for a reasonably-sized Studio through to ₩250,000 for a two-bedroom 'Premier.' Popular with both Koreans and expats, it also has super-fast internet at a reasonable price, they restock with fridge in the kitchen with free beer and water and a reasonable selection of TV stations (including ABC Asia-Pacific for homesick Australians). It isn't glamorous or in an amazing part of town, but it's a nice walk to City Hall through Myeongdong.
• Co-op Residence Serviced Apartments, Samseong, Ul-Jiro (near Dongdaemun Stadium), Western (Dongdaemun), Whikyung, Ohmok, Sincheon. From around ₩80000 for very small but very comfortable single-bed studios to slightly larger double studios. Depending on the property, super-fast internet is either free or cheap (you need to ask for it). The staff are very nice but don't always speak more then rudimentary English. Some of them have restaurants that serve decent food. The Ul-Jiro Co-op is across from the Dongdaemun Stadium and Market and is a little worse for wear. The Samseong Co-op is newer and has heated floors for winter. All of them are handily located and are a fine place to stay if you are on your own. The bathrooms are tiny, as are the TVs.

Splurge

Seoul's top-end hotels are impressive, but pricey.

• Grand Hyatt Seoul, 747-7 Hannam 2-Dong, Yongsan-Ku, (info.grandhyattseoul@hyattintl.com). Set amidst landscaped gardens with good views over the city. Also has a full service spa.

• JW Marriott Seoul, 19-3 Banpo-dong, Seocho-gu, tel. +82-2-62826262. Marriott's flagship property , well located in the Central City development in Gangnam, right next to the Express Bus Terminal and with good airport connections via the CCAT. Rooms are as stylish and fully-equipped as you'd expect, but the star here is the stupendous Marquis Spa & Gym, which sprawls over two floors in the basement and contains a huge gym complete with indoor running track, Olympic-size pool, sauna and spa facilities, climbing wall and golf driving ranges. The hotel also features Maska's cigar shop selling Cubans. Rooms from US$200.

• Lotte Hotel, Myeong Dong (subway Euljiro 1-ga). The grand old lady of downtown Seoul's hotels with 1,300 rooms, all kept in tip-top shape. The obvious choice for ornate Korean luxury.

• Shilla Seoul, Located on Namsan. This is the premier hotel in Seoul.

• W Seoul. The latest trendy boutique hotel in Seoul, located in far east Seoul.

• Millennium Seoul Hilton Hotel 395, 5-ga, Namdaemun-ro, Chung-gu, Luxury hotel near the Central Railway Station and Namdaemun market. Shuttle buses from and to Incheon international airport.

• Imperial Palace Hotel, 248-7, Nonhyun-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul 135-010. Luxury hotel in Gangnam near Nonhyun subway station. Shuttle buses from and to Incheon international airport. Very nice spa. A local favourite.

• Sheraton Walker Hill Hotel. Luxury hotel famous for its casino, swimming pool and seasonal dance parties. Populated with a lively crowd of regular expats.

• Park Hyatt Seoul, 995-14 Daechi 3 - dong Gangnam - gu (in the business district), ☎ +82 2 2016 1234 (seoul.park@hyattintl.com). Upscale hotel that is right across from the COEX shopping complex and host to The Timber House featuring live jazz music.