Accommodations in South Korea : Hotel vs Hostel & Guesthouse

Sebelom itu...annyeong haseyo yorobun! my name is Hyun Ki Joon @ John! 내 이름은 현기준 @ 존... Be inspired ok guys!

Haa....korang boleh panggil aku dengan nama tu. Valid until 20th November 2011 sahaja. Pastu back to John balik. Hahahah...

Ok..bercakap mengenai tajuk kat atas tu. Kalo dah tau nak pegi travel negara maju, janganlaaa duk berangan nak duk hotel. Duk kat hostel atau guesthouse sudah memadai. Infact, aku rasa lagi best dan value for money invested. Aku lama jugak duk buat research dan survey hostel atau guesthouse yang mana satu untuk aku stay sepanjang trip aku ke sana. Kriteria yang aku pilih berdasarkan lokasi, murah, facilities, free breakfast dan design hostel @ guesthouse itu sendiri. Tidak lupa jugak...baca reviews yang diberikan oleh orang yang dah penah duk kat situ. Boleh baca kat Hostelbooker atau TripAdvisor. Betol-betol berguna! Jangan tak baca...you will know the real situation. Kadang-kadang yang tukang kasik review ni, banyak cekadak jugak. So, try to read from the positive perspective. Mostly, kalo hostel atau guesthouse tu betol-betol bagus, jarang akan dapat bad reviews. 

So, let's cekidaut hostel atau guesthouses yang aku dah shortlisted. Tapi yang first three adalah guesthouse yang dah aku booked untuk trip ke South Korea. Aku pilih DORM sahaja...sebab nk jimat punye pasal.

1. JIN GUEST HOUSE 

Location : Chungmuro Station, 1 stop from Myeongdong Station. 

What's included : Breakfast, bed linen, towel, and storage rooms

Facilities : Free internet, air-conditioning, free city tour, 24hour hot showers, tour/travel desk, credit-card accepted. 

Some reviews: 

1. "The hostel was in a traditional Korean area, very close to the metro station and a short walk to a shopping areas. The guy running it spoke limited english but was effective and friendly."

2. "everything is very clean, owner is really good character, and location is so good. i could go to myondong on foot just about 10min !!! i wanna stay here if i had chance to go korea again."

3. "Very friendly staff and the location is also very good. Suitable for travelers who dose not have high standards of living and want to save a little."

 

2. DOO Guesthouse (Hanok Style)

Location : Anguk Station, 5 minutes walking from Insadong

What's included : Bed linen, towel, and storage rooms

Facilities : Free internet, air-conditioning, free city tour, 24hour hot showers, tour/travel desk, free coffee and tea, and etc. 

Facebook : Doo Guesthouse

Aku pilih yang ni sebabnya still baru...so, antara rumah hanok style yang termurah. So, okla kot. Just stay sini untuk 1 malam sahaja. Untuk rasa pengalaman aje. Other than that...bila lagi kan? Hihihi 

 Bedrooms • Single room is 50,000 KRW (1 person)
• Semi double room 60,000 KRW (2 person)
• Double room is 70,000 KRW (2 person)
• Family room is 110,000 KRW (4 person)

Some reviews: 

1. "Doo Guesthouse is in a hanok or traditional house with rooms set around a courtyard. There are no private baths. But there are three bathrooms for, I think, eight guest rooms, so the place is pretty well-served with bathrooms. The rooms are tiny, but they have air conditioning and tv. Small rooms seem to be the norm in Asia unless you are prepared to ante up a lot more money than Doo charges. More important than space to me is whether a place is clean, and Doo is clean. This is all the more impressive, because right now, Doo is a one-man operation. Donny, the owner, mans the phones, cleans the rooms, and checks in guests all by himself, and he still finds time to make you a cup of jasmine tea and talk with you about your day. Doo is near the Changdeok Palace and Bukchon Village, on a street with shops that seem more local than tourist serving, which is strange given the number of guesthouses in the area. But that's good for local flavor and there are plenty of cafes and restaurants just a street over."

3. Fully House 

Location : Hyehwa Station Line 4, Take Exit no.4

What's included : Breakfast, bed linen, towel, and storage rooms

Facilities : Free internet, air-conditioning, 24hour hot showers, tour/travel desk, free coffee and tea, washing machines, self-catering facilities and etc 

Some reviews: 

1. "Mr.cho and his friends are too kind and ready to help- and also very generous! Had a great time - definitely my hostel for future Seoul visits!!"

2. "The rooms are really nice and complete. It has in floor heating system. Shampoo, conditioner and body wash are provided. I liked the fact that Mr Cho takes the time to prepare our breakfast. They go out of the way to help. The common area is pretty and complete with all the facilities we need. They also offer free use of washing machine. We will come back to stay here when we return to Seoul next year."

3. "The place is very accessible by subway and buses. The staff are very friendly, helpful and Mr. Cho, the owner even went out of his way to bring me to the shuttle station in Insadong where I had to join the tour by 0900 hrs. He also brought me to the airport bus stop without any additional pay. One night he gave me dinner when I was so tired from my day's tour."

Kat bawah ni pulak...link untuk hostel atau guesthouse yang aku dah short-listed kan untuk panduan kita bersama....aku pilih untuk dorm sajork sebab dah sangat-sangat ok plus nak tido je pun. Btw, every guesthouse ade free internet which is sangat-sangat laju mengikut kata orang yang dah penah ke sana...awesome!  

4. Seoul Myeongdong House 

5. Namsan Guesthouse 

6. Myeongdong Guesthouse  

7. Seoul Backpackers 

8. Bukchon Korean Traditional House

9. Korean WWOOF  

Till then.....bye!