Golden Guest House Hakata

The cabins had decent space and all the amenities I needed, and the room and facilities were okay. But the noise was a major problem. You can hear everything. At one point I thought a man had been put in the female-only dorm because I could hear him so clearly, but he was actually in the next room. I arrived early to leave my luggage, but nobody was there. I pressed the buzzer a few times with no answer, then called. The staff member sounded kind of hostile. It took me a while to understand he was trying to say “only Japanese or Korean,” which I didn't mind since I was in Japan. Then he kept asking for my email, but whenever I started giving it, he just said “email.” Eventually he hung up and came down to let me leave my bag. It felt rude and was a bad start to the trip.

The rooms and beds were nice, and the staff were helpful. It was busy, though, and there weren't many showers. The location felt inconvenient for me since it isn't near the main sights, though it's handy for the station.

I paid 3,500 yen for one night, plus a 200 yen tax fee. It's in a fairly residential area, about 3.5 km from the airport and 2 km from Canal City. There is only one men's toilet, which is a bit inconvenient.

The price per night was pretty good, and the location wasn't bad. It's a 15-20 minute walk to Hakata Station, and they give you a very small towel for each night's shower. My stay was okay if all you're after is somewhere to sleep, but I doubt you'd feel welcome unless you're Korean or speak Korean. I don't think you'd make friends or even chat with other travellers if you don't speak it. The owner and staff are Korean, and about 95% of the guests were too. They didn't really talk to me unless I spoke Korean. I ran into the owner several times and he barely acknowledged me. Most evenings, the hostel seemed to have a Korean BBQ dinner in the lobby and kitchen, where Korean guests gathered to eat and talk. I was never invited. One night I brought my own food and ate in the lobby while staff cooked BBQ and everyone chatted in Korean. Even sitting right in front of the staff, nobody offered me food or explained what was happening, and none of the guests acknowledged me. Staff only asked if I wanted any after I'd finished eating and was leaving. It felt like I didn't exist. I'm not sure whether it was a language barrier or something else. It's hard to believe language was the whole issue, since I think most people there knew enough English to say hi. Three Korean guests did chat with me in English now and then, but most of the time I didn't feel welcome. There was one shower for men and one for women, with the men's shower shared with women. That seemed inadequate with more than ten male guests staying at a time, and often I couldn't shower in the morning because it was occupied. I booked through Agoda, but the room in the photo was extremely misleading and totally different from what I got. When I asked the staff, they said the pictured room was only for online display and had already been booked. Why not show the other guest room assigned to me, which wasn't as nice? The room I got was clean enough and fine, but the listing felt very misleading, like an obvious bait and switch. The value was good and the stay itself was okay, but I'd only recommend this place to someone who just wants a bed for the night.