Busan Sukbak Dot Com Guest House

I was in the lobby waiting for a friend and charging my phone because the battery was dead. A male staff member told me to unplug my charger. I did, then tried one of the common chargers in the lobby, but he came back and told me not to use that either. When I asked why, he said electricity was only for customers. I’ve stayed in guesthouses all over the world and never had such a horrible, hostile interaction. I was shocked this happened in Korea, not Europe or Asia. Even though electricity is among the cheapest in the world in Korea, he still said no. I don’t recommend this guesthouse. The people were unwelcoming, and you can find much better places in Busan.

I felt badly treated by their rude and dishonest attitude. Before arriving, I sent two messages through agoda and an email asking if I could leave my luggage there for six days before check-in. I made clear that I needed to know in advance because of my booking. They said yes, but when I arrived, they refused. I showed them the messages and offered to pay 3.000 per night. The guy agreed, then changed his mind and tried to charge 10.000 won per day, finally settling on 30 000 for the whole period, or 5 thousand per day. It didn’t feel fair, since I’d tried to sort it out beforehand. Either they don’t pay attention to customer messages or it was on purpose. I’d walked through dirty alleys and upstairs with my big luggage to get there, and I was only a few hours from my flight, so maybe they thought I’d be too tired to leave. But I did leave, and I won’t return. I don’t recommend this place.

Those slippers smelled ridiculously sweaty, and the bed was so hard it felt like sleeping on the floor. The beds are awkwardly arranged too, so you might end up right beside someone else's feet. There’s a window but no curtain, which means daylight comes in around 6am. The bathroom was dirty despite being cleaned every day. Also, everyone has to leave the hostel from 11am to 3pm, and you can’t use the common room during those hours.

The common area has a fridge, freezer, microwave, and washing machine, though there’s no stove. You can also try traditional Korean clothes for free. Breakfast includes cereal, milk, bread, jam, and coffee. It’s very clean and quiet, with air conditioning and lockers in the rooms, and it’s close to Busan station. A really nice place for a reasonable price. Recommend.