Cinnamon Tree Guesthouse

The location by the water might be great, but the owner treated us badly. We got there at 2 am and asked for help finding parking. We knew the hotel didn't have parking, but the owner yelled at us anyway. Guests should be treated respectfully, and staff should try to help, even when there's a language barrier. Honestly, if it weren't for the sacrifice of the American armed forces, this hotel owner would be speaking Chinese. If you're traveling, I'd spend my money at another hotel.

We spent about two weeks here across five separate bookings, and the location made getting around easy. The fish market, Lotte Mart, BIFF square and lots of restaurants are all walkable. Our room had a good view of Jagalchi fish market, windows we could open for fresh air, a comfortable bed and a fairly large bathroom with good shower pressure. There was also a coffee maker with coffee sticks, free bottled water and a mini fridge. Shampoo, conditioner and body soap were provided, though the bottles needed topping up after a few days. The front desk guy was nice and spoke English, but wasn't there until around 5 pm. There's a microwave and water dispenser in the lobby, and we could leave our luggage there if we arrived early and had to wait until 5 pm to check in. I didn't need room cleaning since I could tidy up myself, but I wish they'd brought clean towels after a few days. We enjoyed our stay and would recommend it.

Our trip to Busan was truly ruined by this experience. I was genuinely terrified. We had to arrive a day late because of a hospital visit and emailed the hotel to let them know. When we arrived, nobody was at the front desk, so we waited ten minutes. My husband noticed the elevator was full of keys to all the rooms. Then the front desk man came out yelling that we weren't allowed to go up there, I guess because every room was unsafe and unlocked? He yelled racist things at my husband, who is from Colombia, called him a criminal, and kicked us out. We weren't allowed to use the room we'd paid for. He called the police and followed us all the way to the new hotel we booked, blocking my husband's path as we walked. Now he knows where we're staying. I've never had customer service this terrible. The place felt extremely unsafe, and the service was horrible.

Nampo Station is extremely close, so we could get around Busan easily, and our spacious room was remarkably cheap, 80 EUR for three nights. But we hadn't realized this was actually a love hotel, despite being presented as a regular hotel on Booking and Google. I'm not sure whether that was deliberate, and we were surprised when we found out. They provide some unusual extras for hotels these days, like toothbrushes and toothpaste, shaving kits and face cleanser, along with more intimate items such as protection, lubricant and intimate cleanser. The place also had cleanliness issues. There was a layer of dust and debris under the bed, almost like carpet, and one of our four pillows had strange black spots. I noticed them late at night when I shone my phone flashlight on it. I couldn't tell if it was mold or dried human products, so I took the pillow out of the room. The next day I found it back in the room, left a note for the cleaners not to put it on the bed again, and had no further trouble. The front desk person, described as rude in other reviews, was actually direct and proper with us. He didn't smile, but his manners were fine. With the hotel's odd double-sided character, he seems to come in around 5 pm, so he's hard to reach earlier. The location was convenient, with attractions nearby and Lotte Department Store Gwangbok across the way. Given the price, anything less than five stars honestly feels unfair, but other guests should know what they're booking.