Haeundae Hound Signature Hotel

The rooftop pool is nice, though it's quite small. The hotel is in a good spot, about a two-minute walk to Main Street and five minutes to the beach. Some of the room needs a little renovation, especially the wallpaper by the entrance, which was peeling.

We felt very comfortable in the room and slept like babies. The bed was semi-soft, which I appreciated since many places in Korea have hard beds. The spacious room had separate bath and toilet, a small balcony with views, and working AC. Parking was available. The one thing it lacked was a place to take shoes off at the entrance, though as western foreigners we liked not having to take shoes or crocs off and on every time we went to the pool or outside. The rooftop pool closes at 10 pm, and there's a bar beside it. From up there you can see the mountains, city, and ocean while having a cold beer or cocktail. The hotel is two blocks from the main street and two from the beach, with loads of nearby restaurants and pubs offering just about any kind of food. That part of Busan is busy, but the hotel itself was quiet for its location. For the price, it was well worth it, and we'll stay here again.

The pool wasn't inviting. We went late one afternoon, then returned around noon the next day to find the same dirt, bandaids, and trash still lying around. People were swimming in clothes and nobody showered first, which was disgusting. We tried the pool three times at different hours, but the pool bar was never open. The hotel is far from the rest of the city, so we spent a lot of time on the metro. The decor looks great in pictures, but in person it's plain and a bit worn. The bathroom doesn't even have a towel hook or anywhere to put a towel. Our first room was dirty, so we moved to another that was just as bad: dirty floors, mirrors, and windows, with lots of other people's hair. We had to give up the balcony to get a room without hair all over. The room we ended up with was dark, and cigarette smoke seemed to come through the air vent. Clothes in the steaming closet smelled as if they'd been dragged through an ashtray, so I asked the front desk to clean it before I could wear them. Staff didn't understand English, which made communication really hard.

The staff were helpful, but the room didn't look like it had been cleaned before we arrived. There was a lot of hair on the sheets and pillows, and the sheet and blanket had what looked like food sauce stains. I hope they pay closer attention to cleanliness.