Gwangju Sangmu Hotel Seattle

Cigarette smoke kept coming through the bathroom vent, and the room felt run-down overall. The interior was very dated, with strange colorless stains on the bedding. I travel to Gwangju for work pretty often and usually pick whatever motel I want, but I’m writing this down so I remember to avoid this one.

It’s tucked behind the main road, so it was quiet, and the staff were nice. The bed was roomy and comfortable, and I liked having the toilet, shower, and sink all separate. It’s affordable and clean, too. Parking was the inconvenience: there isn’t much space, and getting out of the parking tower right away isn’t possible.

The room was okay and the staff were friendly, but the bathtub was a problem. The bubbles wouldn’t work, and I had to clean and disinfect the tub myself.

I’ve got three days left here, and I’m enjoying trying the local restaurants. The all-you-can-eat thinly sliced pork belly place across the street is pretty good quality, and there are lots of nearby places to drink and convenience stores. I came to Gwangju for a 10-day work trip and ended up settling here for the next six days after looking around. I’d been staying one night at a time in the Sangmu area near work, planning to extend if I found somewhere decent. A lot of places had surprisingly outdated facilities and high prices. They gave me a discount for the longer stay even though this is a twin room, and I’m resting comfortably here.