Badaya Pension

The location is incredibly convenient, with the beach just steps away, and the unobstructed ocean view at this price is hard to find. My room had only just been cleaned when I checked in, so it smelled strongly of bleach. I took that as a sign it had been cleaned thoroughly. The room has a large fridge, microwave, and a simple kitchenette for making basic meals. There was just one chair at the dressing table; the rest of the room uses Korean-style floor seating around a table, which could be awkward for Western guests. The beds are firm, but I was glad there were two pillows. The bathroom was clean and well maintained, though it has no shelves for a toothbrush or other things. The bins are small, so for a longer stay you may need to sort your rubbish yourself and take it to the bin at the end of the hallway. The bathroom bin is small too. The entrance light runs on a sensor, and it also comes on when you go into the bathroom. Because of where the bed is, the bright white LED can shine right at you if someone gets up to use the toilet. I'd read on the booking site that there was a washing machine, so I was expecting to use one, but at check-in they told me that wasn't possible. Korean air conditioners often don't let you adjust the temperature, and this one didn't either. We stayed at the end of June during the humid rainy season. Even with the dehumidifier and the setting at 29 degrees Celsius, we woke up cold, as if it were around 18 degrees. The street noise adds to the atmosphere, but it's loud with the window open. Young people walking by woke us in the middle of the night when we left it open to sleep. With the window shut, no air gets in and the room gets hot, so we turned on the AC and then woke up cold again. Hard to get comfortable.

The view was nice, but the bathroom was dirty and the water wouldn't drain. Soundproofing wasn't very good either.

With the sea right out front, the ocean view is lovely. There’s an induction cooktop and a microwave, though the microwave is small and shared in the hallway, which was a little inconvenient. There’s room for two on the bed and about four to six people on the floor.

I chose Badaya Pension for the Hamdeok Beach view and didn’t pay much attention to the room beforehand. The view really is the best part. Upkeep could be better, as other reviews mention: the bathroom door creaks and there was a problem with the bed. Still, I had a great stay for such a low price.