Hostel CLEO Seoul Hongdae

The best part for us was the little breakfast ritual by the window. There’s a ledge beside the bed that worked as a table, and we’d watch Seoul residents rush off to start their day. We enjoyed that a lot. The lounge at B1 is cozy for meals, and the simple breakfast is served daily from 830am to 1030am: coffee, tea, Swiss Miss hot chocolate, packet juices, toast with butter and jam, cereal, and packet cakes or donuts. We made our own breakfast in bed instead. My wife organized our Korean tour and picked this place. I think she chose well. Cleo has the relaxed feel of a hostel, but a lot of thought went into the design and decor despite the limited space. Some older reviews said there was no elevator, but when we stayed in Feb 2024 there was one, a classy German Thyssenkrupp, and it was fast enough that we rarely waited. The nearest metro station is walkable, though the route from exit 3 to the hotel goes moderately uphill. The way back is an easy downhill walk. The hostel can arrange an airport van, and the prices are in my uploaded photo. The room is small and has no cupboard. We couldn’t leave an open suitcase on the floor, but planned ahead and fitted our medium suitcase under the bed to free up walking space. A few clever wall hangers were enough for our winter clothes. The shower room is tiny, so the whole toilet area gets wet when you wash, but I didn’t mind those limitations. Rooms are serviced only once every two days, which was fine for us but may matter to others. If you want Korean Fried Chicken but can’t speak the language, Cleo can arrange it for you. There were some maintenance issues: the bathroom door handle was almost falling off, the plumbing under the sink leaked, and the shower temperature and pressure were inconsistent some nights. The windows are double glazed, but light sleepers may still hear traffic. Also, the bath towel was tiny. My biggest gripe was the expensive coin laundry, 5000won per 20kg wash load. Still, yes, we’d stay again.

So, so kind. I love this place!

We spent three weeks here, coming from Germany for business and personal things, and had a great experience. It took us a long time to find a hostel with good value, so thanks, CLEO Hostel. The staff were all friendly and very helpful, the place was organized and very clean, rooms were cleaned twice a week, and breakfast was delicious. We’ll see you again next year ^^

Small room, but good value for the money and a nice location.