Hostel Vanilla 1 Dongdaemun

I paid about $53 a night for the luxury double room, which was a good size for one or two people. It had a private bathroom with good ventilation, and the room was tidy and decent overall. I did find two hairs in the bedding, so the cleaning could have been more thorough. The place was easy to find and the owners were helpful. Tea, coffee, ramen, and snacks were available in the common area, and both the washer and dryer were free. The biggest issue was noise from other guests. The walls are very thin, so I heard the common area and neighboring rooms, including people talking loudly early in the morning and someone using a hairdryer at 4am.

My girlfriend and I stayed at Hostel Vanilla 1 Dongdaenum when we arrived in Seoul in October 2016, and it was one of the best hotel experiences we’ve had. The people running it were so kind and made us feel at home without hesitation. The rooms were very clean and comfortable, with what we needed for a good night’s sleep. It’s also in a handy spot, close to a metro station that connects to almost all the important places in Seoul, with lots of food options in the neighborhood. If you want to experience Seoul, I’d choose Hostel Vanilla 1 at Dongdaenum.

I couldn’t get a decent rest here. The bed was extremely hard, the curtains too thin, and the bathroom didn’t have a regular shower. The location was inconvenient, and the neighborhood felt really bad. The landlords weren’t helpful once I’d paid. For the same price, I found a nearby budget hotel with a good mattress, proper curtains, and better service. There are much better options for the same money or less. Jognro is nearby and seemed much cleaner and safer. The nice photos feel like an effort to attract customers.

This place looked very different outside from the photos, and I found it dirty and dangerous. The owners were extremely rude. I overheard the husband, a foreign man, and his wife, a Korean woman, both running the place, saying their Chinese guests were disgusting while taking their money and pretending to be nice. What a disgusting couple. I’d recommend somewhere in Hongdae or Jongro. Trust me, you can find much better.