K Pop Residence I

The bed and pillow suited me perfectly, and aside from the AC not getting as cool as I'd like, everything else was perfect. The hotel is a one-minute walk from the center of the night market, so it's easy to get around. If you have luggage or need a pickup, though, you'll have to walk to Olive Young. One warning: the tofu stew shop right below the hotel has an owner who seems displeased if you don't order her recommendations.

In the heart of Myeongdong, the location is a big plus. The room is about 11 square meters, with the space arranged efficiently enough for a bed, bathroom, and suitcase. They also provide free water and laundry with a dryer, though you have to bring or buy your own detergent. The floor heating wasn't enough to warm the room in winter, and the AC only cools. I like a firm bed, but this one was hard as a rock, even for me.

The room was decent and clean, and they changed the towels daily and provided drinking water. We weren't too fussy about it since we planned to come back just to sleep. I originally booked a one-bunk room, but got really lucky: the staff gave us a fairly spacious family suite with two bunk beds, so there was plenty of room for two of us. I enjoyed the stay a lot. The place is right on Myeondong Street, so we didn't need transport to get to that tourist attraction. Olive Young and CU Mart are a five-minute walk away. There are kitchens on levels three and four, with a microwave for heating food and an electric stove if you want to cook, though I didn't use it. We arrived at 11am, ahead of the 2pm check-in, and they let us leave our luggage. On checkout day, they kept our bags at the information counter on level two until 11pm while we visited elsewhere in Seoul before our next-morning flight. The staff were so nice and replied promptly to my Agoda messages, which helped since as a foreigner I had trouble contacting them using a local number. Hair dryers are in each room, and you can ask the desk for an iron.

The central location is the only good thing. I booked a single room and got a windowless box. If you're flying in from far away, don't book it. Jet lag was bad enough, and having no natural light made it much harder to wake up. I saw bedbugs and got bitten. The manager wouldn't take responsibility, blamed me, asked whether I might have brought them, and wanted photos before believing me. The shower is right in the toilet area, so everything gets wet. Awful experience.