Kimchi Guest House

Traditional and very welcoming, with lovely hospitality. The heated floors kept the place really warm in winter too.

A wonderful experience.

Finding the Hanok took some wandering. It’s tucked farther in, past the villas, and I hadn’t expected it to be there. The owner is kind, and the place is good value. Even in winter the room gets incredibly warm, and the yard bathroom has a heater too, so it doesn’t feel cold. The bedding seemed fairly clean, though the facilities are a little old and there was dust in the corners. There’s food in the fridge for a simple breakfast: fried rice, dumplings, milk, eggs, bread, and kimchi. I thought about cooking, but couldn’t be bothered, so I asked the owner for a breakfast restaurant recommendation and ate there instead.

The location was handy for visiting Seoul’s well known attractions, and having several rooms and bathrooms in a hanok was a plus. But the condition of the place made the stay miserable. The air conditioner was filthy and clearly hadn’t been cleaned. We cleaned it during our short stay, but the host didn’t seem to realize it needed cleaning and then left us a negative review, accusing us of being abusive about cleanliness. It was unbearably hot to stay in a hanok in midsummer, so we had to use the AC. Sleeping with it on left our eyes stinging from the mold inside and our skin dry in the morning. There were lots of flies too, and we needed an electric flyswatter. The bedding smelled strongly of mold. The single mattress sagged in the middle, and there was lots of dust between the mattresses. There were plenty of blankets, but they felt too unpleasant to use. The photo shows the AC after we cleaned it, and dust trapped inside kept coming out afterward. I’m ashamed to tell foreigners staying here that I’m here. Unless the host takes responsibility for cleaning and maintenance, I hope nobody else has to go through this. This place isn’t even worth one star.