Lux Guesthouse

I booked this because it was the cheapest option in Seoul, but I really wish I’d paid a bit more for somewhere cleaner. The photos online are nothing like what I found, so I took plenty to show the actual state of the place. I’ve been backpacking around Asia for months, including staying in cheaper hostels in the Philippines and Thailand and even on a boat in the middle of the ocean. This was by far the most disgusting place of all of them. The bed was the one tolerable part, and even that was just basic, with no curtain for privacy. Food wrappers and open packets were left around the rooms, so I kept wondering how often they cleaned after someone checked out. The kitchen was so dirty I couldn't make instant noodles. I left some tteok-bokki in the fridge and found it gone when I got back, with the bowl in the sink. Someone had eaten it, which was really weird. The bathroom was horrible. I wiped the toilet seat every time I used it, like I was in a public restroom, but by that evening there'd be pubic hair and pee or other stains on it again. Taking a shower there each night was awful. When I first came in, the guy was absorbed in his computer. It felt like I could've walked into any room, taken something, and left, so there didn't seem to be any security. The place is on the fifth floor with no elevator, and there's a bar and public bathroom downstairs, which didn't make for a great setting. Do yourself a favor and stay somewhere else unless you're really, really on a tight budget.