Yakorea Hostel Itaewon

Friendly staff and an easy base for getting around Seoul, close to Samgakji station. The hostel was pleasant and good value. The mattress wasn’t great, and the shower kept swinging between extremely hot and cold. Still, for the price, it was well worth it.

Check-in and checkout were easy, and the neighborhood was quiet enough. The stairwell is really narrow, so smaller suitcases would be easier, though I managed with my big one. The location is super convenient, a block from Samgakji Station exit 13 and the War memorial, with most places just minutes away. I could pop back several times a day. I’m planning to return next October!

There are lots of restaurants nearby, and Samgakji station is close, just two stops from seoul station and four from myeongdong. Pretty convenient. The hostel includes slippers, towels, water, soap, and shampoo, and laundry is 4000 won for any amount of clothing. Everyone was friendly, from the owner, I think, to the older people in the neighborhood. My only gripe was that the space under the bed could use a clean. Some of my things rolled under there, and it looked like it needed attention.

The one handy thing was laundry service, 6,000KRW per load. Everything else felt neglected. The place was old and dingy, the rooms were dirty, and the stairs seemed ready to fall apart. A fresh coat of paint would help. There was a plastic mattress cover with just a thin sheet on top, and it wrinkled into ridges that dug into my skin. It felt like nobody had put money back into the place. Definitely at the low end.