My recent visit to Korea involved a long time of planning as traveling to a foreign country for the first time is always daunting. That’s why I always carefully choose where I book my accommodation when going on a trip abroad. Factors like location and affordability are among the characteristics I consider but I am glad that the place where I stayed, Issue Seoul Guesthouse, gave me more than these.
Our guesthouse had a good location. From Incheon Int’l Airport, we hopped on to the All Stop Train and alighted at Hapjeong Station via Line 2 after several transfers. Issue Seoul Guesthouse is located in the Hongdae area and was just about a ten minute stroll from the station. My friend and I didn’t have a lot of difficulty finding it. It was right by the road so we didn’t have to find our way in between unfamiliar streets.
We arrived mid-morning and even though we were tired, we wanted to start exploring right away. We left our bags for safekeeping since check-in time was not until at 3 PM. The other guests were currently having their breakfast when we arrived. To our surprise, the staff offered us free breakfast even though we haven’t officially checked-in yet. I think that was really nice of them! 🙂 Issue Seoul Guesthouse offers complimentary morning meals between 9 and 10 AM.
The guesthouse’s common area also serves as the dining area. I liked this concept at it can gain you friends and promotes interaction with other guests. At night, it can be your sanctuary by grabbing one of the books on shelf. There’s a little kitchen across the room where breakfast is prepared and served. Guests are required to clean after themselves e.g. washing the dishes, placing used towels in the laundry bin etc. Reminder boards are set up on the walls as well.
Issue Seoul Guesthouse’s living area serves as a common area and breakfast area at the same time. I liked this concept at it can gain you friends and promotes interaction with other guests. At night, it can also be your sanctuary by grabbing one of the books on the shelf. The best thing is it is just within walking distance from Hapjeong Subway Stn. Another reason to consider staying here in your Korea visit. #IssueSeoulGuesthouse #Korea #Autumn #TheMermaidTravels
One thing I noticed in the Hongdae area was that the street walls were painted with varied art expressions and our guesthouse’s parking lot had the same too! It’s great to see this view first thing in the morning specially if the painting involves a big cat like this! It gives off a young and artsy vibe, an inspiring sight before starting off a long day. 🙂
One thing I noticed here in Hongdae area is that the street walls are painted by varied art expressions and our guesthouse’s parking lot had the same too! It’s great to see this view first thing in the morning specially if the painting involves a big cat like this! Haha. It gives off a young and artsy vibe, an inspiring sight before starting off a long day. 🙂 @guesthouseissueseoul #issueseoulguesthouse #hongdae #themermaidtravels #autumn
We were given a twin room (double deck) on the second floor near the common bathroom and sitting area. We liked our room even though it was windowless. We had our own full length mirror, hair dryer a night lamp and bottled water. Our three nights stay here was actually very comfortable. Issue Seoul had this laid back vibe which we loved. It appears to be a large house with many rooms! We didn’t feel like we were staying in a foreign country at all. Add to that our ajumma was very warm and accommodating to us and to all the other guests even though there was an obvious language barrier. She always had a smiling face when we greet her and made sure we were well taken care of.
The common toilet and bath located on both floors had complimentary toiletries like shampoo and body soap. Hot and cold shower was available 24/7 too. While there were towels provided, they were only face towels and not big enough to cover your body. If you’re privy to the size of your bath towel then I suggest you bring your own. 😉
Before we left for Busan, I was given the chance to try making my very own version if Kimbap. Ajumma let me watch her before she let me try it. It was pretty easy but I guess I needed more practice! This served as our breakfast on our last day at the guesthouse. We wished we could have stayed longer. I will definitely consider staying here again when I come back in Korea because for me Issue Seoul Guesthouse has become my home in Seoul.
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Issue Seoul Guesthouse
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