Seoul, South Korea: Maru Residence Guesthouse (near Seoul Station)
We spent 11 days in Seoul and our winter trip coincided with Chinese New Year/ Seollal. The prices for accommodations were a bit high so it was quite challenging to find an affordable room where we can stay in for 10 nights - good thing we found Maru Residence Guesthouse. Aside from the price, the main reason for choosing this is the location which is near Seoul Station.
If you're someone taking Cebu Pacific's MNL - ICN then it means you'll arrive in Incheon before midnight so the subway isn't running anymore and you have no choice but to take the airport bus that will drop you off at Seoul Station... we didn't want to spend money for taxi ride to our hotel and for that, Maru's location was perfect. If the Seoul Station building is closed by the time you arrive in the area, you just have to walk towards the end of Seoullo 7107 (refer to the map).
I sent the owner a message that we'll be checking in very late so he sent me the room number and the keys were ready at front desk when we arrived. Went straight to the room on the fourth floor and? Not bad.
The room is not big but is definitely enough for two people. Hindi naman kami masyadong maselan sa tutulugan kaya okay na okay na 'to sa'min though using the bathroom was a bit difficult at first 'cause it was really cramped in there but the hot shower made up for it - mas importante 'yon kasi nung unang ligo lang naman nabubunggo 'yung siko ko sa salamin. Hahaha!
The room is not big but is definitely enough for two people. Hindi naman kami masyadong maselan sa tutulugan kaya okay na okay na 'to sa'min though using the bathroom was a bit difficult at first 'cause it was really cramped in there but the hot shower made up for it - mas importante 'yon kasi nung unang ligo lang naman nabubunggo 'yung siko ko sa salamin. Hahaha!
The room had its own bathroom, Smart TV, aircon, mini-refrigerator, heated floor, reliable wifi and adaptors. There's also a shared kitchen you can use - there are free bread, strawberry jam (sobrang sarap huhu), water, and coffee. For people checked in for more than three nights, the use of the laundry machine is free as well.
Okay naman. I think though, they rent this room for individual travelers so you may end up sharing the room with someone you don't know so using this bathroom can be awkward if that happens since the door has no lock and it's very difficult to get dressed inside.
The wall/divider is a bit thin so you can hear sounds from other rooms but that didn't bother us though since our neighbors didn't make a lot of noise... baka nga kami pa 'yung maingay. ahaha!
Additional:
1. there's a 7-11 on the first floor.
2. Lotte Mart (in Seoul Station) is very close by so if you're staying for a week and on a limited budget, just buy groceries and cook your food in the hostel. We bought eggs and milk from Lotte Mart so we had eggs, strawberry jam, and bread for breakfast everyday. No biggie since I love strawberries at sobrang sarap nung jam. haha! Dahil sa free breakfast, late lunch and dinner/snacks na lang kinakain namin sa labas.
3. The other end of Seoullo is Namdaemun Market. I was surprised to see that Odeng in Myeongdong costs 1,500 KRW per stick 'cause I used to eat that for only 500 KRW per stick in Busan. Akala ko e 'yung presyo sa lahat. Hahaha! So okay tayo sa Namdaemun, guys kasi merong tig-500 don. Ahaha! Mas bet ko don kesa Myeongdong if I'm not going to buy sa cosmetic shops. May subway station pero galing dito sa hostel kahit maglakad ka na lang para tipid sa pamasahe. Hindi naman ganon kalayo.
4. It's located in a quiet neighborhood. I mean, after spending a day with the crowd. You'll appreciate the quiet walk as you go back to your hostel at night.
5. At ngayon ko lang na-appreciate since I always took the regular subway to the airport but being near Seoul Station, riding AREX (Airport Express) was very convenient for only 8,000 KRW.
Ayun, so okay.
5. At ngayon ko lang na-appreciate since I always took the regular subway to the airport but being near Seoul Station, riding AREX (Airport Express) was very convenient for only 8,000 KRW.
Ayun, so okay.
This place is not perfect especially if you're expecting a lot of things from your hostel but it was more than enough for us - especially for the price we paid saka hindi rin naman kami naka-stay ng matagal sa kwarto.
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