Oh My Janey

  • Home
  • Travels
    • Philippines
      • Aklan
      • Bataan
      • Baler
      • Batangas
      • Benguet
      • cavite
      • Ilocos
      • Laguna
      • Pangasinan
      • Quezon
      • Rizal
      • zambales
    • South Korea
      • Busan
      • Seoul
    • Taiwan
    • Vietnam
      • Hanoi
      • Ho Chi Minh City
    • Hong Kong
    • Macau
  • Explore
    • Books
    • Food
    • Life
    • Photography
    • Reviews
  • Portfolio
  • Wanderlust
  • About
  • Contact

Seoul Accommodation: Hongdae Family Housetel (Pencil Hotel 3)

January 23, 2015

Hostel Hongdae 16

Our stay in Seoul may have been short, but our hostel made sure we felt at home every single day.

Our hostel falls under a couple of names, which we found odd! It’s called Hongdae Family Housetel in Agoda and Hostel Hongdae in Facebook. It’s also called Pencil Hotel 3! In the grand scheme of things, the name doesn’t matter because the building was a welcoming site after every tiring day in Seoul.

It’s one of the simplest hostels I’ve stayed in, but I must say that it still has its pros. Also, among the Seoul hostels, they seem to offer the most varied breakfast, which is always a plus.

What I love most is the host’s kindnes. We did two bookings—first was for only night, then the second was for four nights—since we’d be staying in Busan for two days. Before going to Seoul, I corresponded with our host via email and they allowed us to leave our baggage in the hostel once we leave for Busan.

We were surprised when they said that we could leave our baggage and pretty much all our stuff in our room for two days and one night! Take note, we didn’t pay for that night, but they saved us the hassle of moving our things from one room to another.

So from the very bottom of our hearts, thank you very kamsa!

Hostel Hongdae 15

We booked from Agoda and used my available points to get discount. To my surprise, they sent me an email about a day after to confirm the booking. Thankfully, they sent us a map and directions on how to get the hostel. And most importantly, they sent us a Youtube video that showed the way from the exit of Hongdae station to the hostel. Thanks to the video, we didn’t get lost! We were watching the video while walking, heh. (I posted the video link below.)

Hostel Hongdae 13 Hostel Hongdae 10 Hostel Hongdae 9

Excuse the mess, I only remembered to take photos of the room during our last day. We had four to five bags each, which we carried from Hongdae to Incheon, and almost died upon arriving at the airport.

Anyway, we booked a family room for four, inclusive of breakfast. There were two double beds and we all had a comfy pillow and a comforter each! Every night, we slept in comfort thanks to the heater inside the room. Once we forgot to close the windows, we almost froze to death.

Hostel Hongdae 11 Hostel Hongdae 12

The room pretty much had everything we need. There were a washing machine, an electric stove, a water heater, a hair dryer, and a refrigerator. They also provided mugs and changed our towels everyday.

If you’re thinking of preparing your own meal when in Seoul, I believe that staying in Hongdae Housetel can save you a lot of money.

Hostel Hongdae Hostel Hongdae 7 Hostel Hongdae 2 Hostel Hongdae 3

They were very generous during breakfast. There were coffee, tea, orange juice and milk to be devoured by hungry guests. You have to cook the eggs yourself, though. Good thing Iris was kind enough to cook us sunny side-up eggs every morning.

As for the sandwich spread, there were variations to choose from! It was surprising because it’s always just strawberry jam in other hostels, so thankfully, the houstel had chocolate spread and butter. Hehe.

I ate cereals more than the amount that should be allowed anywhere ever, I’m so sorry.

Hostel Hongdae 8 Hostel Hongdae 4 Hostel Hongdae 19

So in summary, staying in Hongdae Housetel is something I will definitely recommend.

What to love:

  • The hosts were very accommodating, especially when it comes to the baggage and helping guests find the hostel.
  • It’s a five to ten-minute walk to the subway and bus stations.
  • You get more than what you pay for. And for $62.76 (PHP2,811.90), it’s definitely a steal.
  • There are a lot of convenience stores and restaurants nearby. Also, a neighborhood grocery where we bought all our pasalubong! Peppero and banana milk were a lot cheaper in the grocery store than in convenience stores. They also sold fresh fruits!
  • Wifi accessible everywhere, and amazing internet connection!!!
  • Quirky art decorated the hostel.
  • Best breakfast I had in Seoul because there were eggs, bread and cereals!
  • It’s quite near other Seoul attractions, too. There’s a maximum of two subway transfers to any Seoul destination.

What not to love:

  • No elevators, but that’s okay since hostels usually don’t have one.
  • The common room is a bit small.
  • Dining tables are few, but it can be a pro since you will have more interaction with other backpackers when you share tables. 🙂

Hostel Hongdae 5 Hostel Hongdae 18

Here’s a photo of the common room, which as you can see, is a bit crowded. It also serves as the dining room every breakfast. The dorm rooms are also located in this floor.

Hostel Hongdae 6 Hostel Hongdae 14

Hongdae Family Housetel

Address: 53-11, Worldcup buk ro 6gil  Mapo-Gu, Seoul
https://www.facebook.com/HostelHongdae

How to make a reservation:

  • Easily make reservation through Agoda. They don’t have a website so I’m not sure if you can directly book from them.
  • If you want to contact them first, email me and I can share their email with you.

How to get there:

  • From the airport, take the airport limousine bus No. 6002 at 12A bus station.
  • Drop off at Hongdae station.
  • Follow the map below or this Youtube video.

hongdae family housetel map

* They provided me this map.

Attractions near Hongdae Family Houstel:

  • Hello Kitty Cafe
  • Trick Eye Museum
  • Hongdae (Hongik University)
  • 1st Shop of Coffee Prince
  • Ewha University (Only a couple of stations away) – Great place for shopping!

Hostel Hongdae 17

6 Comments · Hostel Reviews, Travel

Trackbacks

  1. Aboard KTX Express From Seoul to Busan And Back Again | Oh My, Janey says:
    January 29, 2015 at 8:04 PM

    […] And as much as loved our two days in Busan, getting lost in Seoul still made us feel glad to be back in our beds at Hongdae Housetel. […]

    Reply
  2. Fall in Korea Day 1: N Seoul Tower At Night | Oh My Janey says:
    February 20, 2015 at 8:34 PM

    […] think of a better company on those seven days. Though every night, we dragged our feet back to our hostel, we still went home our hearts filled with joy and love fort the places we usually just see in […]

    Reply
  3. Fall in Korea: The Cliffside Haedong Yonggungsa Temple in Busan | Oh My Janey says:
    February 24, 2015 at 1:13 AM

    […] Seoul Accommodation: Hongdae Family Housetel (Pencil Hotel 3) […]

    Reply
  4. Fall in Korea: Fried Chicken Night at Gwangalli Beach, Busan | Oh My Janey says:
    February 24, 2015 at 12:01 PM

    […] Seoul Accommodation: Hongdae Family Housetel (Pencil Hotel 3) […]

    Reply
  5. Lunch at Jagalchi Fish Market in Busan, South Korea says:
    April 9, 2015 at 6:27 PM

    […] Seoul Accommodation: Hongdae Family Housetel (Pencil Hotel 3) […]

    Reply
  6. How to Travel Korea on a Budget says:
    November 2, 2015 at 10:56 AM

    […] highly recommend Hi Korea Hostel in Busan and Hongdae Houstel in […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


Hello, I'm Janey. I'm a fangirl, a bookworm, a dreamer and a wannabe writer. I'm a couch potato and a traveler rolled into one.
This is my lame attempt to be a travel blogger, but honestly, this is just an archive of my daily reality.


CATEGORIES
Klook.com

FEATURED POSTS

south korea itinerary free download budget hostel reviews
TRAVELS
hong kong macau philippines south korea vietnam

DISCLAIMER

Some posts on the blog contain paid and affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission through it if you decide to purchase anything from the affiliate partners. This won't cause you any harm or cost you anything at all. However, this will help me maintain the blog and continue writing. Thank you for reading and supporting the blog!

RECENT POSTS

  • The Best Year
  • Penang Misadventures
  • Two Years in the Little Red Dot
  • Hello, My Thirties!
  • Life Lately
Oh My Janey
Klook.com
Klook.com
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2021 · JANE GALVEZ | SITEMAP | PRIVACY POLICY