Itaewon & Yongsan-gu
Run by the welcoming and convivial Shrek Lee, this hostel is easily the best budget digs in Itaewon. Fourteen dorms and four twins are stacked in a…
Itaewon & Yongsan-gu
Run by the welcoming and convivial Shrek Lee, this hostel is easily the best budget digs in Itaewon. Fourteen dorms and four twins are stacked in a…
Gwanghwamun & Jongno-gu
Eighteen designers were given free rein to decorate the suites at this sophisticated love motel, tucked off the main road. Check the website for the…
Itaewon & Yongsan-gu
Making the most of its hilltop aspect, the Grand Hyatt is lord of all it surveys. On a clear day, the views from the lobby lounge, through a soaring wall…
Myeong-dong & Jung-gu
This hotel has rooms dedicated to Line Friends – cartoon characters from popular Japanese-Korean social-media app Line – so fans of cuteness overload and…
Seoul
The husband-and-wife team who converted this house have keen design sensibilities. K-Pop-fanatic Jacqueline chooses photogenic, homey decor and cooks…
Northern Seoul
A more relaxed alternative to central digs is this beautifully designed, modern homestay in the hills above the city. The swish family home of a retired…
Dongdaemun & Eastern Seoul
The luxurious flagship of Korea's homegrown Shilla hotel group, Hotel Shilla is one of Seoul's best, with a VIP location on 9 acres of private hillside…
Dongdaemun & Eastern Seoul
A spotlessly clean, superbly run western-style hostel, the K-Grand occupies the top half of a 10-storey building, with great views as standard from its…
Seoul
Creatively decorated in bright colours and modern furnishings, this cosy guesthouse feels more like a cool arty apartment. Martin, the convivial English…
Seoul
There is a stream of K-Pop on the TVs at this memorabilia-adorned hostel in the heart of Hongdae's bar area next to Hongik University. But even if you…
Gangnam & Southern Seoul
An excellent-value, midrange option that's very affordable for this end of town, the 50-room boutiquey Tria has lots going for it. Opt for any room above…
Gwanghwamun & Jongno-gu
This beautifully restored hanok, with an enchanting garden, is modelled after Japan’s ryokan. The guesthouse’s mud-walled sauna is included in the prices,…
Myeong-dong & Jung-gu
An excellent midrange choice, this small professionally run hotel has boutique aspirations. Splashes of style abound, from the flashy, metallic lobby to…
Gwanghwamun & Jongno-gu
Mixing old and new is this enchanting hanok in a garden setting with a traditional-style room where breakfast is served. The shared bathrooms are high…
Seoul
Near the War & Women's Human Rights Museum, this appealing guesthouse is worth the trek from Hongdae. Rooms are attractively decorated with hanji …
Gangnam & Southern Seoul
A discreet entrance – look for the rock sticking out of the wall – sets the Zen-minimalist tone for this gorgeous property. Each floor only has 10 rooms…
Myeong-dong & Jung-gu
You can't get more central than the Plaza, opposite the striking rising glass edifice of City Hall. Rooms sport a smart design with giant angle-poise…
Myeong-dong & Jung-gu
Billing itself a ‘sanctuary for the senses’, the Banyan Tree occupies a hilltop tower designed by feted local architect Kim Swoon Guen, and offers just…
Myeong-dong & Jung-gu
Opened in 2016, this boutique hotel was founded by veteran actor Shin Young-kyun and takes on a Korean cinema theme. Each room has stills of films that…
Myeong-dong & Jung-gu
In the guesthouse enclave that's sprung up along the hill to Namsan, Zaza is one of the best with its contemporary building full of design touches and…
Gwanghwamun & Jongno-gu
A boutique hotel located in the heart of Ikseon-dong, Nagwonjang Hotel is the result of a collaboration between several artists. Originally a love motel…
Gangnam & Southern Seoul
A name like this raises expectations, and they are all met at Seoul’s most luxurious hotel. The antiques and wood panelling create a stately, genuinely…
Seoul
Part of the reliable business-hotel chain Benikea, the Marigold's rooms are spacious and aim for contemporary chic with amber onyx tiles and fake animal…
Gangnam & Southern Seoul
If you’re a youth-hostel member you can stay in this functional business hotel in the 'bunk room' at a youth-hostel rate. Inside Olympic Park, it’s a long…
Gwanghwamun & Jongno-gu
This rustic hanok, its three ondol rooms arranged around a courtyard with pickle jars and a sansuyu tree, is run by Helen, the director of the Korea…
Myeong-dong & Jung-gu
There's plenty to like about this snazzy hotel well placed in the heart of Myeong-dong's shopping district. The smart boutique-y rooms have city views, a…
Gwanghwamun & Jongno-gu
The family that runs this hanok in the Bukchon Hanok village have lived here for over 30 years and cook traditional breakfasts using family recipes, and…
Dongdaemun & Eastern Seoul
Tacked on to the end of Dongdaemun Market, the five-star JW is a swish pad to come home to after a busy day (or night) shopping at the wholesale malls…
Myeong-dong & Jung-gu
Taking over the neighbourhood on the slopes of Namsan, this long-running backpackers' favourite now has three locations in the immediate area. Each varies…
Gangnam & Southern Seoul
The first venture into the hospitality business by classy Korean furniture and interior-design store Casamia packs plenty of chic style. The rooms are…
Myeong-dong & Jung-gu
A great location, friendly and professional service and reasonable rates make this one of the best serviced-apartment options for short or long stays…
Myeong-dong & Jung-gu
This hotel is the perfect option for travellers looking for a clean, budget space right in downtown. The rooms are quite small, ranging from 13 to 20 sq…
Gangnam & Southern Seoul
A rare budget choice for ritzy Gangnam, this friendly guesthouse is set in a posh-looking old apartment building in a residential street. The mixed dorms…
Gwanghwamun & Jongno-gu
If clean neutral tones are your thing, the An will appeal. White and slate grey abound in the small rooms, modern bathrooms and shared spaces – living…
Gwanghwamun & Jongno-gu
Confusingly going by two names, this designer guesthouse with clean lines offers teeny tiny rooms in the heart of Insa-dong; the twins with bunk beds…
Gangnam & Southern Seoul
Fantastic value, this love motel is most notable for its roof-terrace rooms which come with their own roof-deck swimming pools and views over Namsan and…
Northern Seoul
This traditional hanok homestay has rooms ranging from a tiny single to a four-futon set-up, with the owner and his family (he speaks a bit of English)…
Gwanghwamun & Jongno-gu
One of several guesthouses that are springing up in centuries-old hanok in Ikseon-dong, this one is run by a young crowd. The spartan rooms are all ondol…
Gwanghwamun & Jongno-gu
These fully equipped serviced apartments are modern, light and spacious, great for a long-term stay, for which discounts are available. Staff try hard to…
Gwanghwamun & Jongno-gu
Stylish design marks out this appealing five-room guesthouse, tucked away in Tongui-dong, beside the remains of an ancient pine tree, and occupying a…