Hello! I’m just doing up this post for easy reference in case y’all would like to consider a comfortable solo trip to Seoul, just like how I did back in April early this year.

One day, I booked my flight to Seoul in search of some peace and calmness amidst the hectic work life. I guess I did discover a lot more about myself.. Taking a flight alone, transiting in a foreign country, eating alone and visiting places alone. All these things I never thought were possible previously (or was too afraid to step out of my comfort zone to try). Guess I did emerge as a stronger individual… and YOLO, because I came back and quit my office job haha.

Anyway so let’s cut to the chase! Here we go:

As a female travelling alone, I preferred to stay in somewhere more accessible and with people. Also since I was an solo traveller, there was no one else to share the cost of accommodation with me. Hence, a hotel (3 star) or Airbnb would be out of the question. This was why I narrowed my choices to a hostel!

After looking through many pages of Agoda and other similar accommodation booking sites, I settled on Seoul Crown 88 Guest House on Agoda.

– Easy on my pockets (SGD355 for 4 nights)
– I had my own room!!
– Accessible location
– There are people living near me/beside my room so I should have some sort of company

They are available on Wechat so I added and they sent me the directions. Indeed when I first arrived at Hongik Station Exit 3, there were quite a lot of people around. It’s a street where similar stalls sell BBQ Beef Cube for takeaways and some cafes. I remembered visiting here before during my previous trip back in 2016. However, it is not the busy shopping district in Hongdae where you will find different groups of people dancing to Kpop or singing on the streets. It’s a quieter area compared to that iconic Hongdae I thought I knew.

It was about 10 minutes walk from Exit 3 and located near a quiet coffee place.

Upon arriving, I was greeted by a nice cutesy Taiwanese lady who was very friendly and hospitable.

View from the door step of the room. Very spacious! Look at that floor space.

I had the entire bunk bed to myself cos I booked the entire room. Yes I paid for 2 pax to get the entire room to myself! They have a king size bed private room but it was booked already.

My trip was quite last minute so I didn’t have many options to choose from. This hostel isn’t exactly very aesthetically pleasing. No white furnitures, no plam leaves (lolol), not anything Instagram worthy but.. it was good enough for me. The interior design was a bit tacky but I wasn’t there to take pictures. I was there to take a step back and enjoy the smallest things in life!

Oh yes, I learnt that the owner of the hostel (I met her on my second or third day) that she’s a Korean who was brought up in Taiwan. So she is fluent in both Korean and Mandarin. Super cool and chatty lady. Most of the people in the hostel were Taiwanese or Chinese. I asked if they had many Singaporeans stay here and they mentioned not really.

 There was an ensuite bathroom, yay! I personally don’t like shared bathrooms because of hygiene purposes. Don’t wanna see any used sanitary pads and whatnots. And also don’t like bumping into people in the morning with my sleepy face haha. (Please note if you book this room for only 1 pax, then you will be sharing this room and toilet with someone else.)

The toilet came equipped with hair dryer, facial wash and shampoo!

My only problem is the toilet isn’t separated into dry and wet areas. I don’t like stepping on wet floors after my shower haha. But that’s fine cos I wasn’t expecting to live like a queen here.

On my first day there, I was running a fever and there was a pharmacy really nearby where I could get some paracetamol and lozenges. There were at least 2 G25 stores downstairs. Super convenient if you need a drink or quick snack late at night or on the way back! G25 is a convenience store like our 7-11 back in SG.

Breakfast was a simple fare. If you watched my Seoul Vlog, they provide only toast and a tea. You can help yourself at the shared lounge and grab as much as you like but I usually eat 1 toast for breakfast before heading out. Seoul is a street food paradise so don’t worry about getting hungry! It’s the last thing to worry on your mind.

And this sums up my very first hostel experience! Most of the time, I felt like I was alone and I did not make any new friends because… there weren’t many people there at that time and most of them were with their own clique of friends or partners. I had my own privacy (yay!) and at the same time, didn’t feel too lonely or worried that something might happen (e.g me dying and nobody discovering my body).

I’m already looking forward to my next solo trip!! Japan, maybe??