Hostel CLEO Seoul Hongdae

The room is really small, but it has a high value for money in this expensive city. The nearby Yeonnam-dong has meals from all over the world, so you don’t have to worry about going hungry.

Good location, rooms are a little on the small side.

It is very close to Hongdae. There is a convenience store near the hotel!Just a little further up is the subway, which is really convenient.There are also many beautiful shops at the back doorThe hotel staff are very polite! You can also borrow adapters at the counterThe rooms are not big but they are complete and comfortable.B1 has a public area with water dispenser, microwave, tableware, etc….Highly recommend staying here❤️‍🔥

CLEO accommodation, the facilities are great, the public facilities are great, the environment is clean, the front desk staff are very polite, they can also speak English, and they express themselves very clearly.The breakfast is exquisite and simple, the price is affordable, there is a washing machine, and the hotel environment is very good!!The most important thing is that it is very close to the subway station, you can walk there in 10 minutes, it is really excellent!!

The hotel's hygiene management is poor. After staying for 4 consecutive nights, the housekeeper came to clean the room. The room became dirtier and dirtier as if it had not been cleaned. There were footprints on the bed! ! ! It's really too exaggerated. I came back from a trip and found that a piece of clothing was missing. Although it is a 2-star hotel, I think hygiene and cleanliness are the most basic. I strongly do not recommend travelers to stay in this hotel. The accommodation experience is extremely poor!

My wife, the instigator and organizer of our Korean tour chose this place. Overall, I think she made a good choice.The nearest metro station is walkable, but the route from the station's exit 3 to the hotel has a moderate uphill section. On the bright side, the walk back towards the metro station becomes an easy downhill stroll. If you require transfer to or from the Airport, a van can be organized by the hostel. Prices are in the photo which I've uploaded.I've read some older reviews saying there's no elevator. Having stayed there (Feb 2024) I can confirm there IS an elevator, a classy looking German one no less (Thyssenkrupp, if you must know). It travels up and down pretty fast so we didn't find ourselves waiting long throughout our stay.Cleo has the laid back air of a hostel but don't think that you're getting a budget motel. Considerable thought and effort have gone into the design and decoration. I really like what they've done with the limited spaces.As for the room. It is small, and there's no cupboard. The shower room is so tiny that whenever we have a wash the entire toilet gets wet. But I didn't mind any of that. We can't keep an open suitcase on the floor but through planning ahead we managed. Our medium sized suitcase could fit under the bed frame so we freed up the limited walking space. There are a few nifty wall hangers which were just enough for our winter clothings. As the saying goes, "Necessity is the mother of all invention". Small spaces can be livable with some clever ideas.There's a cosy lounge at B1 where guests can take their meals. It is also where the no frills complimentary breakfast is served daily from 830am to 1030am. There's coffee, tea, hot chocolate (Swiss Miss), packet juices, toast (butter and jam), cereal and packet cakes/donut. But instead of taking breakfast in the lounge, we organized our own breakfast in bed.There's a ledge at the base of our room window which is also touching the side of our bed. So using the ledge as a table, we had our daily breakfast in bed. From this vantage point, it became our breakfast ritual to see the inhabitants of Seoul rushing by to start their day. I enjoyed this part of the holiday very much.I should also mention that rooms are serviced only once every two days. Not a big deal for us, but it might be important for some travellers. And if you're hankering for Korean Fried Chicken but can't speak the language, Cleo can sort it out for you too.So far so good. So where did Cleo lose points?The handle of our bathroom door was so loose it was almost falling off. The plumbing below the sink was leaking. The shower's water temperature and pressure was inconsistent on some nights. Though the windows are double glazed, light sleepers might experience some disturbances from traffic. And what's with the tiny bath towel, come on!However my biggest gripe is the expensive coin laundry. 5000won per 20kg wash load!But overall, would we stay here again? Yes :)

It was a little difficult to walk uphill from the station with a carrier, but on the other hand, on the way back I got used to the road and it was downhill, so it was easy even with a carrier.There were many stylish cafes around the hotel, and the streets behind the hotel were lined with shopping streets and restaurants, making it a very fun place to stay.The room was clean and I felt safe. There is only space for a bed and a small table.The bathroom was designed so that you could take a shower on the floor of the toilet, so I was confused at first, and with two people staying there, I had to be careful because my feet would get wet.Rooms facing the road can hear traffic, but it's not so loud that you can't sleep.You can stay warm inside the room even if the outside temperature is 2-3℃.It's an apartment type room and the door is secure and has a password lock, so I think security is safe.I met about 5 staff members each day, and all of them were kind and responsive. Most of the English is communicable.You may not understand Japanese.It would have been expensive to stay at a luxury hotel for 4 nights, so I'm glad I stayed here.I would like to stay again.If you read this article, I recommend you to go to the cafe next to this hotel.The tarts (especially the strawberry ones) are so delicious! !

Good location. The room is small but nice and clean. Very kind and helpful staffs.