Coop Residence Hoegi(Dongdaemun)

I've spend a week in Seoul and this hotel pretty much did what I expected. I slept well and even though the bathroom was small I could take a nice shower. The room had a small kitchen which we could use but we had to have our own kitchen utensils. They would change the bed sheets and put clean towels along with water bottles everyday. The only problem I had was that my wifi stopped working and it took them 2 days to fix it, but nothing major. The hotel is a little far from well known neighborhoods but it's a few steps away from a subway station. There're lots of restaurants near by and a convenience store right next to it. Overall I had a great experience there but it could be better.

We booked the room for 19 days, but when we showed up, the room wasn't ready. An hour later we moved in, but the aircon did not work, and it was generally poor standard. There was a half potato in one cupboard... We got another room with working aircon and no potato, but the Cupboards were broken and the fridge didn't work. No WiFi. We only lasted three days. If you are young and don't care about a poor bathroom, a rock-hard bed and very little room, then book it. But if you like to wake up well rested, then don't.

My son is attending HUFS as a foreign exchange student and found the Hoegi Coop for us for a week- long visit in February 2015. It's literally 100 paces from the subway stop in a safe area with some authentic Korean eating nearby. Convenience stores too. It's for the budget traveler so please don't expect the 4 Seasons. :) Here's what we loved about it: listening to the trains go by all day (stopping service at midnight), the floors with radiant heating, a little kitchenette area, (fridge, micro and hot plate, lots of deep storage and drawers, complimentary coffee, comfy bed with very firm mattress, laundry facilities and friendly staff. Good wifi, enough to do FaceTime without interruption. Basic housekeeping daily. Looks like many college students are hired to work the front desk and they are sweet and speak some English. I paid a very affordable rate for this place and they even let me store my bag for five days while I took a side trip. Cons: I can't think of any. Maybe the bath towels could be bigger,,but again it's for the budget traveler so what do you want for $40 a night? Happy with my stay at the Hoegi, would stay here again and the price made it possible for me to spend more in Tokyo where things are pricier.