Since this is my first time going to Korea on a free and easy trip, so I decided to give it a try on Airbnb.
I have been heard of Airbnb for a long time, and glad that I finally make my booking with them.
A little bit about Airbnb if you haven't heard before.
It is a website where people can list, find and rent housing to the travelers.
It has over 1,500,000 listings in 34,000 cities and 190 countries.
My friends at first wanted to book our stays in the hotels, but they were convinced after my recommendation. :)
And, it is lucky that all of them are satisfying with the stays!
#greatjob
We stayed at
Mong House during our 2 days in Busan.
All the reviews about Mong House from the website are in Korean, and my Korean isn't this good yet.
#lol
So, we just tried our luck with the attractive pictures shown at the website.
Four of us paid total RM520 for a 2 night stay.
It's a small yet simple and modern apartment which is a kind of my dream apartment.
The website stated the apartment can accommodate up to 6 person, but I think it wouldn't be a good idea to fit more than 4 person since the space is too small and you wouldn't feel comfortable.
The bathroom and toilet are all in one together, which is on the right before entering the apartment.
One good thing about renting an apartment on your trip abroad is you can feel like a local, and it can lets your do all things like make your own food with the well equipped kitchen.
We utilized Mong's kitchen to cook the Korean instant noodle for our supper every night.
And drink the Korean soju while watching their local channels.
#hehe
There is a small corner which supplies the basic amenities such as hairdryer, towels, extra toilet papers, and some useful leaflet of Busan.
On the website, it also stated the apartment has 2 bedrooms; perhaps this extra sofa bed in the living room is consider one bedroom?
The bedroom located at upstairs, whereby you need to climb the tiny stairs up to the beds.
Opps! Mind your head as the ceiling is a bit low.
It's our first time sleeping on the mattress without the bed frames, but we are happy to experience how the Koreans usually sleep; with the thick mattress that placed on the floor and cover a light blanket on top for warmth.
Anyway, we had comfortable night's sleep here after all day outings.
The overall stay at Mong House was good.
The location wise is very convenient whereby a big supermarket is just next to the apartment, 5 minutes walk to the Busan station if you want to take the train to Seoul, less than 2 minutes to the subway station and there are also many restaurants around the area.
It is definitely a good place to move around.
The only side point I can think of is the owner cannot speak English, whereby it's hard to communicate and ask for more details.
Otherwise, it would be perfect!
Let's move on to the Seoul!
We decided to stay at
Olivia House after reading through all the good comments (in English) from the previous travelers.
#haha
Also, Olivia is a detail person who prepared clear instruction for us before our arrival and she is very helpful and fast in responding to all our questions.
So, we kinda had an expectation about Olivia House before we arrived there.
We paid RM1120 for a total 4 night stays with bigger house compared to Mong House.
Olivia House includes 1 single bed + 1 queen bed downstairs, and 2 single beds upstairs.
All beds can fit about 6-7 people but the space inside the apartment isn't that big.
If you want to move around the house comfortably, probably 4 people would be enough.
Upstairs has the same bedroom idea like Mong House, which only has thick mattress on the floor and the ceiling is a bit low.
We really enjoy our stay at Olivia House as the entire house is so complete; the kitchen has all the basic needs, the mini-fridge is filled with mineral waters and local drinks, and the bathroom provides really nice shampoo.
#hehe
There are certain rules that you should follow while throwing out the trash in Korea.
But no worries, Olivia will teach you how to separate the trash correctly which is important to daily apartment life.
Let's stay like a Korean at Mong House in Korea!
Besides, you can also find a nice booklet on the table with all the useful information such as what to eat in Seoul, where to eat, how to take subway and buses from the apartment to the attractions and so on.
Oh dear Olivia, you are so well thought!
There are plenty restaurants around the apartment, and all of they are mostly local and traditional Korea food.
We had our first Korean BBQ just right at the corner along the street.
Besides, there is also a convenient store where we get our Korean Soju every night, and had our simple breakfast.
You can get the subway station right in front of the apartment.
The bus station is also in front of the building where you can take the airport limo bus straight to the airport.
It is also very close to Dondaemun Market, Gwangzhang Market, and Korean traditional Flea Market.
For such a great apartment, what else you can ask for?! :)
I really enjoy my stays at both Mong and Olivia House.
The rooms are comfortable and really makes me feel like I am home.
I hope this post will help you while you are searching a stay in Korea.
What's more?! Stay tuned for my next blog post about my first visit at Gamcheon Cultural Village in Busan!
#yeayeayea
