Samwonjang Motel

“Average, close to fish market, no english spoken”

I had a pre-paid booking from Expedia for Samwonjang Motel but as I arrived, it seems that no one knew about it. They offered two rooms to me: one with european bed and one with korean ondol floor sleeping. As the korean style room did not look very nice, I choosed the one with the european bed. Th… more

I had a pre-paid booking from Expedia for Samwonjang Motel but as I arrived, it seems that no one knew about it. They offered two rooms to me: one with european bed and one with korean ondol floor sleeping. As the korean style room did not look very nice, I choosed the one with the european bed. The Motel is close to the fish market and the metro station. If you are just searching for a place to sleep, the motel is a good choice.

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“Just Okay”

My wife and I spent three nights here while visiting Busan. When we arrived we found we would be in one room for the first night and would then move to another room for the next two nights. The first room was on the first floor which made for great access. Unfortunately, when we showed up at 1400 t… more

My wife and I spent three nights here while visiting Busan. When we arrived we found we would be in one room for the first night and would then move to another room for the next two nights. The first room was on the first floor which made for great access. Unfortunately, when we showed up at 1400 they still weren't ready for us to check in yet; and the only place to leave our bags was sitting unsecured in the hallway. Of course, even putting the bags in our room was a moot point as the keys to all of the rooms are kept hanging on a rack just inside the front door and you are not allowed to take the key with you when you left your room. When we returned we found our room literally had a screen between it and the hallway in one corner, covered only with a thin curtain; talk about hearing everything and no privacy! The bathroom vent was also another screen into the hallway and/or a vent fan that vented into the room (the fan didn't work though so that was a moot point). There were spots of mildew scattered throughout the bathroom and ceiling was so low I had to take care not to stand up straight to avoid rubbing my head on the ceiling. We also found pubic hair in the bed, hopefully the blankets were washed between customers! The next day, we returned to the hotel at 2300 to find no one around to show us our new room. We had to figure out which room we were being moved into by knowing it was on the third floor and assuming the key left on the rack for a third floor number was to our room! That room was a big improvement from the first floor room but also had some mold/mildew in the bathroom. On the positive side; this place is relatively cheap, the owner is very friendly, the beds were comfortable, and it is very close to key bus stops and two subway stations. The rooms also provide wi-fi, a TV, and a refrigerator. That being said, a friend was staying in a hostel (with dorm rooms) across town that cost him far less than our room and was completely modern. Overall, we were rather disappointed.

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“Not perfect - but good value”

The room was clean but we had no windows, it looked like it was last refurbished in the 1970s and it was quite small. I still recommend it though because it was priced accordingly and I believe the most important quality is cleanliness. The staff were friendly and the location is PERFECT! I thin… more

The room was clean but we had no windows, it looked like it was last refurbished in the 1970s and it was quite small. I still recommend it though because it was priced accordingly and I believe the most important quality is cleanliness. The staff were friendly and the location is PERFECT! I think I remember a water cooler to fill up bottles and there were two computers with internet. The only actual problem was the smell - the motel and the surrounding area smelt horrible. It's next to the fish market but it wasn't a fish smell. I live in Korea and it's common for a lot of areas to smell strongly of sewage - so I know it's not the actual motel that smells, just the area. Maybe the smell has gone since I visited. Overall, it's cheap, clean and an excellent location so I would still recommend it.

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