Alpha Guest House 1, Seoul (NC)
109-28, Nogosan-Dong, Mapo-Gu
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Overall Hotel Reviews
Based on 5 reviews
My stay at Alpha Guest House, December 2010
I stayed six nights in the Alpha Guest House in Seoul, South Korea, near Sinchon subway station. The room was comfortable, very clean, conveniently located, and the breakfast and amenities were fine. This hotel was a great bargain, and I would not hesitate to stay again. The staff (Chiki and Jojo) were especially accommodating, professional, and pleasant to deal with. Their English was fine for communication. They did their utmost to make guests feel welcome and to take care of any needs. I am very glad I could stay at this location.
I stayed at this "guest house" for...
I stayed at this "guest house" for 4 nights. Anyone booking a room with Alpha Guest House should be prepared to possibly not get what you're expecting. Alpha Guest House does not represent one location, or one company for that matter. It has relationships with several budget motels in the area, all of which are fine for backpackers and budget travelers. Alpha Guest House will basically never say it has no vacancies, because once the actual guest house is filled up, management will move you to a nearby motel (there are about 20 in that area). Value isn't the greatest because rooms in Seoul simply aren't cheap.
I stayed in two different rooms, both not at the actual location, but I was fine with the rooms. They were basic, not spotless, but I've been in worse and I was fine with it.
Room 1: Big flatscreen TV, lotions/shampoo/toothpaste/cologne/etc, several towels, clean sheets/pillows, aircon, slippers, clothes hangers, no internet. I did not keep my own key, but each time I left, the key remained with front desk, so you have to wake up front desk if you're going to be out late.
Room 2: Clean sheets/pillow, minifridge, closet and shelves, aircon, no TV, no extras other than a soapbar, no clothes hangers, no slippers, no wifi (I have no idea if there was internet). The room door, as well as the building door had codeboxes where you had a customized code you punch in. Building had a laundry machine.
Alpha Guest House: Only the actual Alpha Guest House location had free wifi and a desktop computer for guests to use. No communal books or travel guides, lounge could seat 8-9 people comfortably. One laundry machine. Kitchen available for people to use, but prepare to wash your own dishes. Free breakfast. No land line phone to make local calls (you have to borrow a phone from staff). Owner's English was limited, and was rarely to be seen. There were two Filipino managers/staff who spoke fluent English but limited Korean. Genuinely very warm and helpful people. Fantastic location, a few minutes walk from Sinchon metro station.
At first I was irritated that I was not informed I wasn't getting what was advertised, but in the end, it was OK. If you stay here, you should be prepared to settle for less that what you expected and simply manage, which isn't that hard. In the end, I was fine with everything. The room was decent for the price.
I would probably stay there again if I was on a budget. If you simply want cheap and clean rooms in a great location, then I would recommend Alpha Guest House (and its neighbors) for you.
It's a guesthouse/hostel, so that's what you...
It's a guesthouse/hostel, so that's what you must be aware of before you book. Very helpful and friendly staff, good basic breakfast and facilities that went over and above my expectations (aircon in my dorm room and free wireless internet access, free use of washing machine).
Location is excellent, with a short 5 minute walk to Sinchon metro station.
The good bits: Location, staff, price, cleanliness, free facilities
Bits to improve: Bath-time can mean a bit of a wait if many guests are in, policy on guests friends entering sleeping areas needs addressing (i.e people chatting with their friends in dorm room while you're trying to sleep can be an issue), oil that dorm room door please (it's very disturbing squeak can be a total sleep destroyer!)!
I would recommend this place to anyone wanting a clean and friendly hostel in Seoul!
The Alpha Guest House actually has two...
The Alpha Guest House actually has two rooms: a double room and a ten-bed dorm. (The same people run a second Guesthouse called Alpha 2, around the corner.) What it doesn
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