Hey Backpackers 2 Hongdae Hostel

 

Hey Backpackers 2 Building

This is the hostel/backpackers that I stayed in for 28 nights, yep a fairly long time in one place! So its safe to say I am pretty qualified in reviewing it. I found it by accident when I was quickly googling cheap hostels in Seoul about two months before I departed Australia. I was immediately put off by some of the bad reviews (as you do), but the good reviews won me over and so did the price! You can read the reviews here. But take into account that most of the negative ones are the Hey Backpackers 1 which I didn't stay at.

I travelled with a very complicated timetable of friends coming and going with me. For the first seven nights there were six of us. For the week after that there were only four of us. For the week after that there was only my friend and I. The rest of the time it was just me so it really didn't matter. In this post I'll be focusing on a few things about the hostel that other reviewers have complained about:

1. The owner
Most of the reviews I read were about the owner being crazy. The first night I was there he did bombard us with information and hassled us a little about payment. But I get the sense that the poor guy has been ripped off by lots of travellers staying for a while, then pissing off without paying. So yes, you need to pay the guy upfront as soon as you get there, he's fairly decent and will let you pay in installments if you don't have enough money.
After he inducts you into the hostel, telling you what facilities there are, and where good clubs and restaurants are he'll leave you alone. If you do by chance need him (which you will) there is a house phone with his number written on a whiteboard in the living room. He comes to you within five minutes of calling to help you with whatever you need. I definitely recommend asking him to reserve you a DMZ Tour and ask him to write you a discount card (20%) for the Nanta theater across the road. He's a lifelong member apparently, he sends a lot of business their way.
On the crazy part, yes he seems a little neurotic. He mutters to himself a lot and paces around, his English is okay. You just need to be patient with him and listen carefully. Often you'll find him lying on the couch or on the computer watching Kpop. He's very helpful, knows his way around Seoul and whenever he cleaned our bathroom he lined our toiletries up from smallest to largest and gave us a bottle of hairspray and a hairdryer.
I found myself sad to say goodbye to him when I moved from the hostel.

2. Cleanliness and facilities
The hostel isn't a pristine professional business. As you can see in the photo above its basically an apartment building that has been converted into a hostel. The hostel takes up the basement and first floor. The basement floor has 3 separate miniature apartments for up to four people with a bathroom, kitchen, double bed, bunk bed and computer/TV.
The main part of the hostel is the first floor where it is a normal house with a large living room, kitchen and laundry. The four bedrooms have been converted into a double room, a couples room, a six bed dorm room and a four bed dorm room. All up at its maximum the hostel can contain 24 people (maybe 25 if there's a random on the living room couch). The downside is that there are only two bathrooms for all those people. So if someone is taking an extra long shower and you really, really need to go, you better run quick to the public toilet up the road or if you have a bladder of steel, wait.
While the place isn't spic and span, you have to take into account that this man and his female partner run TWO hostels (the other one is literally around the corner and across the road). They take out the rubbish, vacuum and clean the entire place every night! So while its not super clean its acceptable, and unless you have OCD its fine. There's no aircon, but every room has one, two or even three fans in them which make sleeping in the humidity bearable.

 

Entry foyer

Kitchen

Living room (its obviously bigger than this but I was trying to take a photo without people in it)

I would have taken more photos, but there were always people there. Its a very busy hostel, it was only quiet once for about 5 days. You can view better photos on the website here.
Security wise its excellent. The six bed dorm has no lock, but there are individual lockers with keys. All the private rooms have keys or a touchpad code lock and the two front doors also have touchpad code locks as well.

Location wise it couldn't be better. It is located in the Hongdae Area of Mapo-gu. It is literally two and a half blocks from the Hongik University station exit #9 which is on the Green Line (Line 2 Outer/Inner City Circle Line). Across the road from the Hongdae Nanta Theater and around the corner from the main Hongdae clubbing area and about two blocks away from Hongik University.

Overall:
This is not just a hostel, its like a home. The owner, while eccentric is very helpful and kind of cute in his OCD ways. The location is highly convenient, you will miss its convenience when you move to a different hostel. For the price (see table here.) it is ridiculously reasonable. I enjoyed that whenever I needed something (like a crowbar and wrench because my suitcase padlock wouldn't unlock and I had to pry it off) I could just rustle through the draws and find it! Coming home to this place was relaxing and when I packed my bags and left, I was very sad to leave it :( I would definitely recommend using this as a base for either a long or short term trip to Seoul.

Out of 5 I would easily give it 4.5.

If you want more information about the hostel try these links:

Hey Backpackers Website

Official Site of Korea Tourism

Hostel World

Trip Advisor