Seoul: House 740 – Nice guesthouse in Hongdae

When I travel far, I am usually so jet-lagged that booking anything else, than the most basic crash pad, would be a waste of money. Of course, the room has to be nice and clean, and not too noisy, but that is about all I require. I just need a place to sleep, most preferably at a central location, so when I wake up (often in the middle of the night), I can just roll out of bed and grab something to eat. House 740 seemed to tick all the boxes, so I decided to book it for the first two nights in Seoul.

My room was halfway down the basement, and I felt as if I were in a bunker. It was December and freezing outside, and my room was not heated upon arrival, so I spent the first couple of hours fully dressed under the duvet, waiting for the tiny heater to warm up the room. The bathroom never really got warm, and the stripped-down appearance of the room did not make it suitable for anything else than sleeping. Though for sleeping, it was excellent. When I turned off the light, it was pitch black, and I slept through my jetlag at a record pace.

When I was staying at House 740, the other guests were mainly travelers from other parts of Asia. There were always people hanging out in the common areas of the house, so if you are young and social, you would have a great opportunity to make a bunch of new friends (though I am old and grumpy and preferred to stay in my bunker). The best thing about House 740 is the location, right in the heart of Hongdae. You are in walking distance to a bunch of nice bars, restaurants and cafes, and Hongik University subway station is just a 5-minute walk away, so the rest of Seoul is also easily accessible.

The staff members I met were all nice and friendly, and spoke English well, and overall, House 740 is a great, very budget-friendly, place to crash during your first couple of days in Seoul. Furthermore, House 740 is close to the dessert cafe Imi, which you can read more about here >>

House 740, 32-23 Donggyo-ro 23-gil, Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul