Airbnb. I’d heard so many things about them. Honestly, I was scared. I was worried that something bad would happen. And that there would be no hotel desk to run too. For years I stayed away from Airbnb. I’ve even stayed in hostels, but was afraid of Airbnb. Then my last trip to South Korea came along.

Seoul

Location

My first stop was in Seoul. I stayed in the Wolgok/Korea University area. There were a lot of apartments on Airbnb.com to choose from. One thing that stood out about the place I chose was the kitchen.

This apartment in Seoul was in a more established neighborhood with lots of little shops nearby. I especially loved the little alleyways on the way to the main road.

Living Spaces

There were lots of cabinets and a large sink. Call me vain, but the backsplash was really pretty too. All the dishes and silverware they had were really nice. Lots of nearby shops sold similar ones. I made sure to purchase some dishes and bowls. Then came the living room.

Living rooms were not present in a lot of the places I looked at. They would take the 2nd or 3rd bedroom and “make it into a living room.” This apartment had three bedrooms and an actual dedicated living room.

I do not have images of the bedrooms. They were standard bedrooms. The two smaller ones had single beds and the larger one had a queen bed. The larger one also had a nice desk and chair. Each room included at least some form of storage.

The bathroom was very modern and looked like it had been recently updated. Additionally, there was a laundry room off of one of the smaller bedrooms.

The entryway (below) was a cute touch. Lots of apartments in South Korea have a recessed floor area at the doorway to put on and take off your shoes. No one wears shoes indoors in a lot of Asian countries. (I honestly prefer this.) This entryway was cute and reminded me of a telephone booth or the tardis from Dr. Who.

For my first ever Airbnb stay, I liked the place. I’d recommend it. The neighborhood was cute as well. It had a homey feel and made me feel like I was a true local. The location was close to both the bus and subway. This made it easy to find. Nearby were convenience stores and banks with global atms.

Incheon

Moving on to Incheon meant staying at a different apartment. This one was in a highrise apartment not too far from the train station. The neighborhood was a lot different from the apartment in Seoul.

Location

This apartment was in a newer neighborhood. There were less conveniences within walkable distance. But once I saw the place, I didn’t worry too much about leaving that often.

From the moment I stepped into the building I felt as if I’d walked into a Korean drama. I’ll be honest. As soon as I saw the pictures at home, all the way in The States, I thought that.

The building was in an almost brand new building. All the finishes were gorgeous. And there were little touches from the helpful host that made this a great place to stay in. Let’s start with the kitchen.

Living Spaces

The kitchen was not nearly as large as the one in Seoul. However, it was all that we needed.

This apartment had three bedrooms, like the one in Seoul. All were a nice size. They all included queen size beds. The two smaller bedrooms did not have closets. I feel that would be an issue for longterm. There wasn’t much room for a wardrobe either. The master bedroom had its own bathroom and closet. It also included a balcony. Then there were the cute touches.

Being a new building, the outlets had special areas designed for smartphones. They’re the ones highlighted in red. Notice the really cool wallpaper pattern. Where can I buy that in The States? And I hate wallpaper!

The bathrooms included special push out trays for… you guessed it, smart phones! “No that text can’t wait. I need to answer it now!” That really made me feel like this apartment was taken right out of a Korean drama.

I would recommend this apartment as well. The rooms were spacious and the newness of everything made it really nice.

As you can see, this Airbnb business wasn’t as scary as I thought. In fact, I will do it again. The positives outweigh the few negatives by far. I’m sure I will continue to use both Agoda and Airbnb. I still love Agoda for when I must use a hotel.