Banana Backpackers

Tuck on a quiet, little corner street, Banana Backpackers offers a clean, cheap, no curfew, and centrally located hostel in the heart of Seoul. It was known as Seoul Backpackers then...


The location and the cleanliness of this hostel makes this hostel great! Banana Backpackers is located 1 block (long block) from an airport bus stop and Royal Palace Changdeokgung, 2 blocks from the Anguk Station, 3 blocks from the Insa-dong and Jong-no 3-ga Station.

The staff - all guys - speaks English, and are very nice and friendly, as well as their pet dog.

Each rooms have a private bathroom, are spacious and provides you with only the basic of necessities: linen and blankets are provided and hair dryer in every room. A luggage storage and a locker is also available.

The 1st floor houses the office, lounge area with comfy seats, some tour books about Seoul and Korea, as well as other literatures left by other backpackers who had stayed before in various languages. There are also 3 desktop computers with WiFi access available - FREE of charge! The laundry room is located on the 3rd floor with access to the rooftop (if you want your clothes air dried.)

A free breakfast is offered from 7a-10am limited to tea, coffee, bread (w/ a toaster), butter, jelly, and ham - good for those who are on a budget. Or better yet, just make your own meal in their self-service kitchen! If that doesn't satisfy you, there is a night market by the Jong-no 3-ga Station that opens at dusk til wee hours of the morning just 3 blocks down!

They also offer day tours to DMZ and city tours with 3,000-5,000KRW discount as long as you book it through them - and the tour van will pick you up at the hostel.

When I checked-in, they mistakenly given me and my friend 2 beds in a 6-bed dorm when I reserved a twin room. When I showed the reservation confirmation email they had sent me, they apologized but because there were no twin rooms available, they gave us a 6-bed room all to ourselves for the same price as the twin-room. And because I was staying for 8 nights, I got my 8th night stay FREE!

The room we stayed is located on the 2nd floor, had 3 bunk beds with en-suite bathroom. The bathroom has room for improvements - no division with the toilet and sink and shower head, very basic - but it was clean and you can have it cleaned on request, too! - just let the staff know!