Name: Gyeongju Sillabang Guesthouse
Address: Seongdong-dong, Gyeongju-si, South Korea, Gyeongju, Gyeongju, Gyeongju, 780-947, South Korea
Rating: 8

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Gyeongju Sillabang Guesthouse

Awesome place to stay if you want to experience the real Korean traditional way. The room we stayed was very big, had high speed internet and a big TV. The bed (Futons) are also very comfortable and due to the traditional hanok floor heating, it wont be cold even in colder days! The location is about 3 walking minutes away from the central shopping street and with the complementary bikes you can easily visit all sights in one day. If we go to Gyeongju again and we really want to, we will definitely stay here again!

Because we decided to take the slower Mugunghwa trains from Busan (There are trains departing from Haeundae and Sasang station everyday, as well as Busan station) to Gyeongju, The Sillabang Guesthouse was a mere 5 minutes walk away when we got to Gyeongju station.  The Mugunghwa trains are cheaper and but only take a little less than 2 hours to get to Gyeongju from Busan, so consider taking them if you're planning those two cities into your itinerary.

The Guesthouse itself is exactly as advertised.  A renovated hanok right smack in the middle of the city.  It's right next to SeongDong Market where you can get fresh gimbap or pork trotters, it's walking distance to the Wolseon ancient fortress walls, and walking distance to bus stations that take you to Bulguksa, Anapji, and all the other tourist spots it town.  Bikes are also available for rent at 5000 won a day, though we didn't take advantage of them.

The one caveat I would raise is concerning the bedding and pillows.  We've stayed in Japan on futons before but turns out Korean futons are a little less firm, ie you're still mostly feeling the floor beneath you.  The small, hard, buckwheat pillows I actually liked, though I would have preferred them a bit larger.  

Otherwise it's as terrific as everyone says.  Polite owners always looking to help, free eggs and bread and coffee and tea anytime of the day, and a cute dog who might growl at you the first time but is really a lovely puppy.  

I highly recommend staying at Sillabang.  The website is all Korean so it may be daunting, but just email the owners and they'll sort it out.

We stayed here for 2 nights as part of a trip around Korea & Japan, and we were keen to stay in a more traditional place within Gyeongju, and we came across Sillabang on another booking site. 

The location is very convenient, as it is within a short walk from the train station and there is a bus stop close by to get you to the main tourist sites.

Once at the ondol, the accommodaation is very simple and traditional.  A thin fold-up mattress and billow is provided for you to roll out onto the headed floor.  There are rooms with private bathrooms, but we ended up with a shared bathroom as a result of a misunderstanding.  Even so, it was no real problem and the owner was very apologetic (and provided a discount without any prompt from me).

We really enjoyed the access to the family lounge/living room and kitchen, when we were made to feel very much at home, with free bread, jam, tea, etc provided for all guests.

The owner is a very helpful woman who has just started to learn English due to a sudden increase in international visitors.  She told us that previously all her guests were Korean, but more and more tourists were stopping by (primarily still Asian tourists).  Whilst her English is still not great, she is incredibly helpful and will draw out maps, write down restaurant recommendations, etc for you.  She really helped us to enjoy our stay Gyeongju.

This accommodation is not for everyone, as it is pretty basic, but if you are pretty relaxed and plan to be out all day then this is a convenient option (especially if you travel through Korea by train - like we did).

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Experience the traditional Korean way of living

Convenient, with Rustic Charm

Traditional, basic accommodation with very helpful owner (learning English)

The location is great, once you can find it, just five minutes walk from the main train station. That said, it is not at all easy to find the first time, something that the owners could easily rectify with information after booking.
And I guess that's an example of why I ended up feeling a bit disappointed by my stay here. It could all have been a bit better. There was no one around when I arrived, which is fine. Folk lead busy lives and can't always be available, I understand that. And there was a note showing who had which room and to let yourself in, which I did. I met the owner for about 10 minutes (I was on the point of going out to meet friends as she returned with her young son, so not necessarily her fault) on the evening of the first night. I paid for my two nights, she told me which bus to get in the morning for Bulguksa temple, I went out and didn't see her or anyone else again.
My room, number 1, was fine. Clean, with everything I needed. I couldn't find the wifi network that was indicated - and no one around to ask. The courtyard looked somewhat shabby with a collection of half a dozen rusted bicycles, none of which could have been ridden. Gyeongju is an excellent place to cycle around and the use of a bicycle would have been brilliant.
Perhaps it was just me but I left feeling that I had paid for far more than I got.

Felt somehow disappointed 

Could have been so much more to stay in a traditional Hanok build guesthouse. First of all its a great experience on your trip in Korea to stay in this kind of guesthouse. it is really nice to have been able to have that special feeling of sleeping on a blanket on the floor inside these simply house with wooden balk ceilings and sitting in front of your room looking at the courtyard (patio).
Its like your way back in time and in a movie setting. But somehow i kept myself asking why didn't do the owners /hosts not make more of an effort about for example the breakfast, the information, the communication, the welcoming, the towels, it is really low key and the price is right for that bit felt somehow what neglected. 

Could not have find this spot without the help of an english speaking and understanding Korean guy with gps on smartphone. Once you know it its simple. So this also comes down to that the owners don't do any effort to give info before you arrive. They should interest more for there guests.

Gyeongju Sillabang Guesthouse

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