SEOULIDARITY

[ACCOMMODATION] BoA Guesthouse

Image from BoA Guesthouse Facebook

Cheryl and I found out about BoA Guesthouse last Summer. I was in Seoul for a language program, and was staying in a off-campus dorm provided by Seoul National University. Cheryl planned to visit me during my last week there, and was looking at a few guesthouses. I don't know what eventually made her decide on BoA, but I can say it was a choice well made. We returned twice after the stay last summer! There is no way we will not recommend this guesthouse!

Image from BoA Guesthouse website

Getting to BoA is fairly easy. After alighting at Hongik Univ. Station Exit 4, it is a 5-minutes walk to the guesthouse. For those taking AREX, and are afraid that it will be hard to carry your luggages up the stairs, fret not! Exit 4 has an escalator! *^^*

Staying in Hongdae(홍대) also means you will be staying near one of Seoul's most happening area! Hongdae is known for its arts, indie music culture, clubs and shopping. Famous Stylenanda(스타일난다), Teddy's Twosome Studio+, clubs like NB2 (run by YG Entertainment) and Cocoon are all within walkable distance. Not to mention you can walk to Sinchon(신촌) and Edae(이대) too (if you are want, of course)!

Convenience factors aside, BoA's service is 최고(the best)!!

Image from BoA Guesthouse Facebook

Firstly, we have the very friendly reception staff! BoA has 24-hour reception, so you don't have to worry about getting help (if needed) in the middle of the night. While I haven't had the chance to meet all of them, the three lovely ladies had definitely helped me a lot whenever I was there. (Gayoung's laughter is adorable and contagious! Lol.)

Unlike another guesthouse I've stayed in, BoA has a lift, so you don't have to carry your heavy luggage up a few storeys. WiFi is free and fast, computers are free for all to use, and free breakfast is served every morning. What I like best is the fact that they have this:

Image from BoA Guesthouse Facebook

It's a book of korean food delivery menu. Just let the staff know what you want and they would call and order the food for you! The delivery is 24-hour, so you can order it at 3am if you are hungry. How convenient is that? I had korean food delivery (from various restaurants) almost every night during my stay in August this year. It's delicious. There are also a few restaurants right outside BoA! You will never starve if you stay here.

Some of our favourite restaurants near BoA:-

구씨네 부엌 (Very yummy italian food, yummy Pizza and Carbonara)
강산에 (Friendly owner with super good Korean BBQ)
Fried Chicken right beside BoA Guesthouse

There isn't a washing machine in the room, but they have a few in the laundry room. The washing machines can be used free of charge, but I believe 500won is needed to use the dryer. There are english directions on how to use the machines, but if you need help, the staff will be very willing to assist you too!

For muslims who are looking for guesthouses to stay, BoA has a prayer room and separate utensils kept in a special drawer in the kitchen.

Room Rates:-

Image taken from Boa Guesthouse

For detailed directions to BoA, click here.

BoA Guesthouse
Website / www.boaguesthouse.com
Facebook / www.facebook.com/boaguesthouse/

Do like them on Facebook for more information. BoA has mini events frequently for their Facebook likers. Cheryl even got a 10% discount off room rates twice!

[CAFE] Directions to Teddy Park's Twosome Studio+

I was damn excited when I heard that Teddy's gonna open his own cafe. If you are an avid YG fan (like us), you will definitely know who Teddy Park is. Teddy Park debuted as the leader of 1TYM in 1998 and is now YG Entertainment's main producer. Some of Teddy's recent works are Lee Hi's Rose, CL's The Baddest Female, Kang Seung Yoon's Wild and Young and 2NE1's Do You Love Me.

Though he didn't exactly set up the entire cafe on his own (it's a franchise), Teddy was involved in the decor of the cafe. This has got to be my new favourite place in Hongdae. 2NE1 actually filmed their Do You Love Me MV in the cafe just a few weeks back!

Some photos of the interior.

You can get tumblers, cups, t-shirts, pens, pencils, and notebooks here. Korean illustrator - Minakwon's illustrations are also sold there.

My friend & I ordered a chocolate croissant-ish thingy (2,000won), Cranberry Chicken Sandwich (6,000won), Raisin Scone (3,900won), Plain Yogurt with Granola (5,500won), Egg Sandwich (2,700won), Iced Caramel Macchiato (5,400won) and Iced Mocha (4,900won). We paid 30,400won in total for two. Kinda pricey but the coffee and scones were sooooo good!

The iced caramel macchiato at Twosome+ is sooooo good that I actually had the same drink for both my visits! The scones came with cream cheese and jam; very nice texture. There were a few yogurt flavours to choose from. We tried the plain yogurt with Granola on the first visit and the plain yogurt with banana and granola on the second. Both were equally yummy! I had the Chicken Caesar wrap on my second visit and it's perfect for brunch.

We chose the window seats so we can enjoy the "scenery". Hahaha

We were seated at the 2nd floor, there are 4 floors to Twosome+ Studio.

We obviously can't get to the 4F. Hahaha.

3F displays Minakwon's illustrations. I love her art. I didn't take photos of all the art pieces displayed, you have to visit there and see them with your own eyes!

On our third visit, we had the Grapefruit Bingsoo. Summer in Seoul is totally unbearable. The sun is totally out to kill.

What I love about Summer in Seoul- The creative varieties of Bingsoo (빙수) they have. So what exactly is Bingsoo? It is basically a shaved iced dessert. Traditionally, Bingsoo are served with Azuki beans, mochi and condensed milk called Patbingsoo (팥빙수). These days bingsoo are not limited to just azuki beans and condensed milk. Some of the bingsoo I had were cookies and cream bingsoo, fruits bingsoo etc. There are so many types of bingsoo I don't think I will ever get to finish trying them.

The bingsoo at Twosome+ is FREAKING GOOD. That white lump of goodness there is actually froyo, not whipped cream. Just imagine having shaved ice with froyo, grapefruit and jelly in the hot summer. It was so yummy that we couldn't stop eating it. Whoever thought of the froyo-shaved ice combo is really a genuis. Be sure to try this!

OVERALL
Location: 홍대 (Hongdae)
Ambience: Good for chilling with friends. Hip-hop playlist.
Staff: Most staff understands basic English.
Recommended Food: Iced Caramel Macchiato, Iced Latte, Scones, Bingsoo and Yogurt.
Free Wifi: Yes

DIRECTIONS

It's actually VERY easy to get to Teddy's Twosome+ Studio. If you're familiar with Hongdae, you will really have no problem finding this place. It's located beside the Hongik University entrance and it's almost impossible to miss. For those who are unfamiliar with Hongdae, here are the directions!

Take the subway to 홍대입구 (Hongik University Station, Line 2) and get out from Exit 9. Walk straight ahead for about 5minutes and you should see this.

Do not cross the road, just turn left and you should see this.

Continue to walk straight all the way.

You will first pass by H&M, then the Tourist Information Kiosk (they should be on your left). Continue to walk straight.

This is the entrance of Hongik University. Cross the road and turn left and the Twosome+ Studio will be on your right!

Twosome+ Studio by Teddy Park

Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu338-48,

Seoul, South Korea

서울 마포구 서교동 338-48

Do share with us your experience at Twosome+ Studio. We hope it is as awesome as ours :)

[SHOPPING] Directions to Chrome Hearts (Cheongdam, Seoul)

Many people have problems locating Chrome Hearts in Seoul. With the new Apgujeong Rodeo Station, getting to Chrome Hearts is a piece of cake.

There are currently 2 Chrome Hearts stores in Seoul. One at Cheongdam, Apgujeong and the newly opened one at the Main Shinsaegae Departmental Store. I only knew about the Shinsaegae outlet after my trip so... no directions to that :(

To get to Chrome Hearts (Cheongdam), take the subway to 압구정로데오 (Apgujeong Rodeo Station, Bundang Line) and look for Exit 3.

This is what you should see after on your left and right after you get out of the exit. Walk straight and you will pass by MCM then Givenchy on your right.

Turn right once you see Givenchy and 10 Corso Como will be on your left. Keep walking straight.

Turn left when you see Zadig & Voltaire. Walk straight for about a minute and Chrome Hearts will be on your right.

Sadly, no photography is allowed in Chrome Hearts. Staff were very friendly and helpful (unlike the ones in HK). Though they can't speak much english, they are still very passionate in serving their customers. As compared to the Hong Kong store, Seoul has a wider variety of accessories and clothing. However, a lot of popular items are out of stock (e.g. fuck you ring, forever ring etc). Price wise, Seoul's pricing is way higher than HK's even after tax rebate.

Hope this little guide here will make it easier for people to get to Chrome Hearts. Do let us know if this guide was helpful!

Chrome Hearts

Cheongdam (Apgujeong)

82-6 Cheongdam-dong, Gangnamgu

Seoul Korea

1st Floor, Shinsegae Dept. Main Store

63, Sogong-ro, Jung-ju

Seoul Korea

[CAFE] 커피마시는 고양이 (Drinking Coffee Cat Cafe)

While the English name of the cafe kinda suggests that it is a cat cafe, the Korean name of the cafe actually means "the cat which drinks coffee." So nope, this is not a cat cafe where you can drink coffee and play with cats at the same time!

커피마시는 고양이 (Drinking Coffee Cat Cafe) is a two-storey cafe located in 삼청동(Samcheong-dong) in Seoul. Samcheong-dong houses several small art galleries, independent shops and restaurants, so it is no surprise to find numerous quirky cafes among the Korean traditional houses.

My friend and I chanced upon this cafe on a hot summer afternoon after visiting 인사동(Insa-dong; opposite Samcheong-dong). Tired and thirsty from all the walking, we decided to take a break here. Little did we know that we found a gem.

At the time of our visit, the first storey was fully occupied so we went up to the second storey. We were given an English menu (& on our second visit, a Korean menu).

We ordered a yogurt waffle set, which consists of a plate of waffle and two cups of iced americano. We topped up a few thousand won and changed our drinks though. I had iced milk tea, while my friend had earl grey milk tea.

I must say that the waffle is a must-try. It was crispy and soft at the same time. We were completely in bliss after taking the first bite. The drinks were pretty nice too!

On the second visit, we were given a table on the first storey.

We ordered honey bread set, and changed our drinks to caramel machiatto and hot choco.

The honey bread was good, but we were kinda sick of the sweetness of it due to our drinks. I'd recommend ordering something else for your drinks (or stick to iced americano) if you are ordering the honey bread set!

OVERALL

Location: 삼청동(Samcheong-dong)
Ambience: Good, K-indie playlist
Staff: One of them speaks good English
Recommended Food: Waffle, Iced Milk Tea
Free Wifi: No
Ratings: 4/5