30 Nov 2014 - Our apartment in Hongdae

Kim and I took the AREX to Hongik univ Station, exit 5 for our apartment in Hongdae.This was what we saw when we came out from exit 5. Walk straight from here. I booked this apartment https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/2185158?s=xBmf via Air BnB. Just 3 mins walk from exit 5 to reach the apartment and maybe 2 mins to reach Hongdae. It will take about 10 mins to reach the main shopping street in Hongdae and less than 5 mins to reach the post office.

Looking back.
I can see my accommodation for next trip from here ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
I think that building has many Air BnB apartment units.
Nearest subway exit would be 2 & 3, which means the building is directly above the subway station.

Back to my accommodation for this trip.
I think that was where I stayed. At level 2.
This building was located along a quiet alley, away from main street of Hongdae.
On certain nights after 1am, there will be some youngsters talking loudly and making merry along the street.
Sometimes, I felt like throwing an egg down on them ㅎㅎㅎㅎㅎ
Fortunately, Kim and I were usually too tired to bother with them.. 

Air BnB stated elevator in the building.
That's right but I still need to climb a few steps to take the elevator.
This would only become an issue for me when I am alone with heavy luggages.
By the way, I need to key in some security code in order to enter the building.
The host provided the security code but did not tell us there were some other buttons to press.
Kim and I figured out on our own after some trial and error..

Another door to open after coming out from the lift.
This door is usually unlocked.
I find this door kinda unnecessary.
Its a bit creepy whenever we opened this door and saw a dark passageway ahead of us..
The lights will be on only after we stepped on the passageway.
Luckily, I had Kim with me ㅎㅎㅎㅎ

This was the passageway I mentioned.
It will be quite dark at night...

Another set of security code to be entered. The security code was given by the host. Again, she did not tell us there were other buttons to press besides entering the security code. We struggled a while before we hit the jackpot. Actually, I could have text my host but I didn't. Her reply was quite prompt when I asked her about other things.

It appeared clean but not that clean actually. A bit dusty. The host told us to recycle the trash bag but I was not sure how to recycle that. No other trash bags provided. There was a dumping area to throw the trash but I couldn't possibly empty the bin by dumping the trash onto the ground, right?? The dumping area was in front the apartment along the road side...

That cabinet above the pedestal bowl was empty.
Shampoo and body wash were provided but not much left for two of us to use...
We had to buy our own body wash which was not an issue to us.

I was so happy to see a full length mirror but very sad after hanging all our clothing including winter wear up there.  Can you imagine the situation? I couldn't see myself in the mirror after hanging our clothing. There was no other places to hang our clothing except a small cupboard on the second storey. The mirror has become redundant ㅠㅠㅠ

For us during our stay of 8 days & 7 nights....

The apartment is kinda small but just nice for two persons.
It doesn't look small from the picture due to its high ceiling.

No detergent to wash hands or cutlery provided.
That was an empty bottle....

Limited sockets.

There were two sockets at the lower level but located very inconveniently under the stairs. I need to push the sofa whenever I wanted to use the socket on the lower floor to charge our mobile phones/camera, boil water with the electrical kettle or to use the hairdryer.  Hence, we tend to use the socket on the second floor more often. We didn't switch on the air condition because it was pretty cold despite having the heater on. The host did not switch it on for us before our arrival, so I thought the heater was not working without realising that it would take some time to warm up the place.

I think I need to lower my head whenever I stood on the second floor.
My height??
166cm.
Overall, I think the best thing about this apartment is the location.
It is still okay for short stay as it provides only the basic necessity.
Last but not least, I am very thankful to the host for allowing us to check in earlier.