If you’re visiting Jeonju, the city well-known for its Hanok Village, it is almost a given that you should stay over at one of the numerous traditional guesthouses near Jeonju Hanok Village or surrounding it.
After sifting through numerous listings and reviews, we decided to book one that had very good reviews from both international and domestic visitors alike: Bukyungdang Hanok Guesthouse.
Due to our lack of foresight and tight budget, we arrived in Jeonju really late (I think our bus ride from Incheon Airport to Jeonju Intercity Bus Terminal took us about 6 hours!). Despite the unconventional check-in time, the hosts, an elderly couple, were very kind and helped us settle in super quick, which we really appreciated.
I don’t have a photo of the full room, but you can see from the corner of this photo that we had to spread out our bedsheets and blankets on the floor to sleep. It’s very traditional with no beds, but personally I quite liked it because it gave us a lot of space to move around without having to deal with bulky bedposts.
I can’t remember why I took a photo of the lock but basically the way to lock the doors was rather traditional as well, but there’s no cause for worry as the host couple is very alert and they take turns with their son to watch over the guesthouse.
To my surprise, breakfast was also available. While the toast & black sesame paste looked very simple and unassuming, I found that these were a nice change from all the good food we had been filling our bellies with throughout our travels. The black sesame paste, in particular, was one of the best I ever had, and until today I still miss the taste of it – should have asked our hosts for the recipe!!
Other than covering the basic necessities, what you’ll really appreciate is the hospitality and warmth from the hosts. We had planned to eat some famous bibimbap around Jeonju Hanok Village, but our hosts directed us to some other restaurants that they knew were much better and worth our calories (e.g. Hasukyeong Gamasot Bibimbap) – and they were absolutely right! They were also very helpful in giving us directions and recommending places of interest to make our short Jeonju trip worthwhile, and that alone truly triumphs any other con associated with this guesthouse.
Pros
- Cheap: Back in 2019, we paid SGD180 for 3 people, 2 nights – that works out to about SGD30 for 1 night! Considering that you get the experience of staying in a traditional hanok and with superb hosts like these, SGD30 is really a fantastic deal.
- Convenient: Extremely near all the attractions you’d want to visit in Jeonju, including Jeonju Hanok Village.
Cons:
- Too traditional: If you’re not comfortable. with the idea of sleeping on the floor or with doors that don’t lock with maximum security, this guesthouse may leave you feeling a bit antsy.
DIRECTIONS
Address: 99-5, Hanji-gil, Wansan-gu, Jeonju-si, CB, South Korea
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