Hongdae, Sinchon, cuisine coréenne

I stayed for 2 weeks and Adjumma was very nice. You probably won’t find a nicer host. I was able to come and go as i needed, without any pressure, and I appreciated that.

The location was a bit far away for me, but i think that if you are studying at one of the local universities, it’s very convenient by bus.

For those who are thinking of staying here, there are a few things that you may make note of, taking into consideration what your plans are, how long you intend to stay, your budget, and your personal travel needs.

If you’re a student in the area, this will probably be a great option. The universities are about 15 min away by bus, and the monthly homestay fee is low.

If you plan to go into Seoul or other points east, this location may be a bit far. It takes about 45 min by bus into Seoul and about 1:15-1:30 to Gangnam. As I visited those places frequently, the location was a bit far for me.

The rooms are spacious and you’ll have a twin bed. It only had one pillow and the mattress was firm for me, but those are personal preferences that might be fine for another person.

The apartment is on the 4th floor. There isn’t an elevator. Good exercise…

The neighborhood is nice, quiet, with some good cafes. Not a ton of food options, but a sweet dumpling kiosk that makes the best dumplings for about 5000 won. Delicious!

If you’re sensitive to smells, Adjumma will occasionally cook in the morning and the smell may drift into your room. And while I was there, you could smell sewage through the bathroom floor drains, which she tried to keep at bay with fresh coffee grounds, which was definitely helpful. This sort of smell isn’t uncommon in Seoul, as you’ll often smell this while you’re standing near a drain on the street, so it’s possible that it’s unavoidable in some homes.

All the things mentioned above are minor and if you aren’t bothered by any of them, then this could be a really perfect choice for you. Adjumma is really very nice and even though she doesn’t speak English, she knows some words and uses the translator apps, which works very well. She’s a very kind host!

I stayed for four weeks and it was a really lovely experience. The host (ajumeoni) really gave me the warmest welcome possible and did everything to make me feel at home. I was welcomed with a free, home-cooked lunch and ajumeoni showed me around the neighbourhood and even introduced me to her friends. During my stay, I received a wonderful healthy breakfast every morning which was a perfect start in the day.
The home is a real Korean home, so it was an authentic stay and felt much more personal, more like a real home than a hotel. In the neighbourhood there is really everything for daily life, supermarkets, food shops, pharmacies etc. There are two bus stops nearby which make it possible to get to places quickly. Yonsei university, which I attended for Korean classes, can be reached in about 25 minutes.
I am really thankful to ajumeoni for making me feel at home, for teaching me Korean and about Korean food, culture etc. and for making my stay worthwhile.
아주머니 진심으로 감사드리고 늘 건강 하시길 바랍니다!

It is hard to put into words how lovely was the time with the 아주머니. I stayed for 9 months, and she become my korean mother. The 아주머니 was really kind and understanding and she was really like family to me.
Her cooking is delicious, and 아주머니 is extremely helpful for practising Korean and learning about Korean culture.
She showed me around the neighbourhood, including the local stream, several markets, grocery stores, restaurants, and pretty much anything that I asked about.
I thank her from the bottom of my hearts, and wish you and your family all the best. You are really a great person, please always keep your smile and cheerful personality. Thank you so much for bringing a piece of Korea into my hearts.
So for anyone out there looking for a host family in South Korea, you can only win by choosing this wonderful place and creating unforgettable moments ^^
아주머니, 저는 곧 다시 만나기를 바랍니다!

I spent 3 weeks with adjhumma this January, and what an experience!

This isn’t a place to just pass by when you’re traveling, it’s a real experience to live! It’s a real home with rules and “mandatory family time”, by that I mean you will be completely independent but will inevitably run into Adjhumma and probably a roommate too, so you need to be ready to make the effort to socialize and use Papago to communicate in Korean with Adjhumma. But no worries! Everything went super fluently for me even though my Korean is limited, we had some pretty good laughs and I was offered multiple times delicious homemade meals – especially adjhumma’s kimchi <3 – I had the chance to be present on Seollal day so we went altogether with Adjhumma’s family to a nearby temple to celebrate this national day and had a marvelous time. For Korean learners and people who want to live a Korean lifestyle, this is definitely it. Adjhumma is very dynamic and welcoming and dedicated to that homestay concept, she is very proud to have met people from all over the globe and will make you feel like part of the family.

I have to point out that although I do recommend this type of living to everyone because of how unique and memorable it is, I also think that it is not suited for everyone on a long-term basis for people who are very private and need a lot of space. It will really depend on your profile, but for all of you wanting to be immersed in the local culture and feel safe and taken care of, who are energetic and eager to learn and adapt to a different lifestyle, go for it!!

For more practical information, I’ll say this:

I loved the district and surroundings because it felt very convenient and also very local. There are cute and calm cafes to study or relax less than 5 minutes away, as well as lots of convenience stores, restaurants, supermarkets, etc. There’s an excellent fried chicken restaurant at approximately 10 minutes walking distance, that Adjhumma introduced me to the first day I arrived and offered me a tour of the neighborhood. As for the location in general, I would say it’s pretty nice to live next to a river where you can jog and 2 minutes away from buses that will take you to the metro or Hongdae for example in less than 20 minutes.

Hope you have a good time in Korea !!

I've been stayed with this host for 34days and that was a pretty good experience to stay at a local home. If you are a Korean learner, it's a good opportunity to practice Korean and learn Korea culture. (Korean family will make Kimchi for their next whole year at Nov. and I am lucky that I got this 김장 experience!)

There is no MTR station, but it only take 3mins to nearby bus stop. It's still convenient going to anywhere. (Just download a naver map)

Mart is also near, and always on sale. You can cook by yourself. If not, you can also ask the host to give you a meal(only dinner and it costs). The host cooks pretty well though, I think curry and 육개장 are the best :) I always talk with the host in Koean during breakfast time, she is very talkative, I learned much new vocab and expressions that I never learned in language class.

One thing I really appreciate is that the house is really really clean, the host will clean up your room when you are out, of course with permission.

However, laundry is once per week. It will be better you bring 1or2 more clothes for changing.

For those who are coming, I strongly recommend that you take a taxi from the airport directly cuz it's too difficult to get a taxi at hongdae station.

Enjoy your homestay! :)

I stayed at Ajhummas place for 2 weeks after arriving in Korea and it was one of the best places I could go to!
Ajhumma is such a caring person, I was treated as if I was part of the family!

Let me get a bit into details!
The home:
There are two rooms, each guest has one room with a bed, a closet, a mirror, bookshelf, a desk and a chair and some cute plants! You will share your bathroom together with the other guest. The flat is quite big and very comfy, it really felt like home!
The area of Namgajwa is also very interesting. If you go in one direction you will find old markets and farmers selling their goods on the side of the street. There is a very beautiful walkway next to a river and it also has a waterfall!
If you walk into the other direction, you will find a more lively area with a university and lots of shops like Olive Young or Lotteria. (They also have a veggie burger there!)

The stay with Ajhumma:
Like I already said, I immediately felt like finding a second home. After waking up, I would have really good and healthy breakfast with Ajhumma inluding sweet potatoes, apples, banana, salad and omelette. After breakfast I often went on a walk with Ajhumma. She would teach me child games, new vocabular and have funny chats with me.
She introduced me to the close markets, showed me around the area and also went with me to the sauna!
Communication went really well as well, although my korean is not really great! We communicated with the few words that I knew and Ajhumma teached me a lot of new words as well. If we needed some help for communicating, we used Papago and it worked really good.

I had a lot of fun at her place and I hope to stay in contact and come back again to her place! :)