When I was planning my accommodation in Seoul, I stumbled upon this trendy and affordable hotel in Gangnam. Turns out that it is also an environmentally friendly and pet-friendly hotel! And we happened to snap up a good deal by booking directly with the hotel when the country announced its opening to guests flying from Singapore.
So here we are at Hotel Cappuccino 호텔 카푸치노, a fun, instagrammable and trendy hotel in Seoul. I managed to get a few nice photos for the gram during my stay here too!
If you’re also contemplating to booking a room with Hotel Cappuccino, here’s my honest review.
Location
The hotel is located in Gangnam-gu. However, the nearest Subway station isn’t the one most travellers are familiar with. Unfortunately, it isn’t Gangnam station (강남역) at Line No.2. It is within a 3-minute walk to Eonju Station (언주역), and a 10-minute walk (around 800 meters) to Shinnonhyeon Station (신논현역).
Like many hotels in Seoul, you can find convenience stores nearby Hotel Cappuccino. There are also restaurants around the hotel vicinity that seems to be frequented by the locals.
#Tip: To travel via subway from Eonju Station (where the hotel is located at) to Gangnam Station (which most travellers would frequent), it takes 3 subway stops and 1 transit. However, you can walk to Shinnonhyeon Station and you'll be 1 subway station away from Gangnam Station.
The Property
The hotel boasts a total of 141 rooms that include the Quad room, which features cool bunk beds for those travelling in a group of 4; the Bark room, where dog lovers can travel with their pet friends; the Cappucino room which features a king-sized bed and everything you need for a short trip; the Super room that accommodates up to 4 adults, and the more premium Studio room that features modern & futuristic design with a balcony, and complete with upcycling features.
Its 18-storey building comprises three basement floors, a fitness centre, laundry room, function rooms, a cafe, a rooftop bar & restaurant.
The Room: Cappuccino King
The Cappuccino King room is a 16.5 square meters compact-sized room that houses a king-sized bed that is 2×2 meters. When we first arrived at the room, we were quite pleased by the modern and minimalistic design. The placement of the switches and charging areas are all well thought out.
However, with 2 adults and 2 suitcases (26 and 29 inches), we soon found the room a tad restrictive. There was barely any space to walk if we were to open up the 2 luggage at the same time. With a narrow walkway, one would have to stay in the bed while the other gets ready in the morning.
I’d say it is a very nice and cosy room for a 1-2 nights, fuss-free trip in Seoul, especially if you’re not travelling with a big suitcase. However, if you are to stay in Seoul for a few more days, I’d suggest you opt for their next room tier — Super Twin, in which the room size makes more sense.
#Tip: The rooms are facing two directions -- the main road or the back alley. If you fancy an unblocked view of the city and the shimmering Seoul's night views, please request for a room facing the back.
Environmentally Friendly Efforts
If you are an eco-conscious traveller, you’d love the environmentally friendly efforts in the hotel. For example, the “E&G Box” (Earn & Giveaway Box) – all towels and single-used toiletries are placed in the “E&G Box”. If you are bringing your towels and toiletries then you are helping the hotel conserve energy. By not using the items in the “E&G Box”, the cost of putting the box together will be donated to charity. If you’re not using the box, you can redeem a free coffee at the cafe too!
If you order an “angel menu” from the restaurant, café or bar will allow you to donate a certain amount of money to water.org, founded by Gary White and Matt Damon.
Guests are also invited to deposit their unwanted clothing in a “Share Your Clothes box” in the lobby.
The Room: Super Twin
As the Cappuccino King room was too small, we upgraded to the Super Twin room in the middle of our stay. This gave us a great chance to experience both room types.
The Super Twin room is a 23.1 square meter room, with 2 double beds that would fit 4 adults. It is way more spacious than the Cappuccino King room and we felt like we could stay here for a week without feeling claustrophobic!
While there are only the two of us occupying the room, we liked the extra space as we needed to unpack and repack our luggage for our trip to Namhae and Busan. The window of the room was facing the back alley so we also get a glimpse of the breathtaking views of the city from day to night, with Namsan Tower blinking in the background at night too!
Caffe Cappuccino
There is a cafe in the lobby where you can grab a quick coffee and light meals. As we arrived at the hotel way earlier before the check-in time and the hotel was experiencing high occupancy, they were unable to grant us an early check-in. So we decided to hang around at the cafe.
The coffee was good – it woke up my sleepy soul after the red-eye flight. We also tried out their Signature Dosirak, which is a grilled eel bento box and it was delicious! Be early as the dosirak is popular and tends to sell out early.
Restaurant Hot Eatsue
Hot Eatsue is a rooftop bar and restaurant on the 17th floor of the property. They serve Western cuisine, ranging from salad, pasta to Hanwoo steak. We had mushroom truffle pasta and charcoal fried chicken.
I’d say the view during sunset is amazing, and it is a nice place for light snacks and drinks. Staying guests enjoy discounts by dining at the restaurant too!
For those who are curious, check out my Instagram Reel where I posted about the restaurant:
Other Facilities
There is a gym and a self-laundry room within the property too! If your trip to Korea stretches more than one week, a laundry facility is a must.
While we did not utilise their gym facility, we used the laundry once during our stay and it was cheap and convenient! You just need to insert coins and start loading the washer or dryer! There is also a coin exchange machine in the laundry room so it was a breeze to do laundry in the hotel.
Writer’s Note: Hotel Cappuccino is a modern and eco-conscious hotel situated in Gangnam. The rooms are quite well maintained and the service is polite and friendly. I also like the self-laundry room feature which is economical and convenient. With their unique eco-conscious initiatives, I’d say it is a plus point staying in the hotel.
However, if I were to pick a downside, it would be the location. Please don’t get me wrong, the hotel is indeed located in Gangnam. It is a 3-minute walk to Eonju Station and some 800m to Shinnonhyeon Station. It may be nice to take a walk to Shinnonhyeon station during spring and autumn, but it wasn’t the best idea for us to walk to the station in the harsh winter weather.
Hence, getting to the Gangnam Station at Line 2 (Green Line) does take a while, and isn’t as straightforward as some may get confused with the subway system at Eonju Station too! But if you’re not so fussy about the location as long as there is a subway station nearby, then you would not find this an issue!
I would recommend staying in the hotel if you’re travelling in a group of 4, as the Super Twin room would be the perfect room size, and the rate is very affordable too! If you are travelling with your partner, please consider upgrading from the Cappuccino King room to Super Twin especially if you are travelling with a big suitcase. You will appreciate the spacious room size as much as we did!
Contact Details:
Hotel Cappuccino 호텔 카푸치노
155 Bongeunsa-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
서울특별시 강남구 봉은사로 155, 06122
Tel+82 2 2038 9501
https://hotelcappuccino.co.kr/en/
