Korea Where to Stay

10 Weird and Wonderful Places to Stay in South Korea

weird and unusual places to stay in korea

For travellers in South Korea, there are a lot of weird and wonderful places to explore! It’s fitting then, that Korea has a huge selection of unusual accommodation choices for you to sleep in, too.

Korea is known for its unique hanok style housing where guests sleep on the heated floor. For many foreigners, this idea alone seems unusual but, trust me, when you see the places that actually fall under the weird category, you’ll realise how tame sleeping on the floor is! Regardless, a night at any of these accommodations will be a memorable addition to any Korean trip.

Here are 10 of the weirdest and most wonderful places to stay in Korea!

Sun Cruise Resort and Yacht

weird and wonderful places to stay in korea

I’m going to start off with the strangest place on this list. While this hotel might look like a ship that has miraculously crashed into a mountain, it’s actually just a plain old hotel. In spite of its, ahem, unusual exterior, tourists travel from around the country to enjoy the hotel’s views out over the East Sea.

Location: Donghae, Gangwon-Do

Price per Night: 110,000 KRW ($98/£76)

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Bomun World Pension

weird and wonderful places to stay in korea

At this stylish and trendy hotel in the traditional city of Gyeongju, guests can choose from a range of fairy tale rooms. You can stay in a winter themed room, a princess themed room or even a woodland themed room.  One of the biggest attractions to this pension is the spa jacuzzi bath. Plus, it’s conveniently located next to Bomun Lake: one of the prime spots for cherry blossom viewing in South Korea!

Location: Gyeongju

Price per Night: 115,000 KRW ($100/£80)

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Cozy Theme Pension

weird and wonderful places to stay in korea

Hands up who wants to sleep in a soju bottle!?This is the quintessential crazy Korean place to stay. From outside, the pension looks pretty lacklustre but, inside the fun themed rooms are insane. You can even sleep in a roll of 50,000 wons or the iconic Korean banana milk bottle. Best of all, this pension is in Gapyeong which is an awesome place to spend a couple of days and is a stone’s throw away from Seoul. So, if you’re entertaining guests on the weekend and want to give them an experience they won’t forget, this is a great option!

Price per Night: 120,000 KRW ($105/£82)

Location: Gapyeong

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Hanok House

weird and wonderful places to stay in korea

If you’re after a more strictly Korean experience, minus the crazy, then you have to stay at a hanok house at least once! You can find them all around the country with the bulk being in Jeonju, Andong, Gyeongju and Seoul. I had my first hanok experience at Christmas in Jeonju and there is nothing better than an ondol up full blast on a blistering cold day. Trust me!

Price per Night: 40,000 KRW ($36/£28) upwards depending on your hanok!

Location: Jeonju, Gyeongju Andong, Seoul

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UNIQUE Pension

weird and wonderful places to stay in korea

If you loved Cozy Theme Pension, then you’ll love UNIQUE Pension. Want to eat a shin ramyeon inside a shin ramyeon cup? You can do that here! (Every soju hangover dream of mine has come true!) Other rooms include a Starbucks cup, a Heineken can and a mini van. This pension is also located in Gapyeong so is perfect for anyone wanting to see Nami Island or The Garden of the Morning Calm.

Price per Night: 119,000 KRW ($106/£82)

Location: Gapyeong

Book Here (Korean booking only)

Seomjingang Rail Village Pension

weird and unusual places to stay in korea

Sleeping in public transportation seems to be a bit of a theme in Korea….. we’ve got a cruise ship themed hotel, and pensions with mini van beds, so it’s not surprising that there’s also a rail village pension. Seomjingang River is one of the most picturesque but underrated parts of Korea. I actually cycled along it last May and think it’s the perfect place for an escape from city life. After sleeping inside a train, you can wake up and have a brief ride on a steam train along the river!

Price per Night: From 60,000 KRW ($45/£32) to 300,000 KRW ($265/£205) depending on the number of people, the day of the week and season.

Location: Seomjingang

Book Here (Korean only)

Happy House Santorini

weird and unusual places to stay in Korea

The Korean tourism industry LOVES to compare their own attractions to those of other countries. I can’t count the amount of time I’ve been to places dubbed “The Macchu Pichu of Korea”, “The Santorini of Korea”, “The Amalfi Coast of Korea” and so on. It’s not surprising then that Santorini has been reincarnated in South Korea! This pension overlooks the coast and has a swimming pool for guests to use, too. It’s located in Hwaesong City, not far from Suwon or Seoul.

Prices: From 120,000 KRW ($105/£85)

Location: Hwaesong City

Book Here (Korean Only)

Hotel Bobos

weird and unusual places to stay in korea

This themed love hotel in Suwon has a variety of kitschy rooms. You can sleep in an Egyptian Style room and enjoy the spa bath after a long day of sightseeing! Love motels are all over Korea, but this is the most unique one that I’ve ever seen!

Prices: From 60,000 KRW ($53/£42)

Location: Suwon

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Podo Hotel Pinx

weird and unusual places to stay in korea

Jeju Island is the prime domestic holiday location in South Korea with a lot of fun themed hotels and museums. For some luxury on your holiday, book into Podo Hotel Pinx. This eco resort has amazing views over the ocean and also Hallasan. The rooms have hot spring baths and earthy decor which is a huge contrast to some of the other properties on this list!

Prices: From $285/£220

Location: Jeju Island

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Templestay

templestay korea sunmudo golgulsa gyeongju

And last but not least a Korean temple stay. A temple stay is the most fun, interactive and immersive way to learn about Korea’s unique branch of Buddhism. These are available all around the country and some temple stays have their own unique themes and activities on offer. I stayed at Golgulsa, a temple famous for its expertise in Sunmudo, a traditional Korean martial art. While I didn’t have as enlightening an experience as I would have hoped, it’s definitely a unique place to stay while you’re in the area!

Price per Night: Varies but usually around 50,000 KRW ($45/£35)

Find out more information about Templestays in Korea here


If you’re going on a trip to Korea, these hotels would be the perfectly deformed cherry on an already pretty weird cake! Don’t miss my guide on the most quintessential experiences to have in Korea!! If you’ve stayed in a strange place in Korea that’s not on this list, leave me a comment and let me know!

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10 weird and unusual places to stay in Korea

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  • jonny
    31st August 2017 at 4:14 am

    WoW NEVER THOUGHT THAT THERE WILL BE SUCH WEIRD PLACES TO VISIT IN SOUTH KOREA. HO[E TO MAKE IT SOON.

    • Nicole Louise
      31st August 2017 at 7:41 am

      I hope you get a chance to sleep in a ramyeon cup!

  • Shelley
    31st August 2017 at 11:55 pm

    I took a walk around the suncruise one evening…there’s an admission to enter the grounds if you’re not staying there, cuz there’s an art park amongst other things, and amazing views from their rotating coffee shop… but the one I’ve got my eye on is the jeju one. Pricey though!!
    Shelley recently posted…Vault: A Steakhouse you can Bank on in SeoulMy Profile

    • Nicole Louise
      3rd September 2017 at 10:08 am

      I can imagine the view would be amazing- it’s a shame that the hotel itself is a bit of an eyesore. Someone commented on my status and said that they play wave sounds all night long. Would love to know if that’s true!

  • angela
    1st September 2017 at 1:11 am

    what the!? These are fricken awesome! Did you actually stay at all of these places? I will need to share this list with my sister and friend and maybe check out a few of these! Great post! THANKS!

    • Nicole Louise
      3rd September 2017 at 10:06 am

      Unfortunately, no! I would love to though. I hope you manage to visit a few, it’s definitely a unique way to spend your time in the country 🙂

  • Karla
    1st September 2017 at 2:46 am

    Hotel Bobos looks expensive! I wouldn’t think it’s just $53. I’ll definitely pay for that.
    I also like the Unique Pension. Ahhh! I wish I’ve seen this post before I left Korea.
    Karla recently posted…Girl Bonding at Nailtensity Nail Spa and Body SpaMy Profile

    • Nicole Louise
      3rd September 2017 at 10:05 am

      Thanks Karla! Hotel Bobos does like pretty suave for a 60k love motel! Accommodation in Korea is great value for money.

  • Sarah
    2nd September 2017 at 10:00 am

    I desperately want to stay in a soju bottle! This is amazing! Korea is the best 🙂

    • Nicole Louise
      3rd September 2017 at 10:03 am

      Haha I know, the rest of the world is seriously lacking in comparison to Korea!

  • Amanda
    2nd September 2017 at 10:39 am

    Not sure about some of these, especially the Santorini one just too tacky for me, but the temple stay looks like it could be interesting

    • Nicole Louise
      2nd September 2017 at 12:52 pm

      Yeah, it’s far too tacky for me, too but people love kitschy things like this in Korea! There are so many recreations of European towns in Korea but they never quite hit the nail on the head… a templestay is a very interesting way to learn about the culture!

  • Eva
    2nd September 2017 at 1:32 pm

    So awesome! South Korea is on my wishlist since I made friends with two lovely Korean girls during a Uni exchange program. Sadly I haven’t been able to make it there yet. Thanks for this list, will definitely keep some of those crazy hotels in mind when I finally travel to South Korea!

    • Nicole Louise
      3rd September 2017 at 10:03 am

      I hope you get the chance to visit one day, Eva! It’s such a fun country and I’m sure your friends will be able to show you all the best places!

  • Tasha Amy
    2nd September 2017 at 3:29 pm

    Love this! I want to sleep in a ramen cup now which is something I never thought I would say haha

    • Nicole Louise
      3rd September 2017 at 10:02 am

      Haha me either but Korea has made me say a lot of weird things I thought I never would!

  • Danie
    2nd September 2017 at 5:09 pm

    These are totally Amazing! I would absolutely stay in one of these places when I head to South Korea.

  • Alla
    2nd September 2017 at 11:12 pm

    Who needs Santorini or Machu Pichu when you can visit and sleep in those places under the roof of one country… haha just kidding. I’d like to do a selfie from the inside of a Ramen Cup or inside the jacuzzi of Bomun World Pension. You’ve definitely compiled a great list to suit each traveler’s need.

    • Nicole Louise
      3rd September 2017 at 10:01 am

      Hahaha exactly, Alla! Who needs to visit Paris either when you’ve got the Little Prince Village in Gapyeong!

  • Rocio Cadena
    3rd September 2017 at 7:05 pm

    What a cool list you’ve got here Nicole! My personal faves are the cozy stay and unique pension – I think they really exemplify the Korean quirky spirit. I’ve also done the templestay and must say I’m a fan of the experience. I’m glad you included it here! I assume you’ve stayed at all these places before? Which are your top 3?!
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  • Natasha
    3rd September 2017 at 11:54 pm

    The soju and shin ramyun hotel experiences are definitely not my cup of tea, but the santorini experience at Hwaseong near Suwon is very appealing. I visited the ‘ship’ hotel grounds a few months back, and the whole area is something of a tourist destination, with entrance charges to the grounds for tourists there for sightseeing and photo-taking.
    Nice compilation!

  • Wendy
    4th September 2017 at 12:01 pm

    this list is so cool! I hope I can stay in at least one of them… The Bomun World Pension is so close to Hilton where we stayed when we went to Gyeongju. I’ve always asked my husband for us to try the Suncruise Resort. I think it’s amazing. And the railway train… all are very interesting places to stay!

  • Diana Acosta
    20th March 2018 at 7:25 am

    I never went there but I want to move to South Korea because ir beautiful place there good spot to take picture and eat street food and shopping like also it like being on vacation.
    Diana Acosta recently posted…Monthly Life Update: February 2018My Profile

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