Review of Hotel 1: The Best Hotel in Busan
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Back before I even came to Korea a year ago, I had already seen Hotel 1 on social media. It was simply one of the most stunning hotels I’ve ever seen, and I just knew that I had to stay there at least once during my time in Korea. I’ve lived in Busan for nearly a year now, and I finally had the opportunity to stay at this stunning Busan hotel: spoiler alert, it was amazing.
During my time here in Busan, I’ve gotten to know this beautiful city inside and out, and genuinely think it’s the best city in all of Korea! With the Mountains backing the city and countless beaches at it’s front, there truly is something for everyone in Busan. So whether you’re planning a trip to Korea or you’re already here, you have to be sure to check out Busan. I always tell people that there’s so much more to Korea than Seoul, and one thing I can say for sure is that Seoul definitely doesn’t have a hotel that can compare to Hotel 1.
When looking for a hotel in Busan, there’s a few things you need to keep in mind. You need to be centrally located, in the middle of the action (but not the action that will keep you up all night if you want to sleep!), you need good restaurants, beach access, and obviously a gorgeous hotel room that doesn’t make you feel disconnected from the city if you decide to spend an afternoon just chilling out in your room. I’ve experienced all that Busan has to offer and am here to eliminate the guesswork: Gwangalli Beach is the place to be when you come to visit Busan. Gwangalli Beach is located smack in the middle of Busan, not too far from the train station, the parties of Seomyeon, the laid-back vibes of Haeundae beach, or any of the instagrammable cafes, and thankfully, that’s exactly where Hotel 1 is located! Over the year I’ve spend here I’ve accumulated so much information to give regarding all that Busan has to offer, and just one thing was missing: an incredible hotel to recommend - so I’m so excited that Hotel 1 invited me to stay!
Hotel 1: The Best Hotel in Busan
Hotel 1 is stunning. From the entirely white marble interior to the floor to ceiling windows with views of Gwangalli bridge that most of the rooms offer, this hotel uses incredible design choices to highlight the natural beauty of Busan itself. Obviously I recommend that you stay here during your time in Busan, but even if you’re not staying at this hotel, you can still come enjoy the view! Hotel 1 also has a cafe called Cafe Byul Bed, where you can pay a small amount and have unlimited access to self-serve coffee and a snack pantry while you either hang out with friends or get some work done. The cafe (obviously) has a gorgeous view of the bridge and remains cohesive with the rest of the hotel: completely clad in white marble.
One very unique aspect about hotel 1 in comparison with other hotels in Busan is the diversity in the types of rooms they offer. If you’re on a tight budget but still want a good location right on the beach and access to the cute photo zones this hotel has to offer, you can choose to book one of their capsule rooms. These rooms are exactly what they sound like: capsules! They have lockers outside where you can keep your things, and it’s always fun to experience something new like a capsule hotel!
If you have a little extra to spend, you can get a room with a view of the bridge. I chose to stay in the left corner suite of the hotel, and honestly, when I first scanned my (adorable) keycard and opened the door to my room, my jaw hit the floor. I have never seen another hotel in Busan, let alone another hotel in general, design their room completely around a view like Hotel 1 does. The pictures speak for themselves!
My friend Victoria and I arrived, picked up our keycard in the lobby, and headed to the lockers to the left where you are required to put your shoes. They provide cute little slippers for you to walk across the marble, and its a fun little experience that makes you marvel at the fact that you’re actually in Korea (at least if you’re not from here!).
We headed up to the room, dropped our bags, breathed an immense sigh of relief at the sight of the pajamas that were hanging up for us (we had BOTH left our houses in a rush and forgotten ours!) and decided to do a little bit of exploring. We headed down for a little snack in the cafe, and then headed up to the rooftop.
Some things I love about hotels in Busan are all the photo zones and instagramability of it all. Hotel 1 is no exception! The rooftop is adorable, with a little treehouse to take pictures in as well as a staircase that leads nowhere except to a fabulous instagram picture. Something I was disappointed about, however, is the way that hot tubs are advertised on booking platforms! The hot tubs were present, but they had dissembled outdoor furniture inside of them and had just a little bit of dirty water in the bottom. This was something we were really looking forward to, so if that’s something you’re interested in be sure to check ahead to see if they’re in use! (I know it was July and it’s already hot outside but the thought of a hot tub on the roof looking out at Gwangalli Bridge was something I was willing to overheat for haha!)
After having a little air conditioning break inside the room, we headed out into Gwangan to find some dinner. There are so many food options in this area! You can always find Korean Barbecue, but if you’re looking for something western, SOL Taphouse has some excellent Pizza, Pendejos, Los Amigos, and El Carnitas are some amazing Mexican options, and there are tons of other places along the beach boardwalk selling burgers, beers, and pasta. Another one of my favorites is the Expat bar HQ - they have some amazing food options and it’s really fun to just spend the rest of the evening there as well, especially if you’re looking to make friends!
Read More: Best Restaurants in Busan
From dinner, we came back to the room, took some cheesy sunset pictures, and coincidentally our arrival timed up perfectly with one of the drone shows that happen frequently on Gwangalli beach. Not many hotels in Busan can give you front row seats to this! We pulled up our floor chairs to the window, opened the bucket of popcorn hotel 1 provided for us upon arrival, and watched the drones create all sorts of different formations - telling the story of an alien invasion. There were hundreds of people crowding the sidewalks trying to get a view of the show, and we felt really blessed to have such an amazing view from the comfort of our hotel.
We hung out in the room, enjoying watching the little fireworks get shot off of the little boats hanging out in the bay, set our alarms for 5 am to watch the sun come up, and hit the hay (we slept fabulously, in case you’re wondering about the mattress or anything like that!)
And what a sunrise it was —>
Although there isn’t a continental breakfast or anything like that, they did leave us a cute little goodie bag with some ramen (classic Korean breakfast) and some frosted flakes, in case ramen for breakfast isn’t your cup of tea. We packed up our things, picked our shoes up from the lockers, and headed to the beach!
I’ve done quite a few staycations in Busan, and can confidently say that Hotel 1 is the best overall hotel in Busan, one that anyone can stay at regardless of budget! 10/10 recommend - easily one of the most fun and relaxing weekends I’ve had in a while.
Thank you to Hotel 1 for inviting me to stay! As always, all opinions are my own!
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