Reviews of the best hotels in Seomyeon, Busan. (Seomyeon is basically Busan city centre with good transport links, lots of shops and eateries, but no ocean view.) I've stayed in Seomyeon a few times and always do a ton of research on hotels due to all the horror stories I've heard!
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Planning a trip to Busan, Korea's second city, but not sure where to stay? I've been to this vibrant port city several times, and here are my recommendations of the best places to stay in Seomyeon, in downtown Busan.
If you've not decided where to base yourself, here's a guide to the best places to stay in Busan to help you. Personally, I like Seomyeon in the centre of Busan and Signiel Hotel in Haeundae the best!
Why Stay in Seomyeon
In a word: accessibility.
Seomyeon is located in central Busan- Busanjin-gu- making it extremely easy to get to other parts of Busan using public transport. You can think of it like Gangnam in Seoul- but MUCH less posh- with a wide range of shopping, dining, entertainment, and nightlife activties. (For the best things to do in Seomyeon, click here.)
If you're arriving in Busan by KTX, it's only a short drive (about 15 minutes or so) from Busan station.
Transportation
Seomyeon Station is one of the busiest subway stations in Korea, and a transfer point between Busan Subway Lines 1 and 2, so you're within easy reach of most places. (It's much easier to get around Busan using the subway than the bus.) There's also Bujeon Underground Station, located near Bujeon Market, for the Donghae Nambu Line and Bujeon Line.
Note: Busan plans to restore the full airport shuttle from Gimhae Airport by 2024.
Things to Do
Seomyeon Station is also connected to Seomyeon Underground Shopping Mall, so it's a mini retail paradise, where you can find various Korean skincare brands and affordable Korean fashion. (Not as great as Myeong Dong in Seoul but, in my opinion, the best place to shop in Busan and better than COEX Gangnam. Nampo-Dong is pretty sad and the sales attendants are much less friendly AND stingy with samples!)
There are very few places to eat in Seomyeon Underground Shopping Centre- I can only think of one place off-hand, which is almost always full- but you're an easy walk to Jeonpo Cafe Street or Seomyeon Market.
Why You Might Not Like the Area
The only thing to note is that the area around Seomyeon is much more rowdy than Seoul or Haeundae. (Right outside Lotte Hotel, you'll see drunks and rough sleepers, which are a fairly rare sight in Seoul. If you want somewhere more upmarket, definitely stay near Haeundae Beach instead.)
If you're looking for somewhere peaceful and tranquil to rest and relax, this isn't the right location for you. Moreover, I personally didn't feel as safe walking around Lotte Busan at night as I did in Seoul (although I didn't feel like I was in danger either.)
Whilst it's very central and it's easy to get to the major attractions, note that it's not walking distance to most of the top things to do in Busan, besides Jeonpo Cafe Street.(It takes quite a while to get to Haeundae, even though there's direct train access.)
Seomyeon is really the best area to stay if you want a city break, where you eat, shop, and club OR if you want to visit all the attractions in the different parts of Busan, such as Gwangalli beach and Jagalchi fish market .
Also since this is downtown, if you're looking for a Busan hotel with ocean views, this is not the are for you.
Lotte Hotel Busan
Recommended for: convenient location in downtown Busan, great Korean food, helpful staff, wheelchair-accessibility to shops and mall, next door supermarket, beautiful rooftop pool
This 5-star hotel is my favorite place to stay in downtown Busan. (Lotte Busan is also the closet thing to a luxury hotel on this list. Most of the five-star hotels are at Haeundae.)
Like Signiel Hotel, it's (obviously) owned by Lotte group. However, the standard of English and service level here are SO Much better. (This is also the most "luxurious" hotel in downtown Soemyeon FYI.)
With over 650 rooms and in a prime location, it's the largest hotel in Busan, but doesn't feel too crowqded.
I really like how there's wheelchair access from the hotels to the shopping area of Seomyeon underground mall and Lotte department store. (There's also direct underground access to Seomyeon Undeground Station which is a few minutes' walk away.) This is my favorite hotel in Seomyeon Busan to stay in when traveling with my elderly relatives.
Service/ English ability of Staff
The hotel staff spoke decent English and were SUPER helpful.
My boots actually broke when I was in Busan and, as I have large feet, I couldn't get a new pair of shoes. Thankfully, the hotel staff found me a cobbler in the Lotte Mall (which is directly connected to the Hotel.)
It was quite tucked away so I couldn't figure out where the shop was and the hotel staff went above and beyond the call of duty and actually brought me there personally! (However, she left before translating what I needed to the shopowner so luckily I can speak some basic Korean.)
Rooms
The rooms have good city views but they're VERY dated. Honestly, the rooms don't feel like luxurious at all!
Facilities
There's a fitness centre and all the works. Depending on your room type, you may have to pay to use the pool and sauna. The outdoor pool is surpisingly gorgeous- and I also appreciated how the staff don't allow people to take photos or film, so guests enjoy privacy.
Spa
There's a beauty salon but the treatment was only so-so- the one at Signiel Hotel was MUCH better- and the spa staff's level of English is non-existent. (It took me 3 or 4 tries to make an appointment as they kept asking me to call back when the English-speaking staff was around. Even then, it was not easy to make an appointment!
Food
The Korean restaurant is also very good- much better than the Korean food I had at Lotte Hotel Seoul, actually! (Chinese food not great.)
ADDRESS772 Gaya-daero, Busanjin-gu, Busan47257, South Korea
PHONE +82 51-810-1000
Ibis Ambassador Busan City Centre
If you're looking for a business hotel in a central location, consider Ibis Ambassador, which is a short walk to nextdoor Bujeon Subway Station. I actually used to stay at Ibis Myeong Dong when I used to travel to Seoul for work. It's quite good value-for-money, despite being a budget hotel.
Note: there's easy access to Bujeon underground mall but the stuff there is more for ahjummas. For trendy stuff, you want Seomyeon underground mall.
Facilities
If you'll be in Busan for a while, and want somewhere you can do laundry (for a small fee- there is a self-service laundrette), this is a good place. (Or Fairfield Hotel in Songdo Beach, but that's much less accessible in terms of public transport.)
Obviously, this is not the hotel for you if you want a spa or room service!
Rooms
Note that the rooms are clean but old and small AND- very important- the free Wi-Fi is slow! Bathrooms aren't the best.
Note: there are other Ibis outlets in Busan, such as in Haeundae.
Solaria Nishitetsu Hotel Busan
If you don't have the budget for Lotte Busan, Solaria Bishitetsu is a 4-star hotel you can consider.
Built in 2014, it's still fairly new- but the rooms look a bit dated- and has 203 rooms over 15 floors. There's an on-site cafe, 24-hour reception, fitness center and spa (additional charges apply, standard for Korean hotels.) The staff are friendly and you can even top up your T-money card at the reception. (The friendliness does not extend to an earlier check-in though, you need to pay for that, or they can store your luggage.)
The rooms have air-conditioning but it's centrally-controlled, and can be too warm and noisy at times. (Think 27C. You cannot change it to your individually preferred temperature.)
It's about 0.6km from Seomyeon subway station and not far from Lotte - 10 minute walk- but the area around the hotel feels a little rougher to me. (It's in between 2 subway stations so you're not that close to either.) You're right in the middle of the nightlife area- so close to restaurants- but the windows have good soundproofing.
The staff speak decent English and Japanese. (It's a Japanese hotel.)
ADDRESS 20 Seomyeon-ro, Busanjin-gu, Busan47289, South Korea
PHONE +82 51-802-8586
Arban Hotel
Opened in 2015, Arban Hotel has 94 rooms over 13 floors. It is located 300m from Seomyeon Medical Street, where all the plastic surgery clinics are. (If that's not your thing, there's also Bujeon Market 700m away.) A 3-star hotel, there are basic toiletries (Extra charge for toothbrush and toothpaste), a flat-screen TV, bedroom slippers, a fridge, sofa etc in the comfortable rooms. Unfortunately, the housekeeping can be a bit slip-shod and the rooms are not always as clean as you'd want them to be.
Arban Hotel has a 24-hour front desk, rooftop terrace, restaurant, Skylounge bar, business lounge (with printer), coin laundry etc
You can choose between a bathtub and shower in the rooms. However, some are facing a wall which can be depressing. (Rooms 18 and 19, amongst others.) Also there isn't a door for the bathroom- something to note if sharing the room with someone who's not your significant other. Good water pressure though.
Close to restaurants and entertainment options- it actually shares the building with other businesses such as a bowling alley (5F)- do not stay on level 6 or you'll hear all the pins falling till 2 to 4 am!- and Karaoke Rooms. Unfortunately, you might be able to hear the people singing from your rooms!
Other Hotels
- Toyoko Inn Busan Seomyeon: walls are thin. Not great if you're a light sleeper.
- Busan Business Hotel:
- Lion Hotel:
- Hotel tt Seomyeon: free private parking
- Angel Hotel: soundproofing and AC/ heating is bad. Also some rooms don't have a window!
- Brown Dot Hotel Seomyeon: free laundry service
Questions about where to stay in the city of Busan? Let me know in the comments or ask in my Korea Facebook group!
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