Hostel CLEO Hongdae
by the TopOfHotel team
Hostel CLEO is a white-and-wood minimalist hostel with a rooftop terrace, right in the middle of Hongdae Walking Street.
Hostel CLEO is a white-and-wood minimalist hostel with a rooftop terrace, right in the middle of Hongdae Walking Street.
In-Depth Review
Rooms and decor
Hostel CLEO Hongdae sits in a 4-storey white-and-wood building that looks more like a minimalist coffee shop than a hostel, with green plants by the door and a clean white lobby of wood furniture, a grey sofa and contemporary art. The female-only dorm is a 4-bed, 16 sqm room — all white, with two natural-wood bunk beds, linen privacy curtains, power and USB sockets, LED reading lights and under-bed lockers. Its Japanese-influenced en-suite is kept very clean, the shower runs hot, and free Aromatica (a Korean organic brand) soap and shampoo are provided. The 6-bed mixed dorm is the same style for a few dollars less. Reviewers consistently praise the cleanliness and the design.
Food and amenities
The ground-floor common area has free coffee 24 hours from a Nespresso machine, snacks, a sofa and 100 Mbps Wi-Fi. The common kitchen is small — a 2-burner stove, a microwave and a large fridge — so it's fine for a quick meal but tight if a few people want to cook at once. Up top, the 4th-floor rooftop terrace looks out over Hongdae, with wood chairs, a round table and flowering hydrangeas and succulents. It's open 06:00–22:00 and is where guests tend to gather for sunset.
Location and getting there
The location is CLEO's strongest card. Step out the door and you're on Hongdae Walking Street in about 1 minute — a 500-metre pedestrian strip packed with Korean restaurants, K-style cafes, cosmetics shops like Innisfree, Etude and Skinfood, and indie musicians playing live. Hongik University Station is a 5-minute walk, so the rest of Seoul is easy to reach. For dinner, the hostel points guests toward nearby Korean BBQ, including Honey Pig.
Things to know before booking
Dorms start a couple of dollars above Inno down the street, so you're paying a small premium for the look and the rooftop. There's no pub lounge on site, so for a night out you head to a bar on the Walking Street. And the kitchen is genuinely small — plan around roughly 2 people cooking at a time.
Our take
Hostel CLEO is the pick for design-minded travelers who want to be right on Hongdae Walking Street, and especially for solo women who want a female dorm with an en-suite bathroom. The white-and-wood minimalism, the rooftop terrace and a starting price near $20 add up to strong value — the 8.5/10 score reflects it.
Score Breakdown
Assessed by our editorial team from data and real guest reviews
The Honest Verdict — pros & what to know
- The location is the real draw — step out the door and you're on Hongdae Walking Street, a 1-minute walk to restaurants, cafes and shops.
- A 4th-floor rooftop terrace with wood chairs and flowering plants, open 06:00–22:00, where guests gather for sunset.
- The white-and-wood minimalist style with greenery reads more like a cafe than a hostel — easy on the eye and photo-friendly.
- The 4-bed female-only dorm comes with its own en-suite bathroom, which adds a real sense of privacy and security for solo women travelers.
- Free coffee runs 24 hours in the lobby from a Nespresso machine, and Wi-Fi is a steady 100 Mbps.
- Dorms start at about $20, a couple of dollars more than Inno just down the street — a small premium for the design and the rooftop.
- There's no pub lounge on site, so for a drink you'll head out to one of the bars on the Walking Street.
- The common kitchen is small — really only room for about 2 people to cook at once, so it backs up at peak times.
Who It’s For
Match Score by travel style
Amenities
Location & Nearby Spots
Things to do near Seoul
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Insider Tips
- Ask for a dorm bed by the window — you get a look out over Hongdae Walking Street.
- The rooftop terrace is open 06:00–22:00; around sunset is the best time to go up.
- The free lobby coffee is a Nespresso espresso, available 24 hours, so grab one on your way out in the morning.