Sa Rang Chae

After a busy couple of days in Seoul, I took a train south to the historic city of Gyeongju on Tuesday. Arriving early afternoon the skies looked particularly ominous and sure enough, it began to rain just as I arrived at the guest house which would be my home the night. Whilst the weather wasn’t up to much the guest house was pleasantly surprising – consisting of a cluster of traditional-style buildings around a central courtyard Sa Rang Chae is extremely cheap (£10-15 per night) and has a very laid-back atmosphere.

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The rooms are also of a traditional style with thin walls, paper-lined doors, and blankets to sleep on (not for those with bad backs!). There are also self-catering facilities so that evening I managed to find a supermarket and cooked up a half-decent stir fry which was eaten under the parasol with the heavens pouring forth all around 🙂

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If you’re on a tight budget and would like to experience something a little different then I would definitely recommend it. Be sure to pick up a map of Gyeongju when you arrive as it’s easy to get lost when venturing off the main roads – there’s a tourist information centre at the train station which has them in English.

Next time… what to see in Gyeongju.

David avatar

8 responses

  1. Thanks to this post about Sa Rang Chae, I was able to find this excellent place to stay (without my Lonely Planet). No one in Gyeongju directed me to this guest house. I would not have found it if someone had no posted it on the web. It is one on the best place I stayed in in Korea (very traditional, very cheap, very friendly, very special). I felt like in a comics about traditional Korea. GMS

  2. Glad you managed to find it OK 🙂

    I completely agree with you, it was one of the nicest places I stayed in Korea, even if only for 1 night. Certainly a hidden gem.

  3. Mary avatar
    Mary

    hello,
    my friends and i are trying to escape the busyness of Seoul for the weekend and we’ve stumbled across this place several times on the web. unfortunately, i can’t anymore information about it on the web–address, phone number, cost, etc. could you possibly give me some more information? we’re bussing in from Seoul around 3am, so we were hoping to book ahead of time.
    thanks!

    1. Hi Mary, you should be able to find all the info you need here:

      http://www.kjstay.com/

      It’s a really nice place to stay – just make sure you print the map before you go as it’s a little tricky to find:

      http://www.kjstay.com/content_eng/map_pop.html

      Hope you enjoy your time in Gyeongju!

  4. Cynthia avatar
    Cynthia

    Hi,
    Thank you for the review.
    I was hoping to stay there however I was not able to email them with the email provided on their website to make a reservation. I was just wondering if you would know a different email or a different way to book-on-line?
    thank you for time!

  5. Yolondo avatar
    Yolondo

    Awesome post! Thanks!!!! I stayed there once too! It was great! Hey do you know the number to the place? I can’t find it online…

    1. Hi Yolando – from the map there seem to be two numbers:

      019-520-4868
      (054) 773-4868

      Glad you had a nice time there also 🙂

  6. Stephen avatar
    Stephen

    Wonderful, wonderful place. We stayed at Sae Rang Chae for 3 nights in the family room (ensuite) in Nov 2009. This made our Korean experience, especially for my two children (ages 7 and 10). The price is excellent and the location is fabulous. There were nightly activities – painting a fan with a local artist and hanji craft. Great memories. The owner even brought out her Hanbok for my daughter to wear – lovely!

    If your looking for a great and traditional Korean exerience – stay here!

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