slothis · English

Hostel Bravo: Great Stay Near Irkutsk Airport

2016-05-10 · Updated: 2026-08-11 · Original (Korean)

This article was translated from the original Korean post with AI assistance. Read the original Korean post →
A large outdoor sign with the words Hostel Bravo and a phone number.
Hostel Bravo. There is a large sign that is hard to see at night. It is only a 3-minute walk from the airport, so it is easy to find.

After leaving home at 10 AM and enduring a long flight and layover, the clock read 12:30 AM Korean time, and 11:30 PM local time. I had finally arrived in Irkutsk.

Irkutsk Airport is even smaller than Khabarovsk Airport. There is one feature here that might catch you off guard: baggage claim is right in front of the exit. This means you pick up your luggage alongside families waiting with flowers or alongside the only taxi drivers in Russia with wide smiles.

Black graphic art of musical notes and dandelion seeds drawn on a wall.

When planning this trip, I paid the most attention to our first accommodation. Since our flight arrived at 11:30 PM, the hostel absolutely had to be within walking distance. Plus, since we started this trip on a tight budget, it had to be cheap. I booked and canceled two places from Seoul after reading bad reviews before finally settling on Hostel Bravo.

It is located right next to the parking lot as you walk out of the airport, and I was relieved to find it much nicer inside than I expected. The hostel is equipped with cooking utensils, an electric kettle for boiling water, a washing machine, an iron, and even a vending machine for quick snacks and drinks. The downsides are that you have to buy cold drinking water and the bed sinks in like a sponge, but these are totally understandable, so I would say it is all good. For this price (15,000 KRW per person and it is not even the cheapest room here), we really lucked out for our first stay.

Inside a small accommodation room with two single beds covered in white bedding and luggage.
Since it was our first day and we were arriving late, I put a lot of thought into booking this room. It is quite nice for the price.

What really moved me was the host, Andrew. This guy is incredibly kind.

Even though I had let him know in advance, we arrived past midnight. He must have been tired dealing with two Asian guys unapologetically asking a bunch of questions, but he went out of his way to help us. On the day we moved to Listvyanka, he put all his effort into explaining how to catch the bus, and even gave us his business card with his number, telling us to call if we ran into any issues. I do not know if I will ever return to Irkutsk, but if I do, I would want to stay here again just because of Andrew—that is how well he treated us.

I doubt many people will go to Irkutsk just from reading my post, but if you do end up going—especially if you land late at night and feel like you need to call a taxi—I highly recommend staying at Hostel Bravo. The beds leave a bit to be desired, but they aren't bad for the price, and all the other necessary facilities are there. Plus, the host's wonderful personality more than makes up for any shortcomings.

A person entering a building entrance next to a banner with an airplane drawing on a dark night.
It wasn't hard to find, but it did feel a bit like hunting for hidden treasure.
A long, narrow hallway with musical instrument drawings on the wall and a sofa at the end.
A two-stall glass shower booth with white frames.
A tilted shot of the shower room because I took it in a hurry. It is quite clean. It is a shared bathroom.
An ironing board, a laundry drying rack, and potted plants placed next to a radiator by the window.
Two glass-door refrigerators displaying beverages, bottled water, and beer.
You can easily buy drinks, snacks, and beer inside. It is slightly pricey, but as you will realize if you arrive in Irkutsk late at night when all the shops are closed, this is a huge perk.
Ramyeon (instant noodles) mixed in red sauce and two forks inside a stainless steel pot.
Bibimmyeon (spicy cold noodles) on the very first day.
A person preparing to cook ramyeon (instant noodles) at the counter next to the kitchen sink.
My older brother must have a license in making bibimmyeon. It was so delicious and perfectly chewy.
A Faxe Premium lager beer bottle held in a hand, with a person sitting in the background holding a beer bottle.
To celebrate our arrival in Russia, we drank Danish beer. (Wait, what!?)

Additional Pre-Departure Expenses

Total: 118,410 KRW

Expenses (Per Person)

Total: 980 RUB

Total Trip Expenses: 525,936 KRW + 980 RUB