A Resident’s View of Gaepo, Banpo, One Bailey & One Pentas
When people outside Korea hear about luxury apartments in Seoul, the first thing they often notice is the price. What interests me more is how much of everyday life can happen inside the complex—and how modest some of the resident fees can be.
I live at Gaepo Xi Presidence, a newer apartment complex in Seoul’s Gangnam district. I’ve also lived in several apartment complexes in Banpo, including Banpo Xi, Banpo Mido, and Raemian Firstige.
More recently, I had the opportunity to tour apartment interiors and community facilities at Raemian One Pentas and Raemian One Bailey in Banpo. I have never lived at either complex.
The homes I toured were in the 40-pyeong range, while my own home at Gaepo Xi Presidence is in the 33-pyeong range. These are the size descriptions commonly used in Korea; when comparing listings, it is important to check which area measurement they refer to.
What stayed with me was how these complexes bring together homes, shared facilities, and everyday services. A gym, sauna, pool, study room, café, or resident restaurant can become part of daily life without requiring a separate trip across the neighborhood.
Here is what that looks like through my experience as a resident, a former Banpo resident, and a visitor.
What “Luxury Apartment” Means to Me in Seoul
Photo-A fireside seating area beside the infinity pool at Gaepo Xi Presidence.
The word apartment may bring a single building to mind. In Seoul, many families live in large complexes with multiple high-rise buildings and shared grounds.
Some newer developments feel almost like small neighborhoods. Depending on the complex, residents may have access to fitness facilities, study spaces, cafés, restaurants, guest rooms, and landscaped gardens within the property.
Throughout this article, I use community facilities to mean these shared amenities for residents.
What feels luxurious to me is the convenience as much as the design. Some services also feel surprisingly affordable compared with paying to use similar facilities separately outside the complex.
Gaepo Xi Presidence: My Experience as a Resident
Photo — A view from my living room at Gaepo Xi Presidence.
Of the three complexes in this article, Gaepo Xi Presidence is the one I know as a current resident.
It is in Gaepo-dong, Gangnam. The property listing referenced for this article gives its size as 3,375 households.
My home at Gaepo Xi Presidence is what Koreans commonly call a 33-pyeong apartment, with about 84㎡ of private living area. The homes I toured at Raemian One Pentas and One Bailey were larger, in the 40-pyeong range.
In Korea, apartment sizes are often described in pyeong based on the broader sale or supply area, so a “33-pyeong apartment” does not mean 109㎡ of private interior space.
A Quieter Setting With Mountain Views
Photo — Gaepo Xi Presidence with the surrounding mountains.
Gaepo feels quieter to me than Banpo, and the nearby mountains make a difference to how the neighborhood feels.
From parts of the complex, including the upper-level community spaces, there are beautiful mountain views. The infinity pool and sky lounge are among my favorite features. There are also landscaped areas and a tea house within the grounds.
Spending time in those spaces can feel a little like staying at a resort, even though I’m at home in Seoul. That feeling is a large part of why I enjoy living here.
Shared Facilities That Become Part of Daily Life
Gaepo Xi Presidence has a fitness center, swimming facilities, a sauna, golf practice facilities, study areas, guest accommodation, a sky lounge, an infinity pool, and a tea house.
For me, the value is in how easily some of these spaces fit into daily life—and what they cost to use.
Based on my own resident experience, our household pays around ₩20,000–₩30,000 per month for basic access to the fitness facilities. This includes a certain number of visits, with a small additional charge for extra visits.
There is also a resident restaurant. Meals have cost me around ₩10,000, and residents can bring guests to dine with them. In my experience, guest meals cost roughly 10% more than the resident price. Coffee has been around ₩3,000.
These are approximate fees and prices from my own experience, not fixed rates. Community charges and operating rules can change.
That is one of the things I find most interesting about apartment living here. Some facilities have the look and feel of a hotel, while the prices residents pay to use particular services can be relatively modest.
The Less Photogenic Conveniences
Some of the features I appreciate most are practical ones.
There are spaces where children can wait for school or academy transportation, as well as places to study. There is a household food-waste system that makes disposal easier, and underground storage spaces for individual households.
These details are less striking in photographs than an infinity pool, but they make a difference to everyday life.
Inside My 33-Pyeong Home
Inside my apartment, the kitchen faces the living area rather than being tucked away.
There is built-in space for Korean kitchen appliances, including a kimchi refrigerator, and a dressing-room-style storage area rather than just freestanding wardrobes.
A smart-home panel controls various functions. I use it for things such as lighting, and I can call the elevator before leaving the apartment.
Each feature is fairly practical on its own. Together, they make my home feel efficient and convenient to live in.
What I Find Less Convenient About Gaepo
The quieter setting comes with a trade-off.
Gaepo feels more removed from major shopping and commercial areas than Banpo or Jamsil. When I lived in Banpo, Shinsegae Gangnam and the restaurants and shops around Express Bus Terminal felt much more immediately accessible.
That is one of the differences I notice most after moving to Gaepo. When I want more shopping, restaurants, or cafés, I often go to other parts of Gangnam. Apgujeong is one of the areas I visit regularly.
I enjoy the greenery and calmer atmosphere in Gaepo, but I do miss some of the urban convenience I had in Banpo.
I enjoy the greenery and calmer atmosphere, but I do miss some of that urban convenience.
Raemian One Pentas: My Impressions From a Tour
Photo — A community space at Raemian One Pentas in Banpo.
My experience of Raemian One Pentas comes from touring a home and the shared facilities. I have never lived there, so I can describe my impressions of the visit, but not its day-to-day resident experience.
The development information cited for this article lists 641 households in six buildings, with occupancy beginning in 2024. It is smaller than the other two complexes discussed here.
That scale was noticeable during my visit. One Pentas felt quiet, compact, and intimate to me.
I toured a home in the 40-pyeong range as well as the common areas. The shared facilities were substantial for a complex of its size.
Samsung C&T’s published tour describes approximately four pyeong of community space per household, including fitness and golf facilities, study spaces, and a cafeteria. Its materials also describe a facial-recognition kiosk system for community-facility reservations.
Those are details from the published materials, separate from my impressions during the tour.
What I remember most is the sense of a more contained residential setting. Gaepo Xi Presidence feels like a large residential resort to me; One Pentas felt smaller and quieter.
I liked that atmosphere. A tour, however, cannot tell me what frustrations or inconveniences I might notice after living there.
Photo — The kitchen inside a home I toured at Raemian One Pentas.
Raemian One Bailey: A Tour in a Familiar Neighborhood
Photo — Landscaping inside Raemian One Bailey in Banpo.
I also toured an apartment in the 40-pyeong range and community facilities at Raemian One Bailey. As with One Pentas, I have never lived there.
Published development information lists 2,990 households in 23 buildings, with residents beginning to move in during 2023.
What stood out to me was the location as much as the apartment itself.
Photo — The living room inside a home I toured at Raemian One Bailey.
What I Know About Living in Banpo
My perspective on the neighborhood comes partly from having lived at Banpo Xi, Banpo Mido, and Raemian Firstige.
Banpo generally feels busier and more urban to me than Gaepo. It is also extremely convenient.
One Bailey is close to the Han River and the Express Bus Terminal commercial and transit area. Samsung C&T’s location information highlights walking access to subway lines 3, 7, and 9, along with nearby Shinsegae Department Store Gangnam, Famille Station, and the Express Bus Terminal underground shopping area.
That combination helps explain why the location stood out during my visit. Shopping, restaurants, transportation, and the river are all part of the surrounding neighborhood.
My familiarity with Banpo helps me appreciate that setting, but it does not mean I know what commuting or daily life is like from a particular apartment at One Bailey.
Photo — The underground walkway connecting One Bailey to the Express Bus Terminal area.
A Location Some International Families May Want to Explore
The surrounding area may also interest international families.
Dulwich College Seoul and Gyeseong Elementary School are in the broader Banpo area, and the property information referenced for this article names them among nearby schools.
I would treat their location as a starting point for further research, rather than a reason on its own to choose an apartment. Proximity should not be read as confirmation of admission or eligibility.
For a family considering this area, the practical questions would include school access, transportation, and the journey to work.
The Part That Is Hard to Understand From Photos: Everyday Use
Photographs can show a pool or lounge. They reveal much less about how residents use those spaces, what is included in their fees, or what costs extra.
Depending on the complex, shared amenities may include:
- Fitness centers, swimming pools, and saunas
- Golf practice facilities
- Libraries and study rooms
- Sky lounges and guest accommodation
- Cafés and resident restaurants
- Children’s spaces and senior clubs
The property information referenced for One Bailey lists a pool, sauna, fitness center, golf facilities, library and study spaces, children’s facilities, guest accommodation, and a cafeteria.
Samsung C&T’s materials describe extensive shared facilities at One Pentas too, despite its smaller size.
The fees are a separate question.
The gym, meal, and coffee prices I mentioned earlier come from my own experience at Gaepo Xi Presidence. I have had similar experiences of relatively affordable resident services at Banpo Xi, but I am not presenting the Gaepo prices as Banpo Xi’s current rates.
I also do not know the current resident charges at One Pentas or One Bailey. Touring their facilities does not give me the same understanding of costs or daily use that I have where I live.
How Gaepo and Banpo Feel Different to Me
Gaepo suits the parts of my life where I value quiet, greenery, and time at home. I enjoy looking toward the mountains and being able to spend a surprising amount of the day within the complex.
My experience of living in Banpo was more urban. There was more happening around me, which could feel busy, but I appreciated having so much nearby.
The two newer Banpo complexes I toured also left different impressions. One Pentas felt quieter and more intimate during my visit. At One Bailey, I was particularly aware of the surrounding shops, transit, and access to the river.
These are observations from different kinds of experience, not a ranking of the three complexes.
What Luxury Means to Me After Living Here
Views, finishes, and architecture all contribute to how a home feels. But many of the things I value most are ordinary conveniences.
I can work out without making a separate trip to a gym. There are places to study, use a sauna, meet someone for coffee, or have a reasonably priced meal within the complex. Children have shared spaces, and households have storage underground.
Inside my home, the layout and smart-home controls make everyday tasks a little easier.
Some services carry their own charges, as the examples above show. What I appreciate is having so much close at hand, with certain resident services available at relatively modest prices.
The infinity pools and skyline views make striking photographs. What keeps my attention as a resident is how those shared spaces and practical details fit into an ordinary day.