vacation with me in the cheju island

Cheju Island, South Korea

 

About Jeju

Among South Koreans, Jeju is often called "magical," which may be a bit of a stretch. In truth, the island is topographically very similar to mainland South Korea: mountainous, rocky, with thick forests and sandy beaches. Jeju is only 40 miles south of the Korean peninsula, so don't expect sub-tropical climates. Jeju even gets a snowy winter in some years. But vacations to Jeju from late spring through early fall have a lot to offer travelers. The two main cities, Jeju City in the north and Seogwipo in the south, are fairly standard Korean cities (spare for the handful of casinos in Jeju City), but outsides of the cities Jeju has miles of great swimming beaches and hiking trails. Jeju is home to South Korea's tallest mountain, the volcanic cone of Hallasan. The island is also home of some of South Korea's strangest tourist sites, such as the Teddy Bear Museum and Loveland, South Korea's only sex-themed amusement park (though there aren't any rides).

Getting To and Around Jeju

All flights to the island arrive at Jeju International Airport in Jeju City. Korean Air and Jeju Air fly several times daily, with flights to Gimpo Airport in Seoul and Gimhae Airport in Busan, though some less-regular flights also link other domestic airports. The flight from Seoul is less than two hours, and just over an hour from Busan. Shuttle buses run loops around the island, from Jeju City to Seogwipo along the west coast and then back to the airport along the east coast. The round trip is about two and a half hours long, and the buses stop at over 30 destinations along the ring. Tell the driver or ticket vendor at the airport your hotel name, and they'll tell you which stop is closest. Then hail a cab from the bus stop to your hotel. Ferries sail to Jeju from Busan, Ulsan and smaller cities on the south coast, and take anywhere from four hours to 24 hours.

Accommodations

In mainland South Korea, many expats on weekend getaways stay in love motels, as nightly rates are much cheaper than a standard hotel room. Motels are common in the two cities in Jeju, and you don't need reservations, but the more common and more comfortable option is a "pansion" room. This Korean word is adopted from pension-style vacation rentals in Europe, but is pronounced "pan-shun" in Korean. These rooms can be reserved for a single night or months at a time, and always include a kitchen and living room area. Prices vary depending on region. Check a map before you book, as some pansion rooms can be quite remote and unknown to taxi drivers. Jeju has a few resort hotels along the southern coast near Seogwipo, most notably Jungmun Resort.

Talking to Taxis

Taxis are especially cheap in South Korea, and short of renting a car in Jeju are your best bet for getting around after dark. But while the drivers in the cities on the mainland have dealt with tourists before and might know a few words of English, the taxi drivers on Jeju, which hasn't been as exposed to Western tourists, almost certainly won't. Whenever you go out, be sure to carry a business card with your hotel's name and phone number. It's not a bad idea to learn a few basic directions in Korean for explaining to your taxi driver. "Yugi" means "stop here," "oruncheok" means "right," "wencheok" means left and "jik-jin" means "straight ahead." You can rent a cell phone at Jeju International Airport, and it's not a bad idea to carry one around for late-night taxi trips.