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.