Jeju is a hot tourist spot booming with unique attractions, including the popular and outrageous adult sculpture park, Loveland, created by Hongik University Graduates. It’s not for the bashful! Above all, Jeju is a popular honeymoon destination because of its romantic sunrises and sunsets, mild climate and beautiful sandy beaches. Adventurers can hike to Baeknok Lake at the top of Mount Halla, South Korea’s highest peak. Keep an eye out for the “haenyeo,” female divers gathering fresh seafood, and the iconic “grandfather statues” displayed outside of many restaurants.
The volcanic island features swaying palm trees, cactus plants, orange orchards, circus shows, casinos, a dozen sandy beaches, 14 golf courses, scuba diving and much more. Jejudo is Korea’s holiday and honeymoon island, where even bank tellers sport colourful, open-necked aloha shirts.
Attaractions and Thing to do on Jeju Island
HOTEL
LUXURY
Hyatt Regency Jeju
Located on a sloping cliff overlooking the ocean and surrounded by cultivated greenery, amenities at this 223-room hotel include traditional Korean-style ondol rooms with heated floors and a private balcony in each room. The hotel’s proximity to the Jungmun Tourist Complex means easy access to a casino, golf, shopping and ocean sports. Fans of the massive hit Korean drama “Boys Over Flowers” might recognize the triangular white wedding chapel from the wedding scene.
Lotte Hotel Jeju
Unabashedly extravagant, this best of Jeju Island hotel has whimsical touches like the Pungcha Lounge, a cafe inside a windmill. The in-house casino on the sixth floor runs 365 days a year and has a modest claim to fame from the Korean wave drama “All In.”
The hotel’s outdoor spa and garden, He:on, is the largest in Jeju, but guests who’d rather not mingle with others can opt for a private cabana or head toward the private beach lounge.
The showiest feature is the volcano fountain show at 8:30 p.m. each day, from the creators of the volcano show at the Mirage in Las Vegas.
Villa de Aewol
This boutique hotel is close to Jeju Airport and Hyeopjae Beach and has on-site golf, a 25-meter-long outdoor swimming pool and spa. The sea of Aewol can be seen in the distance while the fourth-floor suite has a view of the sea and Halla Mountain.
There’s nothing excessive or lavish about the place, but it offers excellent value for chic and spacious rooms in a quieter area of the island.
Rates begin at about ₩130,000 ($114) a night for a Deluxe Double room, a studio-sized room with a Queen-sized bed; rates vary by season.
BUDGET
Guesthouse Bomnal
Located directly on the rocks by Handam Shore, Bomnal, which means “spring day” in Korean, perfectly communicates the breezy, fresh and welcoming atmosphere of Jeju.
The café has pretty footpaths and a view of the ocean, which is right behind the café and guest house.
Citrus BnB Guest House
It seems misleading in some ways to categorize Citrus BnB Guest House as “budget,” because the competitive pricing belies the quiet elegance of this clean, cozy and comfortable guesthouse.
The organic tangerine orchard in which the house sits, and the thoughtful and caring owner, “Young,” are amenities you can't get at a hotel, no matter how resourceful the concierge.
The place has all the basics, from Wi-Fi to complimentary breakfasts and air conditioning, but what keeps travelers returning are touches like artwork from the owner -- paintings, pottery, rugs -- or even the welcoming owner herself.
To do :
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| Hiking Jeju Island |
Jeju Olle
“Olle” is Jeju dialect for the path between street and doorstep. But the Jeju Olle is a series of walking paths that stretch across the southern coast of the island, winding through forests, grassy volcanic cones, villages and rare mountain vistas overlooking the sea.
Walking at least a section of one of the routes along the Jeju Olle, which adds up to more than 200 kilometers (124 miles) of footpath, is one of the best ways to get acquainted with the island.
There are 25 different routes to choose from, and they’re organized by level of difficulty on the official Jeju Olle website.
Halla Mountain
Jeju Island is at its essence a volcano in the sea. The mother volcano is Halla Mountain, no longer formidable as a volcano -- it’s been dormant for tens of thousands of years -- but still South Korea’s tallest peak at 1,950 meters (6,397 feet) above sea level.
The mountain, the surrounding Hallasan National Park and the volcanic cones have collectively amassed an extensive list of national and UNESCO designations for their biodiversity.
But none of these honors really convey the sheer scale of the mountain, or the beauty of the flora that change character at higher elevations.
The number of identified plants alone amounts to more than 1,800, and the place is also home to thousands of different animal species.
A trek to the peak is worth it for the sight of Baekrokdam, the volcanic crater-turned-lake that tops the mountain. Starting at the Seongpanak Entrance, the 9.6-kilometer (6-mile) hike to the summit takes about five hours. It's a true best of Jeju Island experience.
Horseback riding
Jeju Island has long had a reputation for finely bred horses and horseback riding, with its own breed of island pony, the jorangmal, which have been bred and raised on the island for hundreds of years.
Eoseungsaeng Horse & Deer ranch offers three levels of horseback riding based on the riders’ ability, in pastures renowned for their scenery and for the deer that roam freely on the grounds.
Another option is the OK Horse Ranch, where a basic 10- to 15-minute ride costs ₩25,000 ($22). Experienced riders can canter on their own for longer if they're willing to pay a bit more. And those who just want to hop on and hop off with a commemorative photo can get a snapshot astride a horse for ₩11,000 ($10).
Seongsan Ilchulbong
Seongsan Ilchulbong, which literally means “Sunrise Peak at Seongsan” is unsurprisingly famous for its spectacular sunrises.
The trapezoidal silhouette of this 182-meter volcanic cone is dramatic.
The crater at the top is accessible from the nearby village via a sloping, grassy hill. Visitors can walk along the ridge of the 600-meter-wide crater and admire the view out to sea or down toward the village.
Beaches
Hitting the beach is a best of Jeju Island activity.
While in some sense the entire province is bordered by beaches (if not cliffs), the two model beaches are Hyeopjae Beach and Jungmun Beach.
White sands and water in shades of tropical blue are a given, as is Mount Halla as a distant backdrop. Both beaches have nearby caves to explore.
Jungmun is more suitable for water sports thanks to more hard-hitting waves, while Hyeopjae supports more staid activities with its shallow waters.
Teddy Bear Museum
This quirky, elaborate museum specializes in adorable teddy bear tableaus modeled after famous paintings or dressed in period costume, as well as designer teddy bears too expensive to be called toys.
The collection includes an impressive array of antique teddy bears and the smallest teddy bear in the world.
Manjang Caves (Manjanggul)
The Manjang Caves are actually an extinct lava tube -- the longest tube on Jeju Island, to be specific, at 13 kilometers (8 miles) long.
It encases the largest recorded lava column in the world, which is 7.6 meters (25 feet) tall.
Visitors cannot traverse the entire length of the tube, but even a sampling is intriguing.
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