Jeju Island, South Korea
Welcome to Jeju, a paradise island in South Korea!
It has been a month and a half since I moved down to this beautiful area and I have been loving every single second of it. Palm trees and island breeze everywhere, beaches as close as 10 minutes by car, cute cafes all around…it certainly is a wonderful place to be.
The island is quite small, as it only takes an hour to go across from north to south, two hours from east to west by car. For a comparison, Jeju Island is 2.6 times bigger than Singapore – inviting all my Singaporean friends to explore a bigger island haha!
With the island being so small, tourists mostly choose a direction, either east or west, from the international airport (located in the northern part of the island) to explore for a whole day. This post will introduce several must visit spots along the eastern coast of the island. Total of six places, including three cafes, two beaches and one restaurant.
Transportation
In Jeju, you have to drive. There are public buses but the interval is too long, sometimes almost up to an hour! Thankfully my friends are kind enough to drive me around but without them I probably would have rented a car. There are many rental car services nearby the airport and in the city, and you can even download an app and order a car to be parked at the airport by the time you land. Super convenient!
Stop #1 Cafe Enough
-Address: 418-1, Goseong-ri, Aewol-eup, Jeju-si
-Menu recommendation: Hallabong cube pound 2,000 KRW (1.6 USD)
-What’s special: It was featured in a famous Korean dating show ‘Heart Signal’ season 3
Stop #2 Gimnyeong Beach
-Address: Gimnyeong beach, Gujwa-eup, Jeju-si
-Activity recommendation: banana boat, snorkeling, swimming, tanning
-What’s special: It has a wide strip of white and soft sandy beach, perfect for tanning!
Stop #3 Cafe Ri
-Address: Pyeongdae 2-gil 39, Gujwa-eup, Jeju-si
-Menu recommendation: Hallabong sorbet 6,000 KRW (5 USD)
-What’s special: There’s a very friendly cat and a large front yard with many photo zones
Stop #4 Hado Beach
-Address: Hwado beach, Gujwa-eup, Jeju-si
-Activity recommendation: swimming, snorkeling, tanning, canoeing
-What’s special: On a sunny day, the waters are super clear and blue, you can see everything under the water
Stop #5 Hado Pink
-Address: 43 Munjurallo 1-gil, Gujwa-eup, Jeju-si
-Menu recommendation: Shrimp risotto, spicy avocado pasta, white wine, citrus ade
Set for two including all of the above: 40,000 KRW (34 USD)
-What’s special: One of the best pasta and risotto place in South Korea! Fresh and flavorful
Stop #6 Cafe Loklok
-Address: Hado seomungil 40, Gujwa-eup, Jeju-si
-Menu recommendations: Egg tarts, but do ask them to heat it up.. 4500 KRW (3.8 USD)
-What’s special: Literally have a beach right outside the cafe, you can swim or snorkel and enjoy the sunset from outside seating
Summary
Here goes my first blog post in Jeju! Hope you enjoyed reading through my favorite spots. Refer to below summary for a quick recap on where to save on your google map!
-Transportation
Renting a car is highly recommended, expect to pay anywhere between 35-85 USD depending on the season and the type of car you rent.
-East side tour (1 day course)
#1 Cafe Enough -> #2 Gimnyeong Beach -> #3 Cafe Ri -> #4 Hado Beach -> #5 Hado Pink -> #6 Cafe Loklok
*conversion rate: 1,800 KRW to 1 USD approximately
Travel with Mon 