Need a quick and easy weekend vacation from Seoul? Look no further then Jeju Island! Jeju Island is the largest island in South Korea, located in Jeju Province, and is just a little over an hour flight from the mainland.
My friend Charlie and I landed in the afternoon, and checked into our hotel in Jeju City. We decided to check out the Dongmun Night Market for shopping and dinner. Vendors were handing out hallabong samples (Jeju's hybrid fruit similar to a tangerine). We bought gifts and goodies, and enjoyed a nice Korean BBQ dinner. The night came to a close at this little basement bar that had a great selection of local Korean craft beer.
On Saturday, we had a grand adventure around the island. This was definitely thanks to having a rental car, I would not go to Jeju without one. We went zip-lining and got a foot spa treatment at LAF. The foot spa woman only spoke a little English, but was the sweetest person ever. She helped show us all the products, and even offered to take our picture.
We then continued our drive north to the UNESCO Natural World Heritage site, Seongsan Ilchulbong, to see the home of women divers. Sadly, their show is not occurring currently due to COVID, but the park itself is beautiful and a great photo opportunity. We saw a temple, and got a fresh seafood dinner in town. Then we drove back along the coast and caught the sunset from a volcanic beach rock overlook.
Sunday, Charlie and I decided to split up. She wanted to hike Hallasan (which is like 8-10 hours - not my thing, but if it's yours, go for it!), and I wanted to see a waterfall and lay on the beach all afternoon. I chose Jeongbang Waterfall, a 23 m high waterfall that feeds directly into the ocean. Then I got some snacks and headed to Jungmun Saekdal Beach. Charlie finished her hike in early evening, and after picking her up and helping her new American friend to an ER (who hurt her wrist on the hike - she's okay now!), we headed to dinner, We chose to go to Jeju's famous black pork restaurant street. It was worth it! After a very filling meal we both got a great night's sleep!
We ended our last day in Jeju in style. Monday was full of adrenaline and fun! We went parasailing and on a Jetboat (think of it like a giant Jetski). We got splashed, and decided to continue the water adventuring back to Jungmun Saekdal Beach. We enjoyed lunch at the Cliff and got cocktails to go for the beach. The restaurant was a short walk from the sand and had a beautiful view of the ocean. The water at the beach was clear and calm, and not deep at all.
We were sad to pack up and go, but we had to make our night flight. All weekend I was searching for a specific birthday gifts for three of my coworkers, and the only place I saw it was the Market from Friday. On the way to the airport, Charlie helped me by relaying into the Market while I circled in the car, and then we achieved success by finding the gifts. She's awesome! It was way to busy to park anywhere due to the Korean holiday (Chuseok).
We made it just in time to return the rental car, board our flight, and land back in Seoul. The vacation was perfect. The only negative was the cab who tried to scam us on our ride home from the airport...but I reported him, and he will pay. Otherwise it was overall a wonderful weekend, and I highly recommend Jeju. I can't wait to go back! Too much to do, and so little time.
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