We had a little family vacation in May and I am so excited to write down (type) all our memories here. We had a 7 days 6 nights vacation in Jeju Island around mid-May. We stayed at 2 different accommodation. Very little planning done as it was pretty last minute. However, I thought it was a wonderful trip with good weather and great company.
Jeju Island here we come – Day 1
THANK YOU AirAsia for making it possible for us to fly directly to Jeju! Apart from us not being able to land on the first try, it was a smooth plane ride. I kid you not when I say that. The plan was descending and you can see the runway and suddenly the whole plan started shaking and wobbling, then the plane started going upwards, away from the ground. Then we heard the announcement from the captain (30 minutes later) that there is a cross-wind and it is very difficult to land. So he had to find other ways to land the plane safely. Thank god we managed to land safely (thanks to the pilot and AirAsia crew) but we were late by about 1.5 hours.
Once we landed, we were slightly rushing to do all the following:
- Get the pocket wi-fi (which hubs managed to get it quite quickly)
- Get the map of Jeju Island (at the information counter upon arrival)
- Find out where we can take the shuttle bus to get our car (asked the information counter!)
We got on the shuttle bus and went to Avis (the rental car company) to get our vehicle. Tips: Make sure you check the model of the car and double check the size before you book the car. We settled for a Ssangyong Tivoli which we thought looks like a Mazda CX5 in photos. However, it was a horror when we tried to fit all of us and the luggage into the car! It was really really tight! Having said that, it is really quite a cool car. Unfortunately they no longer sell Ssangyong cars in Malaysia.
Right after we took the car, we head straight for food. First stop – Jamae Noodles. More information about Jamae noodles can be found here
The place we call home for 3 nights – Seogwipo
Highly recommended – La Pause Pension at Seogwipo. I think there is no need for words as the photos say it all. I must say that the owner is friendly and speaks good English, the place is really cozy and clean too!
As we were extremely tired, we went to a nearby supermarket (C-Mart) and bought instant noodles for dinner.
Drizzling and rainy on Day 2
It was drizzling all day on Day 2 of our vacation! So we decided to stay a bit more indoor and go somewhere nearby. We woke up early and went to the Seogwipo Maeil Olle Market (Maeil means Everyday). You can find fresh food and fruits here. There is a multi-level carpark so it is quite convenient. We walked around the market, had some snacks (mandu = dumplings, steamed buns & freshly squeezed orange juice) and decided to have lunch at the busiest restaurant at the market.
Next stop: O’sulloc Tea Museum and Innisfree shop
As it was still drizzling after lunch, we decided to do another indoor activity and made our way to O’sulloc Tea Museum which is located in Andeok. There is also an innisfree jeju house shop located right next to O’Sulloc tea museum, so it is like killing 2 birds with 1 stone. I have already made a list of what I wanted to get from innisfree before we left for Jeju!
Dinner time: Jeju black pork BBQ place – Childonga at Seogwipo
What to eat for dinner on a rainy day? Definitely the famous black pork bbq in Jeju! Thanks to the recommendation of the owner at La Pause Pension house, we found this famous black pork BBQ restaurant at Seogwipo.
The restaurant is quite nice as they are not strict and force us to order 4 portions of BBQ pork. In fact, they were reasonably priced and we ordered the set that is for 2 person which was around KRW54,000 (approx, MYR 200)
Day 3 – Cloudy followed by sunshine, perfect for going outdoors
Jungmun
Breakfast at Jungmun Haenyeo eui Jib (Jungmun Women Diver’s house) for abalone porridge. This is my 2nd time here and we still love it. Didn’t take photos of the porridge because Baby A was cranky that morning. But after our meal, she was in a better mood when she saw the sea!
We then went for a drive around Jungmun area and was contemplating whether to visit one of the museums/garden in Jungmun area or go to Hallim Park as the weather is perfect to go to the park. As we have been to the teddy bear museum, Cheonjiyeon waterfall and the Alive museum in Jungmun, we decided we will skip those. Also, Baby A prefers exploring and running around so we decided to have coffee at Twosome coffee place (Jungmun) and drive to Halim Park.
Hallim Park
The ride from Jungmun to Hallim Park was pleasant and it was not that far away – approximately 30 minutes. It was a bit cloudy in the morning but the moment we arrived at Hallim Park, the weather turned for the better. It was breezy and the sun was up too. The park is really big reaching almost 100 thousand square meters and has a variety of gardens which you can enjoy at any season. They will give you a map and you can go around different parts of the park. We had lunch at Hallim Park (there were 3 restaurants there) and it took us approximately 3 hours and 30 minutes to finish exploring the whole park. Below are some of my favorite shots at Hallim Park.
Baby A made friend with this little girl while we were there. We spent a good 30 minutes walking around because the two of them cannot be separated! I also realized that my outfit that day blend in with the park! More information about Hallim Park here
After being out the whole day, we decided to have kimchi jjim (braised kimchi) for dinner. We googled for a place and found Hanok-jib Kimchi-jjim in Seogwipo. I love the food there BUT I do need to caution you that they only have 4 different types of kimchi-jjim on their menu. So if you have 4 pax, you need to order 4 portion. No such thing as 3 portions to share. You can order the egg roll as side dish. The ramyun (instant noodle) is free (on the house).
Day 4 – Checked out from La Pause Pension, Seogwipo to Downtown Jeju
Jakwangsa temple, Daejeong
It was sad to say bye bye to our beautiful house in Seogwipo. Can’t believe 3 days passed by so quickly. Our plan on Day 4 was to make a few stops on our way to downtown Jeju. The perks of having your own car in Jeju is that you do not need to limit your trip. First stop: Jakwangsa temple at Daejeong.
Aewol & Monsant Cafe
After lunch at Daejeon, near the temple, we continued our journey to Aewol. One of the main purpose is to visit the Monsant Cafe because we thought that or we read that G-dragon owns it. (We only found out that GD no longer owns the cafe after we left Jeju) Even so, the place is very beautiful and worth the visit. There are many other cafes near there worth visiting.
We arrived at our hotel in downtown Jeju (Shinjeju) just in time for check in. The hotel that we will be staying in the next 3 nights is called Hotel W Shinjeju. It is quite strategic as it is near shopping area and also restaurants.
Yongduam Haesu Spa Land (용두암해수랜드)
That night itself, we wanted to go for jimjilbang. There was 1 near us about 10 minutes drive away called Yongduam Haesu Spa Land (용두암해수랜드). We had dinner nearby the jimjilbang (the food was not great and expensive!)
My experience at the jimjilbang with Baby A: at the traditional hot water bathtub, I could only go into 1 twith the lowest temperature (not too hot). Baby A was the centre of attraction to many women, ladies and girls. Most of them came to the bathtub that I was in with Baby A and asked me how old is she and what is her name. After the hot water spa, we showered and went to the common area to rest. Baby A was excited there as they had a small playground with slide. We also bought sikhye and hard-boiled eggs (just like how the korean does it). The sikhye was absolutely perfect to cool our body in the sauna room.
Day 5 – Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak & Da Hee Yeon Greentea farm
Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak
Early morning, around 7am, we depart to Seongsan Ilchulbong. The last time I was there, I couldn’t hike up due to my slip disc but this time, I was determined to hike up, together with hubs and Baby A! AND WE DID IT all the way to the peak!!! Thankfully we had the baby carrier ring sling to “assist us”. Hubs sling Baby A on his back on the way up, half way he gave up and Baby A started walking up the stairs with us step by step. On our way down, it was quite dangerous so I carried her down with the baby sling.
After we finished hiking, we went for Gimbap at a shop nearby and also some shopping at innisfree. Then we depart to our next destination.
Da Hee Yeon Greentea Farm
This would be my 2nd time here but the experience is always different as we have Baby A with us now! The entrance fee is quite interesting at Da Hee Yeon, you can either pay the admission fee for adult or you can purchase food or drink coupon and enter for free! We ordered 2 meals and 2 drinks (good thing we are allowed to share here). We were craving for tonkatsu so we ordered 2 tonkatsu set (comes with green tea rice). You can have the meal at their restaurant and the drinks at the cave cafe. The cave cafe is pretty interesting as they literally build the cafe inside the cave itself.
Dinner time – we were craving for more samgyupsal and we had a superbly nice dinner where they grill the samgyupsal with kimchi the last trip. So we decided to hunt for the restaurant and have the samgyupsal with kimchi!
Day 6 – Chill out day at Dongmun Market & last minute shopping
We started our day visiting the Dongmun Traditional Market to have seafood stew. It is a huge market and they sell all types of products from mackerel, small octopus, hairtail, abalone to fruits, clothes, herbs, tangerine, black pork, makgeolli and many more! We walked around the fish market and decided to go into the restaurant that the menu look least expensive. The staff was also very friendly. You select the seafood and they will cook them and serve it at the restaurant right behind.
Since this is our last night, we decided to just chill out and do some last minute shopping. We went for a stroll along the coast and went to the departmental store nearby. In the evening, we had dinner near Jeju Chilsung fashion street (had some soju + beer) and more shopping! There are more high fashion brands on Chilsung street and we managed to get quite good bargains on Adidas sport shoes!
Last day in Jeju
On our last day, we checked out after quick brunch (at the convenience store), then hubs dropped us at the airport and went to return the car. 6 nights passed by so quickly and although it was my 3rd time to Jeju, it was totally a different experience. 1st time in Jeju, Hubs proposed to me. 2nd time, my sis in law joined us and we tried to explore more places. It was a nice Busan-Jeju trip. This time, it’s a family trip with hubs, mom in law, sis in law and Baby A. We enjoyed Jeju so much that we decided a Jeju only trip for 6 nights. Some people asked if 6 nights was too long, I said “we haven’t even covered all the places we wanted to go!”, so you tell me!
Below is the map of Jeju so you are familiar with some of the places that I have mentioned in my blog.
