Jeju: Eat, Sleep, Beach

Considered to be the Hawaii of Korea, Jeju is the go-to destination for many Asians thanks to its beautiful beaches, lush nature and laid back vibes. Sandwiched in between our time in Hong Kong and Seoul, it served as the perfect place to unplug and recharge.

Every now and then, a destination will surprise me. Sardinia, specifically Porto Cervo, emerged out of nowhere as one of the most beautiful places I've ever been to. Roatan, Honduras became one of my favorite places in the Caribbean. And now, I can confidently add Jeju to that list. We flew over on a red-eye, arriving at 6 AM. Suffice to say, we were exhausted, without any knowledge of how to speak Korean, and completely without Korean Won. After we spent about half an hour regrouping ourselves and mentally preparing for the shift in culture, we hopped in a cab to head over to our resort, which was located on Hamdeok Beach, which in my opinion, is the best place to stay on the island, especially after a six hour mid-day nap. This blog will be photo-centric because personally, when I was looking at photos to figure out what this place look liked, I really couldn't find anything too helpful, so I hope this can change that, at list a bit!

*Very* low tide in Hamdeok, a pretty cool experience, just watch out for the literally thousands of hermit crabs roaming around!

Stay

Hamdeok Beach (with added saturation to imagine what it would have looked like if it wasn't cloudy and rainy)

Although it is considered as the Hawaii of Korea, Jeju does not necessarily have very many beaches. As it is a volcanic island, you'll find more land-based nature, black sand beaches and rocky cliffs than the typical, Hawaiian, white sand beaches. But with that said, Hamdeok Beach is one of a few exceptions. It really is a unique beach, because when the tide is low you can walk out hundreds of yards and look back over the coastline. The water is the idyllic crystal clear blue (more so when it is sunny-we got some back luck on weather) you expect from a tropical destination, and is warm enough to be relatively comfortable but cold enough to be a very refreshing recluse from the heat. Plus, there are a few spots where you can snorkel, companies renting out kayaks and jet-skis, and tour groups offering watersports such as wake-boarding and tubing (which actually looked super fun). Additionally, you can roam around the surrounding sculpture gardens, along coastline wooden paths and over bridges connecting island after island stretching out into the ocean.

The Artstay (left) along with some of the other hotels in the area, taken from the "beach" during low tide

Enjoying a nice walk over several beaches out into sea

A mega-resort, not our style, but beautiful nonetheless! Perfect if you're a (wealthy) family and have small kids.

Probably the most popular beach in Jeju, as it is the beach for several luxury hotels (which doesn't necessarily mean it is very accessible)

Plus, Hamdeok Beach isn't a tourist trap like a lot of other beaches on the island. It has a genuine vibe to it that I really appreciated. Hole in the walls, food trucks and locals dominated the area and it made us feel like we were fully in the culture, or at least much as the island could allow us to be. There are no mega-resorts like you'll find on the other side of the island in Seogwipu, and instead there are a collection of smaller hotels, without the name brand. We actually snuck into the Lotte Hotel in the tourist complex down on the south side of the island, and it was seriously huge. A massive pool with water slides and waterfalls, huge grounds, and huge prices. Like I'm talking $25 for chili fries and $30 for a sandwich. Our original plan to eat lunch by the pool was quickly thrown out the window, and I actually ended up having lunch on a small patio out on the rocks towards the end of the beach, where an old Korean women was taking fresh seafood, cutting it up, and serving it with onions and hot sauce (also on a side note about the Lotte Hotel-it may be a beach hotel, but access is very difficult, with a poorly maintained and steep path to the beach). With that said, Hamdeok was just as well-developed of an area, and I never felt unsafe.

A unique spot to stop for lunch, thoroughly enjoyed hanging out here

So with all that said, I highly, highly recommend staying at the Artstay Hotel. We only paid $60/night, and were given a free upgrade to an ocean view room (which is totally worth it!). Initially, I thought if we were spending so little on the room per night, especially at a hotel on the beach, we would be given nothing more than a bed and a toilet basically, but I was so wrong! They offered toiletries, a great shower, comfortable bedding (although a tad bit too hard, which is common in Asia) and a spacious room. The Wi-Fi was good enough for the limited amount of times we actually used it, and everything just felt and looked like much more than a $60/night room. So when it came down to value, this place was amazing.

Our simple, yet surprisingly nice room for a couple nights

An cutely odd place to have a drink and watch the sunset

The Artstay also just recently opened a rooftop bar and lounge area, which while it was stunning, was completely empty and run in a slightly odd fashion. Bean bags and small tables were scattered around the space without any rhyme or reason, but regardless I thought it was a fantastic area to lounge and hang out. We thought we ordered a Korean beer because we did not know the name and it was listed under the beer section, but we ended up getting bottled wine instead (I wasn’t complaining). The bar was also slightly odd, as it really was just a table with a careless guy texting behind bottles of alcohol. Awkward emptiness, an odd layout and careless employees aside, I loved this space and thoroughly enjoyed hanging out up here before we went out for dinner while the sun began to set.

Looking over the Hamdeok area from the rooftop lounge

Cute little lobby, get's the job done with some pretty cool furniture as well

Other than that, the hotel had a cute little lobby, friendly staff, most of whom were able to speak enough English to be of assistance, and a great location, right across the street from the beach and surrounded by little mom-and-pop shops and restaurants.

Eat

A heavenly sight: this place was behind the hotel, recommended to us by the staff, and while it was not cheap, this cut cut of beef was fantastic

When it comes to eating on Jeju, we basically ate wherever we ended up. There was no planning, no "must-visit" spot, just walk around until we found something that looked good and not sketchy. Obviously, make your stops at a Korean BBQ, but be warned, the prices are not necessarily cheap, which is true for much of Korea. Expect to drop around $20 on a Korean BBQ meal.

Pastries and views, not a common combination, but I was not complaining!

We had a burrito in Hamdeok from a food truck and that was fantastic. Not sure what it was, but it was saucy and the "tortilla" was actually covered in bacon, which was a first for me, and will not be a last, even if I have to make it myself. We also had some pastries at a huge café set over Hamdeok Beach which was really fantastic (make sure you have the Jeju Black Bread!). Other than that, there really is not anywhere in specific I would recommend you go, but frankly, there would be no need for me to recommend anything because Korean food is consistently good, so you shouldn't have any worries about where to eat on Jeju.

Locals loved to buy fireworks and go to town with them

If you want to thrive like a local, while still feeling a slight connection to your true, tourist self, then Hamdeok is the place to stay. Closer to the airport with a much more local and less ostentatious vibe, with one of a few truly idyllic beaches on the island, you can’t go wrong here. And you especially can't go wrong staying at the Artstay. But, there's much more to explore on the island, so be sure to check out the next blog post to see what Jeju's natural side had to offer (hint: lots of waterfalls).

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