I finally came to Korea to see my family and friends! It has still been less than a year since I last visited, but family/friend time feels so good and is always needed!
We did a family trip to Jeju Island (located further south of the mainland, and is the biggest island in South Korea) to get outside and be in nature. This was our third family trip to Jeju but we never get bored traveling since we don't always go to the same place, same hotel, and do the same thing!
As soon as I arrived in South Korea, I started packing my bag when I arrived from Vietnam to fly out of Gimpo Airport with my family in a couple of days. I didn't get to explore Seoul since my time was limited, but decided to spend more time once I get back from Jeju.
I love solo traveling, but I also enjoy traveling with family and friends. I used to travel a lot with my family while growing up, so it felt great to be with them again!
Friend Meetup
I also had a friend meet-up in Jeju, which was SO nice! She is my best friend in Korea and we always met up in Seoul when I was visiting Korea. She used to live in Seoul but now she has moved to Jeju so I decided to go visit her to catch up. While I was hanging out with my bestie, my family did their traveling in Aewol, which is located on the west upper coast of the island, not too far from Jeju airport. Me and my friend spent some time together near the east side of Jeju airport, ate out at a local tofu restaurant, and spent time chatting at a cafe with an amazing ocean view. Time flew so fast and I wish I had more time with her to catch up.
Where We Stayed- Jeju Hillius in Seogwipo in Seongsan village
Throughout our trip, we stayed in Seogwipo city on the east coast of the island. It was a resort, where we spent time swimming in the pool and enjoyed a breakfast buffet. The pool was small but had a big TV screen where we could listen to music while swimming. No live DJs but still it was nice! For breakfast, the food options were great. They had both Korean and Western cuisines and fresh fruits. The only facility that I didn't like was that they had an old gym that was almost abandoned and was kept locked since nobody was using it. I had to call the front desk each time I wanted to workout so that they can unlock the door for me. The gym was open with limited hours from 9-6, which was very inconvenient since I would spend time exploring the island during those hours. Other than that, everything was really nice. The resort was very modern, clean, spacious and cozy. I loved the location of the hotel, because it was right next to Seongsan Ilchulbong where I could catch the sunrise and/or sunset.
Seongsan Ilchulbong
Two options to explore Seongsan Ilchulbong! (1) No entrance fee, if you don't want to hike up to the top. You can still catch the sunset without having to climb up, and have a beautiful view of the ocean. (2) Another option is to pay the small entrance fee and hike up to the top. I would have opted for the second option if I was traveling by myself, but since I was with my family, we didn't climb up. My dad had foot surgery, so we decided not to climb up and took it super easy :) Catching the sunset was really stunning, and I loved it so much!
This was one of my favorite places in Jeju. As you all know, I love hiking and being outdoors. Saryeoni Forest was a great place for long walks and trekking (not for hiking though) and to unplug in nature. As mentioned before, dad had foot surgery couple months ago, so we couldn't go hiking or spend too much time trekking or walking so we ended up spending time for short walks with multiple breaks. It was very scenic and I had an amazing time here.
Lee Jung Seob Street
Lee Jung Seob is a famous Korean artist who uses oil to create his artwork. His most renowned artwork involves animals (specifically oxen and bulls). The street was named after his name as he lived in Jeju to create his paintings. I saw the house that he used to live in back then, which was very humble and basic. The street had his paintings, which made it a hipster area. There were souvenir shops on the street, so it was great to explore and look around.
Aewol Transparent Kayak
On our last day in Jeju, I got to Aewol with my family to hop on a "transparent Kayak." It was a glass-bottomed see-through canoe, where you can see the underwater while kayaking. I was in a two-person kayak with my sister and we didn't see much underwater but the view from the kayak was great. We did this right before we headed to the airport to catch our flight back to Seoul. Mom, dad, and my sister already traveled through Aewol when I was with my friend, but they gladly came back to show me around.
Overall, I would rate this trip 4.8 out of 5. I had the best time with my family and friends and loved this family trip that we hadn't taken for a while. I spent quality time with amazing people and Jeju was a perfect place to unwind and recharge my travel batteries. If you are traveling through South Korea, don't miss Jeju Island since it offers natural beauty and rich cultural experiences that you will never forget!
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