Jeju - the island famous for three things: Wind, Women and Rocks. Nothing fully embodies these three things as much as the coastline around Jeju.

Traditional Stone House

The most famous spot, and the one closest to the airport, is Yongduam Rock. Situated to the north of Jeju City, Yongduam Rock was created by strong winds and waves over thousands of years. However, there are plenty of myth stories involving dragons of how it came to be, thus its name, which means “Dragon Head Rock.”

Haenyeo returning after her dive

From the rock, visitors can see haenyeo, female divers, working on catching seafood. The haenyeo divers are the reason women are famous in Jeju now, but in the past, it was because Jeju lost a lot of men at sea or in wars, so the women had to start fending for themselves and their children. Unable to use the fishing tools the men used, the women resolved to diving into the waters to get seafood. I was in awe watching the women jump into the water, bring the seafood ashore and make sashimi right in front of me. Cheaper than I expected, I pointed at a fish and ordered my own sashimi right there at the shore instead of at the restaurants. Although I am not a fan of raw fish, it was delicious.

a Seafood ramyun

a Haenyeo kimbap

Continuing our drive along the coastal road between Aewol-eup and Yongduam Rock, we were amazed by the scenic route scattered with seafood restaurants and seaside cafes. And the restaurants do not serve only sashimi; they range from extremely fancy restaurants to basic fusion restaurants that sell seafood noodles and spicy kelp gimbap. The cafés are all designed to boost your Instagram feed, of course with some specializing in pastries more than coffee. In the past 5 years, the café culture along beaches has boomed all over Korea, and now café streets and café villages are a must-visit.

Yongduam Rock

More Information

the Citrus tree

Continuing the drive along the scenic coast, visitors can encounter Iho Beach, where black rocks contrast with the emerald-blue ocean, Hagwi Coast, and Aewol Port. Further from the port is one of the most popular beaches on Jeju Island, Hyeopjae Beach, which showcases the deep royal blue sea year-round with splendid white sand. I could have spent hours just driving along the coast, but it also made me want to stop and take pictures. Every stop I made always lasted more than my estimated 10 minutes because it was so peaceful and amazing seeing how people live in Jeju.

a scene in the garden of the Spirit

Heading towards the west of Jeju, we decided to stop at Spirited Garden. I didn’t know about this garden and it wasn’t part of my travel itinerary, but it was in one of the brochures I grabbed at my hotel. Now I think Spirited Garden is a must-visit garden of love and passion.

The garden features seven gardens and has mostly bonsai trees, stone statues, and koi fish. It is the largest outdoor bonsai garden in Asia. As you explore the traditional Korean beauty reflected in this amazing bonsai garden, you may assume that this garden was made as a tourist attraction, but it was made as a passion project. It really feels like you are spirited away from reality into this alternate universe. Evan as a selfie addict, I forgot my phone for a few minutes and just immersed myself in the bliss of the garden. It’s a place where you can relax and meditate while communing with nature. Rejuvenate your spirit while walking amongst diverse plant life, waterfalls, and colorful garden art.

Bonsai Garden

The sculpture gate

If you’re hungry, try one of the healthy meals at the garden restaurant. The garden offers a lunch buffet, and the food was mostly Korean/Jeju island fare, featuring pork from their famous Jeju black pig. If you are lucky like I was, you could stumble upon the guru who created the garden. He took us back to his secret garden and we sat and had tea while talking about the hard work and dedication he put into the place for over 50 years.

Three Dolharbangs in the Spirit Garden

The neighborhood in the west is pretty remote, and you can view old Jeju houses surrounded by stones statues. The formations known as dol harabeoji, or dol hareubang, which means Stone Grandfathers, were originally made to balance the female population. They believed that the statues would increase the male population, and it might have worked, as today the male population is more than female population in Jeju. So, I stopped in a store to grab some cute dol harabeoji souvenirs for friends and family, because you never know!

Spirited Garden

More Information

Located in Jeju’s commercial center, Maple Hotel is a hotel with a confusing star rating. Rated as a 2-star hotel, I had little expectation, but as Jeju is a famous travel destination for both Koreans and foreigners, most hotels are always fully booked.

Maple Hotel Entrance

The hotel is less than 15 minutes away from the airport and surrounded by shopping malls, restaurants, and many more amenities. However, the glamour of the neighborhood made the hotel look shabby in return and the pictures on booking sites did not help. Since I booked the hotel only because it was cheap and because of its convenient location, I had no expectations whatsoever for the hotel.

Upon arrival, I parked the rental car in the parking lot, which surprised me because it is rare to see parking areas at small hotels in Jeju, especially in Jeju City. At check in, I was offered an amenities pouch at the reception desk which contained toothbrushes, mini toothpastes, a sponge, soap, a razor and hair wax. Heading up to my room, I couldn’t help but notice that the hotel was surprisingly clean and despite its outward appearance, the inside was well maintained. However, that didn’t prepare me for my room. The room was extremely huge and looked almost new. I almost thought I was in the wrong hotel, and then I realized the pictures on their website were probably just taken from wrong angles and with bad lighting.

The room entrance

Bedroom at the hotel

a clean bathroom

toiletries in bathroom

The hotel offers double and twin rooms. The twin rooms have a double bed and a twin bed, which fit perfectly in the large rooms. The bathrooms are also extremely huge and white. They installed a bathtub and provide steam bath services, perfect for relaxing, allowing your muscles to begin enjoying your vacation. I was glad I had no expectations because I was utterly surprised and impressed. On the website, they stated they had a restaurant but there was no mention of breakfast. This didn’t really disappoint me because the hotel is literally surrounded with different options. Every time we went down, there was always someone ready to help. They also had a lot of brochures in different foreign languages to inform of new tourist attractions and assist people in their selection process.

Jeju doesn’t really have a bustling night life so most of the night time activities can be found in Jeju City or by the beach. So, I would recommend this hotel to people who want to be close to the airport and want to be surrounded by city life. Despite being in the middle of the city, it fulfills the 4Cs: clean, cheap, convenient, and comfortable.