Sometimes all we need is just to run away from a noisy city and relax, meditate, enjoy, and appreciate the moment. That is what I love about Seoul the most. You can easily switch from the picture of a busy city to a Monet-style painting of the sunset over the sea. Just imagine these old, majestic pine trees towering over the sharp rocks, and then add Monet’s painting of a foggy, romantic sunset over the sea.

That’s it! Welcome to one of the Yeongjongdo Island beaches! Therefore, Incheon for me is like a parallel reality; it seems to be so close to Seoul, but charming in such a different way.

Sunset at Eurwangni Beach (from the coffee shop’s lower terrace)

As a graduate student, I hadve a lot of pressure from seemingly endless assignments these days. Although the spring semester hads just started, I was already stressed and tired. So I decided, “Nah, you need to get some rest, girl!” For me, this “rest” means looking at the sea, “breezing” by in my mind. Due to a lack of time, I could not afford to go somewhere far, like the opposite side of the Korean peninsula, where there are many eminent beaches. “Let it be Incheon,” I thought, and did not regret my decision at all. Besides, my roommate was arriving in Korea the next day, after a long winter break, so I wanted to meet her at the airport. I booked Hotel Yeongjong, which is located on the same island as Incheon International Airport and the most beautiful beaches in the region.

You can reach the hotel in less than one hour (46 minutes from Hongdae Station to be exact) by public transportation! Take the train going to Incheon International Airport from Hongdae Station. The price is 3,150 won.

Sunset at Eurwangni Beach

When I arrived at the hotel, the sun was already close to the horizon, so the hotel manager recommended that I take a taxi to one of the famous cafés with a truly gorgeous view next to Eurwangni Beach (을왕리해수욕장). The prices there were a little bit more expensive than in an ordinary coffee shop. An Americano, for example, cost me 7,000 won. As for the view: Oh my God! I love art, and especially impressionism, so when I went to the terrace, I thought that Claude Monet would definitely draw this sunset if he saw it! It was exactly in his style: soft pastel colors, a hazy sky, translucent sun, and soothing sea. I was sitting there, relaxing and reflecting on my life until the sun kissed the horizon and hid behind it. Catharsis!

The hotel manager also recommended the fried king prawns at one of the restaurants next the beach. It was a little bit pricey for a student to pay 40,000 won for a dinner, but I didn’t want to miss out on impressions and tastes if I am traveling. These fresh giant shrimp, which are cooked in front of you, were absolutely delicious! I regret not being able to finish all of them, but I assume the portion there was intended for two people. It is a must-try at least once in your life. After this dinner fit for a king, I went back to the hotel because I had to wake up early the next day to meet my roommate at the airport at 6 AM. As I said, staying at Yeongjongdo Island is very convenient, because from any part it would take you less than 10 minutes to get to the airport by taxi, or around 30 minutes by public transportation.

Eurwangni Beach

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After meeting my friend the next day, we decided not to waste any time. We returned to the hotel to drop off our belongings so we could easily travel around. I wanted to visit Yonggungsa Buddhist Temple next to the hotel, and my roommate wanted to show me the famous Chinatown. Since the temple is located on the same island, we headed there first.

Yonggungsa Buddhist Temple

Yonggungsa Temple is located on Baegunsan Mountain which would be perfect for those who want to combine hiking with some cultural heritage activities. You can also see a spectacular view from there. Perhaps it was because we went there on a Monday, but we were surprised to see only a few small groups of tourists. The temple is actually worth the visit if you are somewhere around Incheon. Many people may not know, but the temple has a very long history, dating back to the Silla Kingdom period about 1300 years ago. Yonggungsa is a small, but lovely and peaceful, temple surrounded by hills and thousand-year-old trees. The highlight was the 11-meter-high statue of Buddha (Maitreya), which is majestically watching you from the top of the hill. Again, it is just so incredible how many calming and beautiful places are hidden, but at the same time, so close to the busy metropolitan areas of Korea!

Road to Yonggungsa Buddhist Temple

Chinatown’s street

As planned, our next stop was Chinatown, which is actually on the mainland of Incheon. Embarrassingly, though I have many friends in China, and it is only a few hours from Korea by plane, I have never been to China. However, the next amazing thing about Korea is that it has many themed places here, that may “transport you” all over the world. Some examples are Edelweiss Swiss village, Petite France, the German Village, and a few others. Although we were still in Incheon and in Korea, I got the feeling I was at some restaurant street in Beijing. You can try the most authentic Chinese foods and discover Chinese architecture there, since all the buildings and restaurants were built in a traditional Chinese style. Besides, you will be passing all these cute Chinese-style lamp posts there. It is truly beautiful!

Yet, it was challenging there. It was extremely hard to decide where to go and what to eat when we had so many enticing restaurants around us!

Chinatown’s famous street food

We wanted to try everything, so we agreed to eat a little bit from a few places. First, we started with jjamppong , which is a Korean-Chinese noodle soup with seafood. The prices for this dish range from 5,000 to 10,000 won. Then, we went to eat jiaozi, which are Chinese dumplings with different stuffing. Again, it was hard to choose! There were so many kinds, but so little space in my stomach! We picked one with shrimp and another one with chicken, which were 5,000 won per serving. Yet, the reason we came was still there, on the streets – the street food! There was a lot, and we wanted to try everything: fortune cookies with predictions, chuan (roasted small pieces of meat on a stick), baozi (another kind of dumpling), mooncakes (round pastries), and unforgettable tanghulu (candied strawberries on a stick). Prices of these vary from 1,000 to 7,000 won. Lastly, we could not leave without traditional Chinese milk tea for 4,000 won.

It is always great to escape, especially when your trip is educational, memorable, fun, and tasty! I have been living in Korea for almost three years, yet this country hasn’t stopped striking my eyes, heart, and mind.

Yonggungsa Temple

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Chinatown

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“Just an ordinary hotel next to the airport for a good price” – that is exactly what I thought while booking our stay at The Hotel Yeongjong. Well, the part about the price turned out to be true, because there’s no way you can find such a good quality hotel for less than $40 per night for two people in Seoul. The “ordinary hotel” label turned out to be false, though. It wasn’t a case of the “expectation vs. reality” meme from the Internet. I was surprised by the quality of the hotel, features, and facilities it has. It would not be superfluous to add that the hotel was a member of the 17th Asian Games accommodation group in 2014 and official crew accommodation at the Pyeongchang Olympic Games in 2018. The hotel should have definitely added this information on the booking websites for their promotion! However, it seems they have many regular clients and have no need for further advertisement. They should definitely have emphasized their rooftop terrace, though, from which you can have a magnificent view of both the city side and the sea. You are free to go out there in the winter, but it doesn’t start functioning as a lounge until the summer.

The picture of the room

Although there is a buffet lounge with various breakfast choices, in order to make the price cheaper, the breakfast is not included. However, since the hotel is located in the downtown area of the island, there are many restaurants, cafes and convenience stores around. Moreover, the staff, who speak English and Chinese fluently, can give you extensive advice and recommendations on where to eat and what places to visit. In addition, there is a Lotte Mart, which sells various goods, from groceries to high-quality fashion brands.

The picture of the view from the rooftop of the hotel

The main reason we picked this hotel was that it is the most convenient place to stay for those who are traveling to or from Incheon International Airport. Many may not know it, but Incheon International Airport is located on Yeongjong Island, which is connected to the mainland by the famous cable-stayed Incheon Bridge, one of the longest bridges in the world. Therefore, staying at The Hotel Yeongjong on the island would make your trip more convenient and would save you so much time and money.

It takes only 20 minutes to get from the airport to the hotel by public transportation (bus #598, price: 1,050 won with a T-money card) or only nine minutes by taxi (approximate price will be around 10,000 won). Besides, the hotel offers a pick-up and drop-off service for those going to the airport.

The picture of The Hotel Yeongjong

However, it turned out that there are many things to do and places to visit on the island, from historical and cultural heritage to charming nature. Using a taxi or public transportation, you can visit gorgeous beaches with lovely sunsets, traditional Buddhist temples in the mountains, or even the famous Chinatown on the mainland.