December 26-29, 2019
There is this one Korea trip I never got to blog about.
Back in 2019, I won an online contest for Binggrae, the Korean Ice Cream brand. And my prize for winning was an all-expense paid trip FOR TWO to Jeju Island in South Korea!
I decided to bring my youngest sister, who requested we scheduled the trip in December so she can have office leaves. We went for those dates between Christmas and New Year, which was actually a fun choice as it was WINTER!
Notes on traveling to Jeju-do:
We joined an organized tour group. Most if not all the travellers we were with on the chartered plane (direct to Jeju) are Filipinos. It was a very convenient trip that I would highly recommend it to families, especially if you have seniors traveling with you. I am not sure about today's pricing, but back in 2019 while talking to the other "joiners" we found out that our tour costs around Php 100,000+ inclusive of literally everything even our meals. One less thing to think about, again, ideal if you want to just travel to relax.
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| It was a rainy arrival, but still hassle-free with a tour bus waiting for us |
I had to look for the old emails sent to us so I can share our Jeju itinerary, so you can have ideas on places you can go to. I will still recommend exploring Jeju's natural and outdoor sites than their museums, but I like the variety of this itinerary (and since it's winter, it's nice to have indoor stuff too).
Here are the inclusions:
- Roundtrip Airfare to Jeju via Philippine Airlines with 20 kilos baggage allowance, 7 kilos hand carry
- Airline and Airport Taxes
- 4 Star Hotel Accommodation
- Transfers, Tours, Admission Fees
- English Speaking Tour Guide
- 1 Bottled Water per day
- Free Travel Insurance
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| I honestly forgot our plane ride, but this food tray looks overflowing! |
Loved our hotel, room is very spacious and clean. There's a convenience store at the ground floor connected to the hotel, no need to go out. Very comfortable stay. Daily buffet breakfast were mostly Korean food. I can't say much about location and commute since we were on a tour bus all the way.
Only downside I can remember was the hotel elevator, we had to line-up all the time. I think they have to go through their ratio of guests to number of working lifts. It takes so much time that Cea and I decided that when we go down for breakfast, we made sure to have all our things with us already or we will be late for the bus.
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| Our comfortable deluxe twin room |
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| First meal of this trip: my favorites in a Korean convenience store! |
SAMPLE JEJU ITINERARY
If you want to travel to Korea soon, I am encouraging you to also check out Jeju Island as an option. It is not only a beautiful island with lots of outdoor sceneries and very themed museums, they are also VISA-FREE! I've tried traveling DIY in Jeju, but I realized that the island is huge and not so commuter friendly I ended up taking cabs in between places. I suggest you can either get one full tour service like this, or check-out day tours in Klook or Trazy.
DAY 1: Transit Day
Flight from Manila to Jeju Island via Philippine Airlines Chartered Plane by the tour agency
Hotel Check-In
Late Dinner (we just bought from the convenience store connected to our hotel)
DAY 2
Breakfast at the Hotel
♥ Seongsan Sunrise Peak
- A UNESCO World Heritage Site and UNESCO World Geopark
- A volcanic crater with vertical cliffs rises up from the shore which looks like gigantic crown
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| Cea and I took our pictures in this area coz everyone's doing it, not realizing that the volcano's crown-like crater was already at our background! |
♥ Mandarin Picking
- Sweet and juicy tangerines are famous in Jeju
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| Of course, we were able to try our picks! |
Lunch - Squid and Pork
♥ Seongeup Folk Village
- a village of 1980s Korean traditional houses, showcasing unique history and culture of Jeju through the years
♥ Chilseongro Underground Shopping Street
- We had our free time! Shopped for sneakers and had coffee in Starbucks
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| Looking through my shopping photos, ang dami nadin BTS merch sightings at that time in Jeju! |
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| Hot matcha drink with a view of a holly tree |
Dinner - Grilled Mackerel Fish and Steamed Pork
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| I requested for vegetarian meals, and had the freshest bowls of bibimbap! |
DAY 3
Breakfast at the Hotel
♥ Souvenir Shops
- As with most of the guided tours, we had a mandatory visit to a Korean cosmetics shop and a Jeju souvenir shop
Lunch - Stir Fried Chicken
♥ Mt. Halla
- The highest point in South Korea, and its second highest mountain
- Attempted to hike a bit because it's Jeju!
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| Couldn't imagine taking on the hiking opportunities of this tour if I was solo traveling! |
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| I miss it, honestly! |
♥ Mysterious Road
- Also known as Dokkaebi Road
- An optical illusion road, tricking the eye to make the road look like it is slanted in the opposite direction. When you place a ball on the road, it might look as if it's defying gravity by rolling upwards.
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| Our tour guide asked us to go out of the bus and test the optical illusion for ourselves |
♥ Love Land
- An outdoor sculpture sexy themed park
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| Lol Cea and I were weirded out but took pics anyway |
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| It was a beautiful park though, spotted camellia flowers which blooms in Jeju during winter |
♥ Painters Hero Show
- A mime performance combining painting, dance, effects, and comedy. Fun to watch the artists create beautiful paintings on-the-spot, while engaging the audience
Dinner - Marinated Pork Rib
DAY 4
Breakfast at the Hotel
Early checkout
♥ Hallim Park and Hyeopjaegul Cave
- A unique lava tube cave of about 200m length, made of both lava and limestones
- Consistent temperature of 17℃ - 18℃ throughout the year
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| So hard to take pics, but so easy to get lost |
Lunch - Beef Bulgogi
♥ Hello Kitty Island
- An indoor Hello Kitty theme park, with exhibition halls, cafe, theater, and souvenir shop
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| Perfect chance for a coffee break |
♥ Jeju Glass Castle
- A glass-art theme park
- Has indoor exhibits, and an outdoor park and "magical forest"
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| A picture I can hear |
Swipe for a vid!
♥ Shilla Duty Free Shop
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| We went during peak My ID Is Gangnam Beauty era, so I got a bottle of Atelier Cologne |
Dinner - Self Bar BBQ
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| Our forever lunch / dinner tablemates! Super nice nila :) |
Jeju International Airport - Flight back to Manila
I am trying to look for the agency they booked for us, but it seems like it already closed down during the pandemic (locked website, and can't find the Facebook page too). You can check out https://www.raksotravel.com for similar offers.
Have you travelled with your sibling? It was one of my favorite kind of trips, too! It was comfortable and fun coz we already know each other like the back of our hands. Plus, we gained memories that we can randomly bring up at the dinner table. "Naalala mo nung..."
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| So many climbs and photo spots during this trip! |
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| Always with a food in one hand |
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| Nice to share a Jeju memory with my sister |
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