Winter 2017: I have got a chance to visit Jeju Island, one of the most beautiful places in Korea. Most of my friends said that visiting Jeju in winter is not a good idea. I agree with that but I was lucky to visit there when it was snowing so it was more than just beautiful. I could never forget how beautiful it was.

My friends and I flighted from different cities. I flighted from Busan while my friends flighted from Seoul. It was so cold and windy that evening. It was colder than Busan and Seoul. The hotel we booked was like a house which has a kitchen and a terrace. It was quite far from the city. We were so tired and hungry so we had a Jeju local foods as our first dinner in Jeju. At that night, we were playing card and talked until 4 am. It was an unforgettable night.

In the next morning, we visited Manjanggul Lava Cave. It was so windy and snowy because it was a snowstorm on that day. We didn’t realize that. In the afternoon, we headed to Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak. It is a must-visit-place in Jeju. The view is breathtaking and the air was so fresh and cold. It will be even more beautiful during the spring or summer. It was not so high to climb to the top of the mountain yet I was a little tired since I don’t really like hiking.

Manjanggul Lava Cave | 만장굴

Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak | 성산일출봉

In the next day, we visited Jeju Stone Park. It was a serious snowstorm on that day. Yet, we did enjoy our time there. The snow was above my knee. It was so cold yet so beautiful. Everywhere was covered by snow. We endured the coldness and enjoy taking hundreds of photos. In the evening, we had a very nice Chinese dinner at a Chinese restaurant. (There are so many Chinese people and restaurants at Jeju.) At night, we were chatting and having some snack until 4 am again.

Jeju Stone Park | 제주돌문화공원

The next day which was the last day of our trip, we went to Udo Island, a small island near Jeju Island. The weather on that day was so good. There was no snowstorm anymore. The sun was shining but it was still windy as we know that wind is one of the Jeju’s triple abundance (wind, stone, and women).  I didn’t have enough time at Udo Island because I was there around 2 pm already and I had to come back before 5 pm. Udo Island is a beautiful and romantic place.  I admit that I felt so lonely when I was there. It was my incomplete beautiful moment. That would be perfectly complete if I was there with someone as a couple and spent our time there together. We also tried peanut/tangerine ice cream there which is a signature ice cream at Udo Island.

Udo Island | 우도해양도립공원

Hamdeok Beach | 함덕해수욕장

In the evening, we went to Hamdeok Beach. It was already dark and late evening. I felt so relax and fresh there despite the weather was so cold. I tried to scream out loud to the sea which is the best way to release stress and sadness and it was effective. I also asked my friends to play firework on the beach. It was so hard to play it because of the wind. We also tried black pork BBQ which is a signature food of Jeju and only available at Jeju. I would say its taste is not different from typical pork BBQ in Korea.

Jeju Black Pork BBQ | 오겹살

We left Jeju on the next day. It was an unforgettable and memorable trip. I love every moment I spent there. Although the weather was so cold but it didn’t affect the beautiful scenery of Jeju Island. There are many more places that we were not able to visit due to time constraint. I really want to go back there someday in summer.

The advantages of going there during winter vacation are: flight ticket is cheap, the hotel is also affordable and we don’t need to book several weeks in advance. The place is not so crowd which is so peaceful and relax. However, the disadvantages are: the trees and grasses were not green. We couldn’t go to Hallasan due to the snow, and the weather was so cold. If you can bear with cold weather then go to Jeju during winter is a good idea.

If you are in Korea, you have to visit Jeju at least once. It will make you feel like you are in paradise.