The second part of this feature South Korea is Jeju Island, just over 1 hour’s flight from Seoul. Jeju is a volcanic island with striking black rock beaches and a fields lined with stacked stone walls. I hired a car for my time in Jeju and had a friend who lives there show me around and translate.
Scroll down for the cafe that put the island on my wish list way back in 2018.
Jeju Island
Batdam House
357-8, Jowa-ro, Jocheon-eup, Jeju-si, Jeju-do, South Korea.
Batdam House by Stayfolio is honestly magical. The building is designed in a traditional Jeju style using stone rock walls. There are 3 separate buildings with a courtyard in between. One building is for living and sleeping, one is for meditating and the other has 2 baths, a sauna and a resting place. Upon arrival, motorised blinds lift as lights slowly glow and music plays softly. Batdam House is away from a town centre but Stayfolio provide nearby (a close walk or drive) food recommendations. I tried nearby WLounge which is about 700m away from the accommodation and loved it.
You can enjoy 10% off your stay at Batdam House until June 30th by following this link.
Slowboat Atelier
330 Hagwi 1(il)-ri Aewol-eup Jeju-si Jeju-do.
An Instagram darling with delicious coffee in an incredible setting and an amazing collection of furniture pieces and books. There are 4 cats that roam around, one of which I think lives there and is allowed in? I’ve just pulled this from their Instagram captions:
“Slowboat is selling coffee, but what we want to share is other people's tastes, experiences through space, and inspiration. It is a safe and huge cat tower where sensitive cats sleep with their hearts at ease. If you lower your voice and look at the sea, you can hear the sound of waves. Believe it or not 🌊”
It was a dream to visit as a cat, coffee and Interior Design lover.
Dasoni
24 Onam-ro 6-gil, Jeju-si, Jeju-do.
This place is amazing. Delicious Bibimbap’s in a traditional Korean setting. I was very grateful to have my Korean friend with me here to translate and incredibly grateful to easily order Vegetarian dishes. It was also new to me that side dishes are complimentary, meaning we racked up a lot of food at 55 000 KRW (around total $60AUD) for 4 people. The menu is written on the most beautiful paper (pictured below) and there are old comics to read.
Roundary
10 Maechon 1-gil, Jeju-si, Jeju-do.
Another amazing stay by Stayfolio. Every detail of Roundary is exquisite to the point I’ve been messaging the host for tips on decorating. There are two buildings on site and I stayed at “A”. It’s simplicity is soothing and the coffee provided is a delight.
You can enjoy 10% off your stay at Roundary until June 30th by following this link.
Ohhahyo
600 Hahyo-dong Seogwipo-si Jeju-do.
I have wanted to visit Jeju since 2018 purely to see this space. Ohhahyo cafe takes their coffee seriously and guided our visit to Seogwipo (about 1hr 30min from our accommodation).
Bonte Museum
69 Sallongnam-ro 762beon-gil, Andeok-myeon, 특별자치도, Seogwipo, Jeju-do.
All credit to my friend who suggested this Tadao Ando designed museum. On display are handcrafted Korean artworks and pieces by Yayoi Kusama. There is a section dedicated to Tadao Ando’s design concept of the structure.
Jungmun Byeoljang
Cheonjaeyeon ro 337, Seogyuipo, Jeju.
The yummiest salt bread I had on this trip is from this serene setting.
Thus concludes my South Korea feature! If you’re thinking of visiting and have any questions feel free to message me here or on Instagram @white__sage. I also share video content on TikTok if you’d like to see.