No matter if you have a child or not in Korea, everyone gets to celebrate Children’s Day as a national holiday. Which luckily for us meant a 4-day weekend! Originally my friends and I hoped to hop on a plane out of Korea but that turned out to need a lot more planning than we had time for. So, we turned to plan b of still getting on a plane but only to Jeju. However, our plan b was everyone else’s plan as it seemed from the sold-out planes no matter how hard we looked. We finally settled on plan c, the second largest island next to Jeju, Geoje Island. What started as our third pick for a vacation spot became a lovely and relaxing 4-day trip to paradise!
Day 1
We originally planned to rent a car to get to Geoje since it would be quicker and easier to get around the island once we got there as well. However, renting a car in Korea as a foreigner outside of Seoul can be a bit challenging so that fell through. But no worries! If there’s one thing Korea has, it’s good public transport to get you just about anywhere in the country. From Gwangju to Gohyeon Bus terminal was a 3-hour ride with a stop in the middle at a rest stop. Not the quickest option but it sure was easy!
Geoje is quite large so our pension on the coast was still a bit far from the city center. We needed to do some grocery shopping before heading to the pension since large grocery stores would not be close to where we were staying. (This is a tip for anyone who’s staying in a more rural or beach area in Korea, get your groceries in the city before venturing out!)
After buying more food than we probably needed, we got taxis to our home for the weekend.
We checked in at our beautiful pension with the lady who runs the place with her family. We did think we were going to get a bigger room than we go but it all worked out in the end. And I would highly recommend staying in this lovely pension if you are going to Geoje.
Before we started to make dinner, we walked along the beach which was only a 2-minute walk from our pension. The weather had been forecasted to be cloudy and a bit chilly, but it was quite the opposite. Even with the ocean breeze, it was still sunny and warm.
Once we had collected some shells and other random treasures, we headed back to the pension to get started on our barbecue. We had a barbecue outside our room in the garden for an extra fee complete with veggie skewers, meat, and pineapple. By the end, we all felt happily full. Along with some wine concoctions and one more late-night walk along the beach, it was the perfect way to end the first day of our vacation.
Day 2
We had a leisurely start to our second day and after getting ready we walked to a nearby restaurant for brunch since it was one of the only places that opened before 10:00 AM (Korean cafes rarely open before then).
Blanc Blue had a beautiful open front where you could look out onto the sea and still get some shade from the sun. And you can never go wrong with a traditional brunch of eggs and toast! Once we had some caffeine and food in our systems, we were ready for the beach!
Wahyeon Beach, where we were staying, was very pretty but had a good amount of seaweed and kelp on the shore. After doing some research, I found that one of the supposed best beaches in Geoje was only a 25-minute walk from where we were staying. Just around the corner from Wahyeon is Gujora Beach. Gujora had a small beach town bordering the beach with many cafes and restaurants as well as a sandy beach perfect for lounging by.
Although it was a holiday, the beach was not crowded at all, and it was easy to find a spot that was all ours. The water was surprisingly clear but a little chilly still so I didn’t swim for as long as I would on a Florida beach. In between many layers of sunscreen, I rested on the beach and found myself dozing off a few times. Usually, my trips around Korea are jam-packed with activities so being able to rest with no plans was a nice change.
Sometime later and we got some snacks at a convenience store before walking back to our part of Geoje. My friend and I were craving sushi in such a beachy location but unfortunately, the restaurant owner had run out of fish for the day, so we ended up having a simple dinner before turning in for an early night.
Day 3
On day 3 of our trip, we woke up bright and early (very early) because my friends wanted to go for a sunrise swim. I was not as excited to dive into some freezing water first thing in the morning so I promised to cheer them on from the sidelines in my warm clothes.After we had all returned from our short trip to the beach, we got ready for the touristy day ahead of us.
The day before we had bought our ferry tickets to Oedo Island. In 1969, a married couple settled on this tiny island to build a western-style Botanical Garden that encompasses the whole island. It is open to the public for viewing. Luckily one of the docks is right on Wahyeon beach making it easy to be on time for our 9:40 departure. Before we got on the ferry, we had some bagels and coffee by the beach.
The boarding process was smooth but instructions being shouted at us once we got on was a little overwhelming being not fluent in Korean. However, the ferry ride was very short (about 30 minutes) and we got to go out of the cabin for a while as well. The downside of going to Oedo is the ferries run on tight schedules due to demand and capacity restrictions so you cannot hop back on any returning ferry. You must get the ferry you came in. This meant we were given 2 hours to explore the island before getting back to the dock otherwise the ferry would leave without us (something we were warned of many times).
Originally we thought 2 hours would not be enough time to look around the island but it is very small so even in that time frame, we got to see all the highlights. The gardens were very beautiful and I joked it could be the film set for the inevitable Hercules live-action film, the Greek inspiration was clear.
Even in early May, the sun was beating down making it quite hot and humid but summer or spring is absolutely the best time to go to soak in all the greenery in all of its vividness. After many pictures, we had completed our tour of the secret haven and made our way back to the ferry and back to Geoje.
By that time, we were feeling hungry again so the sushi lovers once again branched off in hopes to get some sushi this time around. To our dismay, the owner was not open but he saw us lingering outside so he was kind enough to open for us. Our long-awaited sushi and seafood ramen was not a disappointment by any means. The fish was fresh and perfectly prepared. It is definitely some of the best sushi I’ve had in Korea.
Before we arrived in Geoje, I found a recommended café with some interesting desserts. The most intriguing dessert reminded me of something from my childhood, so I knew I had to go. Oedo Nursery is back by Gujora beach, so we walked back over after lunch. We must’ve arrived during a rush because there was quite a long line out the door but we managed to get our orders in and get a good spot inside.
The dessert that made me want to come to the café in the first place arrived and it was yummy as it was pretty. And I can’t be the only one who thinks it looks just like the dragon scale from dragon tales. (I wish, I wish with all my heart…)
At this point, we were very full from lunch and the café so we decided to relax back by the pension. When we got back there was a café and pub with a nice view of the ocean, so we ordered a beer and winded down for the day.
We used leftovers to make dinner and played a few rounds of cards. The hot and packed day made us all very exhausted, so it was another early night.
Day 4
Although I was opposed to the idea the day before, I figured there are only so many times you can dive into the freezing cold ocean in Korea at 6:00 AM so I tagged along for another sunrise swim in my swimsuit this time as well.
It just so happened that this day was the chilliest and cloudiest during our stay in Geoje making the early morning water look even more intimidating but I took a deep breath and ran in. A few curious spectators laughed as 5 foreigners screamed and giggled through the freezing water. I could only stand a few minutes before running safely back to shore and right back to the pension for a hot shower.
After we all recovered from our brisk morning, we got ready to go to brunch at Blanc Blue one more time. We hadn’t made plans for the day yet and the chill in the air wasn’t good for lounging at the beach till our bus arrived so we searched for other ideas. We settled upon going to see a seaside fortress that we found online.
It was only a short taxi to the beach where the fortress was. The wind had picked up a lot but we got some 호떡 (hotteok) when we arrived which warmed us up a bit before heading down to the shore. The fortress was not as spectacular as advertised so I didn’t end up taking pictures, but the beach was pretty nonetheless and we killed sometime before our bus.
We walked up to a café that had an amazing view of the ocean. I actually remembered seeing it online but didn’t realize it was the same café until I ordered my drink named after the café itself!
By this point, all of us felt pretty tired so we went back to the pension to wait out the last couple of hours before we needed to taxi back to the bus terminal. Once we got back into the city we got some dinner at Rolling Pasta. For those who don’t know, Rolling Pasta is an Italian restaurant chain in Korea where you can get some pretty good pasta for dirt cheap prices!
Some pasta and wine lulled me right to sleep on the bus back to Gwangju where I immediately went to bed after a long but amazing weekend.
Since I don’t have anything else extra to add and this post is already quite long, enjoy this dog we found that peaked its head over the roof every time we walked by. See you in the next post!
Carly in Korea 