Hello, it’s me again, Mommy Tomato, bringing you this week’s “Family Travel” column, recording the delightful moments of little ones and their parents exploring together and sharing heartwarming scenes with everyone. I hope you enjoy my column~%Ji/p>
Wow, another travel piece — the editor is green with envy!! As office workers, we can only count down the days to holidays. Seeing this family of three’s trip to Jeju Island today makes me want to go too~~ Although there’s been a recent ban on Korean entertainment, beautiful scenery is innocent. So let’s hold firm to our stance and approach these issues objectively!! Alright, here comes the main content%Ji/p>
Jeju Island — located at the southernmost tip of the Korean Peninsula, boasts mysterious natural landscapes and unique traditional culture, earning it the nickname Korea’s “Hawaii.” With blooming flowers, fragrant tea, gentle sea breezes, whispering beaches, sweet citrus fruits, and delicious seafood feasts!! — from Baidu Travel
This was Hua Hua’s first time traveling abroad.
Itinerary:
DAY 1: Stay at Lotte Hotel in Jeju’s Jungmun area, visit Teddy Bear Museum
DAY 2: Stay at Lotte Hotel in Jeju’s Jungmun area, visit Hello Kitty Museum and Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum.
DAY 3: Private car to Mt. Hallasan, Seongsan Ilchulbong (Sunrise Peak), aquarium, stay at Ocean Suites Hotel in Jeju City
DAY 4: Shopping at duty-free stores
DAY 5: Return to Chongqing
Jeju Island is small with not many attractions, but it’s best to have one day with a private car tour for easier travel with a baby.
Korean cosmetics are really cheap, but Korean food is seriously expensive.
The trip cost quite a bit, and we didn’t even manage to book discounted flights. Fortunately, Hua Hua’s ticket was a baby fare, which saved us a lot.
First, let’s post some photos to kick things off.
Departure from Chongqing:
Direct flight for 3 hours. At Jiangbei Airport, we used the VIP channel. We had a dedicated car pick-up, and there was no need to queue for security checks. The VIP lounge before security had everything you could want.
Arrival in Korea:
Right after exiting the airport, there are currency exchange spots. Actually, you only need to exchange a small amount of cash in China. There are plenty of places to exchange money in Jeju Island with great exchange rates. The airport rate is high, so it’s better not to exchange there. You can also withdraw from ATMs, with a transaction fee of 15 yuan. After leaving the airport, take the airport bus, which can take you directly to any hotel in the Jungmun area. Many people in Jeju speak Chinese, so basic communication is easy.
We booked the Lotte Hotel, which is a sightseeing spot in itself because of its famous Hello Kitty-themed rooms. The hotel is also very large. The room was decent, and if you’re lucky, you can get a view of the ocean, right facing the wind turbines.%Jip>
There’s an LV downstairs at the hotel. There are several check-in counters, and many staff members speak Chinese and English. You can rent a stroller, but it can only be used inside the hotel. I think it’s a must-rent if you’re traveling with a child because it takes quite a while to get to your room.
These are the Hello Kitty rooms at Lotte. I saw many guides saying you don’t need to stay at the hotel to see them, but actually, you can’t because you need your room card to access the elevator floors. That floor also has a children’s play area. Too bad we didn’t get to check it out.%techp>
It’s recommended to go for an open-air buffet dinner at night. They have fireworks and live performances. We planned to go the first night, but it required a reservation. It costs 500 per person, which is a bit pricey.
There’s a 7-11 right outside the hotel entrance, and the Teddy Bear Museum is just a 5-minute walk up the road.
The Teddy Bear Museum has four floors, and every part of it is adorable. Hua Hua picked out a teddy bear handbag. Apparently, the one in Chengdu’s Teddy Bear Museum sells for around 160 yuan, so I bought quite a few for mom friends in my social circle. They’re really cute.%Jip>
There aren’t many dining options near the hotel. There’s a fried chicken place and this BBQ restaurant with lots of Northeastern Chinese servers. A meal for two costs around 500–600 yuan. Lots of celebrities have eaten here.
Korean BBQ is a bit different from ours. The meat is served in thick slices, then cut into smaller pieces, and it’s the famous black pork from Jeju Island — super delicious.
There’s a casino upstairs in the hotel, but only foreigners can enter. It’s good for some fun, though you might lose all your money before you even get into the groove.
There’s a duty-free shop upstairs in the hotel, but it’s not as cheap as the one in Jeju City, so no need to buy there. The hotel’s complimentary breakfast is very lavish.If you choose not to eat at the hotel, there aren’t many breakfast options nearby.
After dinner, we took a taxi to the Hello Kitty Museum. The hotel staff helped us call one. It only took about 15–20 minutes to get there. Seeing all the cats, even we adults couldn’t handle it—we loved it so much, we could’ve stayed a whole day. There were kitties everywhere, absolutely adorable.
This is where we had the buffet dinner in the evening. The view by the sea was beautiful. The only downside was that we had to call a taxi back.%tech/strong> On the third day, we booked a private car. A Korean driver picked us up, and we specifically requested a child safety seat. We applied Banana Boat sunscreen on our little Huahua, as we were going to be out in the strong sun all day.%tech/strong> Sanjungniro is just a hill with a scenic view and a big crater. The sun in Jeju Island is really strong, but luckily we bought a famous Korean sun hat that covers your whole face.%tech/strong> The view from Seongsan Ilchulbong (Sunrise Peak) was amazing, but it was too sunny and we were carrying the baby, so we didn’t hike up. Instead, we just enjoyed the view of the sea.%tech/strong> Next, we went to Asia’s largest aquarium. The ticket is a wristband, strollers can be rented, and they even give you milk with a pacifier.%tech/strong> Other attractions near the aquarium include Udo Island, which is very famous, and you can also see a submarine. But after visiting the aquarium, we weren’t interested in the submarine anymore. Maybe we were just tired from playing, and Huahua also fell asleep.%tech/strong> The hotel in Jeju City was super nice. It’s right by the sea, with full ocean views. The family room was huge—one large bed, one single bed, and a crib. There was also an extra empty room with a fold-out bed in the closet.%tech/strong> In the evening, we walked around the pedestrian street and bought Huahua a pair of super cute New Balance sneakers.%tech/strong> At Jeju Airport, you can only check in 2 hours before departure. Once inside, we picked up our duty-free purchases. We bought a lot, unpacked them, and packed them into our backpacks—we were basically done before it was time to board. There are no food options inside Jeju Airport.%tech/strong> This time we traveled to Jeju with the least amount of stuff, but I still made a list for parents traveling with babies as a reference.%tech/strong> Here are a few great items to bring: 1. Probiotics. In Korea, Huahua ate seafood with us a few times and had no stomach issues at all. Just to be safe in case of any environmental changes, we gave her one packet of probiotics every day.%tech/strong> 2. Australian pink Banana Boat sunscreen. CW is often out of stock, but it applies easily, isn’t greasy, and the rollerball makes it simple to use.%tech/strong> 3. VVC UV-blocking hat. Made famous by Fan Bingbing, it really does offer top-notch sun protection. I even wore it when walking around Chongqing after we got back.%tech/strong> A water bottle and your own bowl are must-haves. Always bring your own water bottle when traveling. For little ones, it’s best if they eat from their own bowl. The Thinkbaby bowl is used by lots of celebrity kids—even though it’s made in Korea, I didn’t see it in Korean supermarkets.%tech/strong> I recommend two useful travel apps: one is a Korean map app that can also calculate taxi fares and time. The other is the Hanyouwang app, where you can buy attraction tickets much cheaper.%tech/strong> A child’s growth always passes by so quickly, Mum doesn’t want to miss a single moment of Huahua’s growth, wishing my baby health and happiness! Before we know it, happy times always end so fast It’s time to say goodbye to everyone again bye ——We respect originality—— The content of this article is an exclusive piece authorized by the author for Kids Style Children’s Trend Magazine. Unauthorized reproduction will be subject to legal action. For collaboration, please contact [email protected]. All images in this article are provided by Huahua’s mum. Please contact us immediately if there are any issues.