Unwind on Jeju Island

Jeju, a tiny island paradise just 55 miles south of mainland Korea, is a paragon of peaceful relaxation. Truly away from the madding crowd, it is a place where anyone can simply listen to the quiet. Many couples choose to honeymoon there.

My husband and I stayed at the Jungmun Resort Complex on the southern coast. The area encompasses several 5-star hotels, all with spas, plus a botanical garden, Pacific Land (similar to Sea World), the International Conference Center, the Sound Island Museum (play the piano with your feet there) and spectacular seawalls that traverse cliffs to sand.

A visit to “the world’s largest teddy bear museum” is worth your attention. We spent two hours studying the very accurate history and viewing cases of bears set up in all kinds of scenes, including those depicting the Titanic, the Beatles and Gandhi.

Activities are numerous and include golfing (two courses), hunting (November-February), cycling, deep-sea fishing, scuba diving, horseback riding and mountain climbing (all seasons) on South Korea’s highest mountain volcano, Hallasan. Many small, sandy beaches offer an alternative to the indoor and outdoor pools in all major hotels.

It is said that Jeju island is mysterious and full of folklore due to the harubang, or “grandfather stones,” huge lava-stone carvings. Researchers liken these to similar statues found on Easter Island — intriguing, to say the least.

A ferry from Seongsan in the northeast section of the island takes you to Udo to see the famous diving women of Haenyeo. These incredible women, some of whom are seniors, use no scuba equipment and are capable of holding their breath for an amazing two-plus minutes while diving to 65 feet!

Seafood abounds at restaurants on Jeju, and major hotels have both Korean and Japanese restaurants.

We flew American Airlines to Japan and Korean Air to Jeju. We stayed at the Hyatt Regency Jeju (3039-1 Saekdal-dong, Seogwipo-si, Jeju-do, 697130, South Korea; phone +82 64 733 1234, fax 732 2039 or visit http://jeju.regency.hyatt.com). The cost per night was 117,000 won (about $119). We made all arrangements ourselves on the Internet.

The exchange rate was 980 won to $1.

The island’s weather is very precipitous; locals experience approximately two months of clear weather each year, with the main tourist season July and August. However, in May ’08 we experienced five days of glorious sunshine.

Outside the hotel, little English was spoken, but we found that a smile and gestures plus a map will do much if you are adventurous.

After five days of sublime unwinding, we were more than ready for the rigors of a full day’s travel homeward.

A.J. GOODHEAD

La Jolla, CA