Jeju Island 3-Day Trip: Day 1 Arrival & Hotel Review 2026
Join us on Day 1 of our Jeju Island trip! Get practical tips for navigating Gimpo Airport, hassle-free self-check-in, and our first hotel impressions. Your adventure starts here!
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Join us on Day 1 of our Jeju Island trip! Get practical tips for navigating Gimpo Airport, hassle-free self-check-in, and our first hotel impressions. Your adventure starts here!
I'm trying my best to recall and write everything down before I forget!
(Getting older... oh dear...
There might be some distorted memories!)
After booking, I made a phone call,
and after confirming the booker's date of birth and name,
they immediately sent the flight schedule via text message a few hours later.
Once tickets are issued, cancelling or changing the schedule incurs a fee of ~$17 (per person).
I only looked at the flight schedule,
and I thought that cancelling even at that point would incur a fee.
So, even with rain in the forecast, cancelling never crossed my mind.
I bet my husband felt the same way, haha!
When we're this clueless, we're always in perfect sync.
(Though it actually turned out for the better!)
Day 1
Gimpo Airport - Jeju Airport - Dinner (Sashimi Set Meal) - Hotel
Gimpo Airport
Since there's time spent waiting in lines at the airport,
you need to arrive at the airport 1 hour and 30 minutes in advance!!!!
We packed our bags with excited hearts,
and set off for Gimpo Airport.
To make matters worse, with rain in the forecast,
my spirits had been a little down for three days,
worrying if we'd even be able to visit Udo Island...
And sure enough, on the way to the airport...
it started raining. Ugh.
The rain was pouring down
(and my heart was pouring too.)
To save on parking fees, we parked at Gyeyang Station (one stop before Gimpo Airport on the Airport Railroad)
and took the Airport Railroad to Gimpo Airport.
(We'd done this before on a previous trip,
so we used the same method this time.)
If you're planning to go via Gyeyang Station like us, move even earlier, pleaseㅠㅠㅠ
Perhaps it was the rain, or our hurried dash after parking at Gyeyang Public Parking,
Even though we thought we had plenty of time,
we didn't account for the waiting lines,
and barely made it to the boarding gate just in time.
When heading to Jeju Island on the first day, you need to self-check-in at the airport.
Since the airline and reservation number come via text message,
you just need to check that information, go to the self-check-in kiosk,
wait your turn, and print your ticket.
It was my first time, but super easy!
Now, off to drop our luggage!
Dragging our heavy suitcases,
you can see people queuing up at the baggage check for each airline, right? Ugh.
That's the place.
We should have split up...
One team should have queued at baggage check, and the other for ticketing, in advance......
Anyway, we showed our ID and printed tickets,
and dropped off our suitcases.
They told us if something was found during inspection,
we'd receive a call from a number starting with '02'.
Thinking, 'What could possibly be wrong?',
and feeling like seasoned travelers,
we successfully checked our luggage,
and went upstairs, only to receive a call immediately! Ugh;;
Why, oh why~~ㅠㅠ
Feeling a bit intimidated, I went into the 'Baggage Inspection Room B'.
Even though I hadn't done anything wrong, I felt unnecessarily nervous as I entered.....
But they were really~ kind! :)
I had put my portable charger in my suitcase.
I was sure I'd put it in my carry-on bag..... but that was a misconception;;
I quickly grabbed the portable charger and went back upstairs.
(My anxious heart heaved a sigh of relief again today.)
I think they told me to go upstairs and enter through gate 6,
but I couldn't see the number....
My husband didn't know either, so he was just looking outside and sightseeing.
Just in case, as I was looking for gate 6,
I saw a huge crowd of people queuing up again,
and I had a feeling we needed to join the line.
That's right....
You have to go through here to get to boarding gate 6.
They'll let us on the plane only after personal and baggage security checks, right?
Sure enough, we were still standing in line, and time was ticking away.......
The departure time was 6:10 PM....
Tick-tock, tick-tock – it was a truly nerve-wracking feeling ㅠㅠ
Holding our IDs and tickets....
After checking our identities and our luggage, it was already past 6 PM....
My husband asked if we'd even be able to board at this rate,
while I kept saying 'It's fine~' I was sweating bullets;;
(I once missed a flight in LA,
which cost me ~$414....
I remember going out of my mind then...
Those tearful ~$414 ㅠ Ah..... it still hurts to think about it)
Hang in there, everyone~
And thankfully, we arrived around 6:06 PM
and by the time we boarded the plane, it was 6:10 PM.
It was a truly heart-pounding experience boarding that plane!
Nyahaha ㅠㅠㅠ
It had been drizzling continuously, making the journey to the airport quite challenging,
but once we were on the plane, I felt a mix of excitement and worry.
(Worried that we might not be able to go to Udo Island because of the rain...
We booked this trip specifically for Udo Island..)
The plane took off around 6:30 PM.
Nevertheless,
Once the plane took off, all my worries vanished,
and I eagerly took photos with the kids
while looking out the window.
My daughters also said it was their first time on a plane,
and they were so excited..... !?
(Kids
you actually went to Jeju Island when you were little ㅠㅠㅠㅠ)
Seeing the clouds outside, it felt like my spirits were soaring with them.
Jeju Airport
Perhaps because the flight was only about an hour long,
after taking some photos and videos and gazing out the window for a bit,
we had already arrived!
We arrived at Jeju Airport and collected our luggage.
For this trip, I got a new suitcase.
My old suitcase was a yellow hard-shell suitcase I got
as a free gift with our honeymoon package.
After almost 8 years,
its straps were fraying and shedding powder,
and the outer case was slightly cracked.
I had always meant to replace it, and finally bought a new one this time.
I used that yellow suitcase carefully and frugally,
and it was finally time to let it go.
(I still haven't thrown away the stickers..
Yes... I'm a lazy sentimentalist ㅠ)
Hello, Jeju!
It's been so long~~~~
The day before our departure, I received a text from our guide,
and when we went to the meeting spot, there was a picket sign.
When we got there, a few other groups were already waiting.
After checking the head count,
everyone got on the bus and we set off for dinner.
Ah.. I'm hungry!
Dinner (Sashimi Dinner)
Because we had kids, I brought seaweed and instant rice just in case,
but we didn't really need them;;;
Since I'm not writing a restaurant review,
I just took a few quick photos of the menu.
(And this is "quick" for me haha)
Oh yeah~~~~
I really enjoy eating fresh raw fish, the common kind.
I'm absolutely crazy about white fish sashimi and sushi,
and I also enjoy common seafood like sea snails, shrimp, and squid.
So many of my favorite things were served!
Perhaps because it was based on servings for four people,
there was so, so much sashimi.
(My kids still can't eat sashimi, though;)
And my husband isn't a huge fan of sashimi either,
so it was pretty much all for me!
(Score!~)
As I was eating, I found myself taking photos again.
It turned out better than I expected.
There was porridge, seafood, tempura, various seasoned salads, and ssam (lettuce wraps).
While enjoying the sashimi, grilled fish was also served,
and even spicy fish stew (maeuntang) came out!
And the most delicious roe bibimbap (albap) in the world!!!!
It wasn't the kind of albap with kimchi in it,
but had a savory flavor with roe popping delightfully,
and a slightly mild rice that was crispy like nurungji (scorched rice).
It was absolutely perfect for my taste buds!!!!!
It was such a great flavor for kids to enjoy,
but I don't know why my kids don't eat delicious things like this. ㅠㅠㅠ
(Is it my fault for not being a good cook? ㅠㅠ)
Drinks and any additional items require extra payment.
We added some soft drinks and alcohol.
A toast to commemorate our trip!!
"Tto~~~ttae~~"
The Hotel
Gloucester Hotel
Tomorrow starts at 7:40 AM.
At Gloucester Hotel, the elevators are small,
and people say they get crowded.
So we heard we should eat breakfast early and leave a bit ahead of time.
As for us,
we were assigned a quadruple room.
When booking, we were told it might be two double rooms,
and we said that was fine.
But looking at the itinerary handed out at the airport,
it only listed one hotel room number,
which felt a bit off.
I asked the guide, and they said it wasn't an 'ondol' room (traditional heated floor room)...
but it turned out to be an ondol room. ㅠ
They said if we wanted a room with beds, we should have specifically asked for two double rooms.
I only found out later that the quadruple room was an ondol room;;;
(My back hurts when I sleep on the floor ㅠㅠ oh dear)
The hotel also said it was a holiday period,
and all the rooms were full, so we just used the ondol room.
We just laid down thick bedding and slept.
In conclusion,
it was great being together.
It's a family trip, after all, isn't it? ~
After dropping off our luggage,
since our hotel was in the city center,
we went out to find a convenience store.
The breakfast buffet is available from 6 AM to 10 AM,
and seeing how crowded it gets between 6 and 8 AM,
it seems like this place hosts a lot of package tour groups.
When you're on a package tour, getting an early start really pays off!
The Gloucester Hotel is
located right in the city center,
which means there are convenience stores and plenty of food options close by.
We took a stroll to explore and ended up at a GS25,
but the CU across the street is actually a bit bigger!
After grabbing some more snacks from the convenience store,
we headed back to the hotel.
The kids were absolutely thrilled, haha!
Since we're staying at this hotel for three nights straight,
it's been super convenient not having to move our luggage around.
To make sure we catch tomorrow's hotel breakfast,
we're determined to be up at 6 AM sharp!~~
After a thorough explanation to the kids, everyone settled down for an early night.
If you are curious about private package products, please refer to this.
A fee of ~$17 per person will be incurred for changing or canceling an itinerary after the flight ticket has been issued. This applies from the moment you receive your flight schedule via text message.
It is recommended to arrive 1 hour and 30 minutes before departure at Gimpo Airport, considering the time it takes to queue for boarding. The author mentioned arriving just barely on time.
Portable chargers (power banks) cannot be placed in checked baggage. As the author experienced, if you accidentally put one in, you'll have to retrieve it, so it should be carried in your carry-on bag.
The family of four was assigned an Ondol room (a traditional Korean heated floor room). If they had wanted a room with beds, they should have requested two double rooms (two rooms for two people each) when making the reservation.
The breakfast buffet at the Gloucester Hotel operates from 6 AM to 10 AM. The period between 6 AM and 8 AM is particularly crowded.
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