Where to stay in Jeju: the best areas and hotels

Seogwipo is the island’s second town and its better-looking half. The south coast is warmer and more sheltered than the north, the tangerine orchards run almost to the sea, and waterfalls such as Jeongbang and Cheonjiyeon tumble out of the greenery within the town itself. The centre is small and walkable, with a lively market and plenty of simple guesthouses.

A short drive west is the Jungmun Tourism Complex, where Jeju keeps its big resort hotels. They line the clifftops above a surf beach, with indoor and outdoor pools, saunas and gardens stepping down towards the sea. It is polished and a little self-contained, which honeymooners love. The catch is the airport, on the far side of the island: allow the best part of an hour by road.

Every flight lands at Jeju City, and plenty of visitors never feel the need to go much further. It is a proper working city, with seafood markets, duty-free shopping, late-opening restaurants and business-like hotels less than ten minutes’ drive from the terminal. Come here for convenience and food rather than scenery.

The north coast earns its keep on either side of town. To the west, Aewol is the fashionable stretch, a coast road of cafés and sea views that fills up at sunset. To the east, Hamdeok has one of the island’s best beaches, with pale sand and startlingly clear, shallow water. Both make a calmer base than the city while keeping the airport within easy reach.

In the inland south-west, Jeju Shinhwa World is less a hotel than a small resort city: several hotels and serviced apartments grouped around a theme park, a water park, shops and a long list of restaurants. Families can go days without getting in a car, and when the weather turns, which on Jeju it does, there is plenty to do indoors.

Rooms are modern and large, and the apartment-style options suit longer stays and bigger groups. What you will not find is a beach or any sense of village life, so hire a car if you want to see the coast. Jungmun and the south-west shore are the nearest stretches of sea.

Jeju’s east is its most rural corner: low stone walls, fields of carrots and radishes, and fishing harbours where the haenyeo still work. The headline sight is Seongsan Ilchulbong, a volcanic crater rising straight from the sea that half the island seems to climb for sunrise. Further south, Pyoseon has a vast, shallow beach and a folk village.

Hotels are fewer and more spread out than on the south coast. The pick is a large beachfront resort near Pyoseon, with a quieter, greener setting than anything at Jungmun; around Seongsan the choice is younger and more casual. This is the side for walkers, cyclists and anyone who would rather hear the sea than a hotel lobby. Both main towns are a long drive away.