Posted by Foreign visitors to Korea typically plan their visit around two major cities: Seoul and Busan. While these cities are absolute must-explore destinations, there is another less well-known spot that is worth visiting: Jeju Island.
Famed for its beaches, spectacular mountain landscape and hallabong oranges, Jeju is a popular holiday spot among Koreans. Jeju provides a respite from the crowded city streets of Seoul with its fresh air and laid-back island lifestyle.
Wondering where to stay in Jeju? Luckily, there are a range of luxury hotels clustered in the North and South of the island. In the South, you will find hotels like The Shilla Jeju and Lotte Hotel Jeju; the North, however, is home to the largest Grand Hyatt hotel in all of Asia Pacific, so naturally we spent a few days here during our last visit to Jeju. Read on to find out our thoughts.
Ratings rundown
| Accessibility | 9/10 |
| Ambiance | 8/10 |
| Accommodation | 8.5/10 |
| Pool(s) | 8/10 |
| Food and Drink | 8/10 |
| Facilities | 9/10 |
| Service | 9/10 |
| Overall % | 85% |
Accessibility
Jeju island itself can be reached either by a 1-hour flight (from Seoul) or by ferry which is slightly longer, depending on where you embark. Given the high volume of flights going in and out of Jeju everyday, we recommend taking the plane to reach the island.
The Grand Hyatt is conveniently located in the North of the island, so it is a quick 20 minutes drive from the airport to the hotel. The island is fairly easy to travel round, either by car rental or taxi, so being based in the North is not really an issue if you plan to explore the whole of Jeju.
Accessibility rating: 9/10
Ambiance
The Grand Hyatt certainly lives up to its name, with an impressive front-entrance leading into a vast foyer. The hotel is kept immaculately clean, with gleaming floors and furniture, and the sheer size of the space is pretty spectacular.
The hotel is a very popular spot among visitors, so don’t expect a secluded retreat — it is busy with people, but this provides some life and vitality to the hotel’s atmosphere.
Ambiance rating: 8/10
Accommodation
The hotel offers a range of accommodation with rooms and suites, as well as a choice of view (city or sea). We chose a corner suite king room which boasts incredible views and also comes with Grand Club privileges included.
Accommodation highlights
- View: one of the most stunning features of this room was the ceiling to floor windows, which provided incredible sunset views in the evening
- Space: as we opted for a suite, the space that we had was impressive, with a full living/dining area, one full bath, one half-bath, walk-in wardrobe space, and large bedroom. The room also had windows you could open to bring in the fresh Jeju air — a nice touch, especially if you have been living in Seoul where the air quality is not so great.
- Bathroom: the bathroom facilities and amenities were lavish with large bathtub, separate dressing table, and Balmain toiletries.
Accommodation lowlights
There really wasn’t that many downsides to this room — one thing we would mention though, is that due to the size, it can feel a little empty given the limited amount of decoration — this is good if you like minimalist interior design but feels a little bare if you prefer more elaborate styles.
Accommodation rating: 8.5/10
Pool(s)
The hotel has two main swimming areas — one is located indoors, and the other is an outdoor pool (the largest outdoor pool deck in Jeju). We didn’t spent much time at the outdoor pool due to the weather but the views are impressive, so we do recommend stopping by.
If you are looking for some quiet rest and relaxation, we recommend the indoor pool; if you are travelling with family or younger children, the outdoor is great.
Pool rating: 8/10
Food and Drink
The hotel has an impressive selection of restaurants with a range of different cuisines, such as:
- Pocha: modern Korean street food
- Steakhouse: quality beef & seafood restaurant
- Café 8: casual dining near the outdoor pool (pizza, pasta etc.)
- Grand Kitchen: Vegas-style buffet restaurant
- Yumeyama: Japanese restaurant
- Noknamu: Korean BBQ restaurant serving famous Jeju black pork and Korean beef
- China House: Chinese restaurant
- Jeju Hot pot: Chinese hot pot restaurant
There are also some other more casual places including a deli or pop-up shops to get food on the go.
When it comes to eating lunch and dinner, we do recommend exploring outside the hotel — there are some amazing restaurants that specialize in must-eat Jeju dishes — for example, we recommend visiting Sukseongdo for a taste of Jeju black pork BBQ.
Breakfast
When it comes to Breakfast in the hotel, there are a few different options to choose from — we tried the Grand Kitchen for a buffet style breakfast and also a traditional Korean breakfast elsewhere.
The traditional Korean breakfast set we had was an interesting experience but not the most amazing meal in terms of taste. We opted for the abalone porridge set which came with fish, kimchi, fresh abalone and other sides as well as juice and tea.
If you are looking for a true hotel breakfast experience, the Grand Kitchen is the place to go and was our preferred breakfast spot of choice. The range of food here was really impressive with a hot buffet area serving Korean, Chinese and Western dishes, a pastry/patisserie area, fresh fruit and cold cuts area as well as a place with sweet treats including sweet rice cakes.
The quality of food was not as good as the Four Seasons Seoul, but the choice was immense, so you will find something enjoyable to eat in the morning.
Food and drink rating: 8/10
Facilities
The facilities at the Grand Hyatt Jeju are expansive — below is a list of some of the things you can do in the hotel.
Shopping
There are around 14 shops in the hotel offering clothes for men, women and children — these shops will usually have Korean fashion designers in stock, providing a new experience for travelers used to seeing the same brands again and again on the high street/main cities.
Grand Club
If you have Club access through your room or through status with World of Hyatt Loyalty Programme, then stop by throughout the day for complimentary breakfast, afternoon tea, cocktails or light evening bites (including hot appetizers).
Korean spa
If you are seeking a true Korean experience, make sure to enjoy the Korean spa (typically entrance fee required), which has four specialty rooms to relax in (clay, salt, cypress and ice). Entrance also comes with a complimentary drink: orange juice or sikhye (sweet rice drink), and you can also purchase other food/drink inside.
In addition to the heated/cold rooms, there is also a gender segregated bathhouse, with hot pools and a traditional sauna to truly unwind and relax.
Close to the Korean spa, is the Rosebay spa where you can find your typical spa treatments (e.g. massages etc.)
Facilities rating: 9/10
Service
The service at this hotel was fantastic — we were greeted upon arrival by a guest experience manager who showed us to our room and gave us a tour of the hotel. They were also super helpful in providing recommendations outside the hotel (e.g. restaurants, cafés and other tourist spots) to visit. Personalized and differentiated service like this really does elevate your perception of a hotel.
Service rating: 9/10
Summary
Overall, we were really impressed by the Grand Hyatt Jeju in terms of its size, the amazing facilities available and also the outstanding service. While you will want to venture outside the hotel for afternoon and evening meals, we would definitely recommend staying at this hotel if you are in Jeju.
Luxury Jetsetter 
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