Hamdeok Beach: The Idyllic Place To Stay on Jeju Island

Jeju Island is the best place in South Korea to visit in the summer months in Korea. There are plenty of beaches to explore and museums and fun indoor sites too. Our favorite place to stay and what I would consider one of the best beaches on Jeju Island, the white sandy Hamdeok Beach is so inviting.

When you’re stuck between the city buildings of Seoul and the clear blue waters of Jeju are calling, this is where you’ll want to stay in Jeju. It is too enticing to pass up. Looking for a beautiful and also kid friendly area on Jeju Island? Definitely check out Hamdeok Beach on Jeju’s north shore.

Having been to Jeju a couple times already and having done the hike up Halla Mountain, visited the beautiful Jeongbang Waterfallthat falls right into the ocean, biked around nearby Gapa Island, and learned about legends of Jeju in the grotto of Sanbang Mountain and walked along Yongmeori Coast, I was ready for something different.

Of course, with two toddlers, this trip would be a bit slower paced too so with that we opted to head to Hamdeok Beach (함덕해수욕장) on the north side of the island and not terribly far from the airport.

Want to go to Hamdeok Beach on Jeju Island? Skip around and get the details:

• How To Get To Jeju Island
• How To Get To Hamdeok From Jeju International Airport
• Where To Stay On Hamdeok Beach
• What To Expect
  • Beaches & The Tides
  • Cafe Delmoondo
  • Viewpoints
  • Where To Eat
• Where To Go Nearby
  • Jeju LAF (제주라프)

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How To Get To Jeju Island

Get To Jeju: First you’ll have to get to Jeju Island. Did you know you can get there by plane OR by ferry? Here are all of the different ways you can get to the Hawaii of Korea.

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How To Get To Hamdeok Beach From Jeju International Airport

Hamdeok Beach isn’t terribly far from the airport at under 20 kilometers, however depending on what you’ll want to do, you may want to rent a car because getting around the island is just WAY easier if you have one. If you want to just stay put in Hamdeok for a weekend though, which is also cool, then grab a taxi or bus. Here are the options:

Address: 525 Johamhaean-ro, Jocheon-eub, Jeju-si, Jeju-do (제주시 조천읍 조함해안로 525)

By Bus: From the airport, you can take bus 101, 325, or 326 to Hamdeok Beach Stop. The bus takes between 50 minutes and an hour.

By Taxi: A taxi would take about 45 minutes and cost around W20,000.

Airport Transfer Service: The trip from the airport to Hamdeok takes about 40 minutes via car and if you hire a car via Klook, it’ll be ready and waiting for you when you arrive. I highly recommend using a service for your trip to get to and from the airport… especially if you’re like me with a kid and a bag.

Rent A Car: Renting does not have to be a hassle. If you don’t want to go directly with a local shop, check out Klook which offers a great deal on rental cars and works really well for tourists. It’s fast and efficient and you’ll land and be on the road in no time. For more information and options, check out this guide to how to rent a car in Jeju.

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Where To Stay On Hamdeok Beach

Hamdeok Beach Stay Jeju

For our stay, we found some great rooms with great rates at Co-op City Hotel Jeju Beach. We got one room with an ocean view and one room on the backside and both were great. The one with the ocean view came with a balcony, while the one on the backside with the mountain view had more space on the interior.

The beds were comfortable and the decor not too fussy. It was a simple chic spot to rest for the night and not break the bank. I’d definitely stay there again.

There’s a convenience store in the building and a great rooftop to check out the entire view of the area. The only thing that we thought could be improved about the hotel, was the complimentary breakfast. The Korean selections were good, but the bread and fruit was really wanting. Other than that though, it was a spot on location with steps right down to the large sand bar in front.

If I wanted another quick beach stay, I’d definitely head to Hamdeok and this hotel again. The staff was great, the cleaning services nice and we had everything we needed in the building.

• Book a room here on Booking.com or on Agoda.com.
• If you want to check out some more options, check out this guide for where to stay on Jeju Island.

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What To Do

Beaches & The Tides

The thing about Hamdeok Beach is that if you arrive in the evening, you’re likely to think that there isn’t much of a beach.. or beaches in the area but that’s because the tide has come in and covered it up on the western end. In the morning the tide goes out and you’re left with an amazingly huge sand bar with plenty of space for people to spread out, tide pools for little ones to play in safely and rocks to hunt around for crabs and other shellfish.

Hamdeok has three small beaches that don’t get taken over by the tide in the evening and the two to the east are the most popular by far. If you come in on that end of Hamdeok, you’re likely to think it’s too busy and want to leave during high season. I’d tell you to keep walking west and you’ll like what you see though. If you want your own space, go as far west as you can. That’s just what we did and it was spectacular.

We had no problems with crowds, found our own little area to chill out with black lava rocks behind us, soft sand in front of us and beautiful blue water everywhere.

Cafe Delmoondo (델문도 제주 카페)

In the center of all the beach action, there is also the popular Cafe Delmoondo that serves up some coffee drinks and delightful pastry treats along with their gorgeous views of the surrounding area it’s a must see. Whoever bought up this land and put in a cafe was brilliant. There is indoor seating with air-con and outdoor seating on a wrap around terrace. There’s also a private area with beach access that you can rent by the hour. 

There are sunning seats and chairs and you can swim and enjoy the more private water here. This place was pretty happening during our stay, but we still walked in and found a seat easily. During low season, this cafe would be pretty desolate and perfect for a little sit and gabbing session by the beach.

• Address: 519-10 Johamhaean-ro, Jocheon-eup, Jeju, Korea (제주시 조천읍 조함해안로 519-10, 1층 카페 델문도)
• Hours: 7:00am ~ Midnight

Viewpoints

Walk past the cafe and there is an arched bridge that connects to a small island where some beautiful pictures can be taken in the evening with the setting sun. But, also if you’re into water sports, this is where to rent kayaks and get all kinds of fun water sport gear for the day. There is plenty to see and explore in this little area with or without kids so take some time and see what you can find.

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If you want to do more and get around a bit more than we did, there are some great things to do on Jeju. Here are a few things that aren’t too far from this area:

• Fly on a zipline. Zipline Jeju is located within a green tea theme park. It’s a family friendly activity and is great fun if you’ve ever wanted to fly…. safely.
• Visit Maze Land Jeju. Made of whinstone and 5.3 kilometers long, it is a must try.
• Take in a view of Jeju from above! Go on a hot air balloon ride while you’re on vacation to Jeju Island. You won’t regret it.
• Take an off road ride on Jeju Island. It’s a 12 kilometer off-road driving course to see the best of Jeju’s Oreum Hills.

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Where To Eat

There is a beautiful mosaic boardwalk which wraps around the western end where the water comes highest at night and here is where you can find a lot of restaurants lining the road as well. We checked out Burger 307 for lunch which has a cool island relaxed vibe inside with mismatched tables and chairs and bean bags to sit on. The burgers were good and the skinny fries perfect. 

We also checked out 대촌회미락, a fish restaurant, near our hotel one evening for dinner. We got cooked fillets since we had toddlers with us, but they also have a lot of huge hoe, raw fish, platters. The fillets were so big and so delicious though. This restaurant was one of the busier ones as the night progressed, which in Korea means good things, but we got there around 6 and got a table before all of the beach bums started wandering in a bit later.

대촌회미락

• Address:  1252-40 Hamdeok-ri Jocheon-eup, Jeju (제주특별자치도 제주시 조천읍 함덕리 1252-40)
• Days & Hours: Every day, 9:00am ~ 10:30pm

Burger 307 (버거307 제주함덕점)

• Address: 제주특별자치도 제주시 조천읍 함덕리 1269-19
• Days & Hours: Every day 10:00am ~ 1:00pm

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Where To Go Nearby

Jeju LAF (제주라프)

This artistic space which also features footbaths and ziplines is a great place to escape to. Even if you’re staying in Hamdeok without a car, Jeju LAF‘s colorful area is just a 25 minute bus ride away. Immerse yourself in color and light and go the adventurous route and fly high or dip your feet in water to relax. Either way, enjoy!

• Address: 115-1 Seongyo-ro, Jocheon-eub, Jeju-si (제주시 조천읍 선교로 115-1)
• Tickets: If you’re planning to visit LAF and want to partake in the ziplining and/or footbath experience, there are discounted tickets available online before you go.
  • On kkday: You can get a zipline ticket, footbath ticket, and a combo ticket for a discount.
• Hours: Every day: 9:00am ~ 6:00pm (Break time from 12:00pm ~ 1:00pm)

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For a quick weekend away vacay, I would highly recommend visiting Hamdeok Beach.

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