Podo Hotel

The architecture is brilliant, and it’s a fantastic hotel. It’s pretty far from things, though. Breakfast is much more traditional than the usual hotel fare you might expect. It’s a great choice for bringing traditional Korean folks along, or for a luxury golf trip with friends.

Located in the podohotel area, this was our favorite breakfast spot on our trip to JEJU. The place is small, which is normal in JEJU, but has a lovely view and a cozy living room filled with natural light. The service was super fast and attentive, and the food was crazy good. Some of the BEST bread I’ve had. It was freshly baked and displayed so magically that I saved one to enjoy on the plane. Thanks for a great morning and yummy memories. The manager, SangHoon Baek, was friendly, and the service was great. Thx!!!

The meat course was the highlight for me, lots of savory pieces that practically melt in your mouth, with a lovely open view beside the golf course. The suite is huge and has sinks everywhere, so handwashing is hard to forget. 7/5, I'd wash my hands there again.

We came to Podo hotel to slow down, spend time together as a family, and just relax. It suited that perfectly, and I’d happily return for the same reasons. It’s wonderfully quiet at any hour, and the room was so spacious that we started imagining a summer cottage built to the same specs. The food was first rate, both Korean and western, and with a rental car we could reach the places we’d picked out to eat without worrying about traffic. Most places worth visiting are 10-15 minutes away, and McDonald's is also a 10-15 minute drive if someone in the family is a picky eater. The hotel is an impressive mix of modern design and artistic expression, part of the Spinx golf resort, which I believe is currently operated by the SK group. It’s called the Podo hotel because, viewed from above, it looks like a bunch of grapes. Maybe that was intended, or maybe they were aiming for modern-day Jeju Island houses and ended up with grapes. You decide. Either way, it’s cool. The price is expensive, and I’m not sure it’s easy to justify. Whether it makes sense depends on what you’re coming to Jeju for. One thing to know is that the golf course sits at a high elevation, so it seems to get more fog and bad-weather days than many others on the island. On a clear day, though, it’s a beautiful course. The pool is in another building called the annex, about a three-minute drive down the road. The grounds are that large, and it’s definitely not a three-minute walk. The facilities are fine, but the distance makes family pool trips harder to organize. A spa or more activity space would also be nice for non-golfers, or for one adult and a couple of kids when someone else in the family wants to spend the day golfing.