Travels

There’s a place I keep putting off precisely because it’s close to home. For me that’s Taehwagang National Garden (태화강국가정원). I always tell myself I can go anytime, and then spring is suddenly almost over. So this May I finally cleared a whole day and went when the flowers were at their peak. Peonies, field poppies, blue cornflowers, and the bamboo path that glows at night. Here’s how the day went, with everything I wish I’d known before going. ...

Ganjeolgot (간절곶) is the first spot on the Korean mainland where the sun comes up each morning. It got famous as the place to watch the very first sunrise of the new millennium, and these days people come all year round just to walk along the sea. Here’s the thing, though. Actually getting there trips a lot of people up. It sits at the southern tip of Ulju-gun, a fair distance from central Ulsan, and if you don’t plan the route it’s surprisingly easy to end up lost. ...

I finally made it out to Daewangam Park (대왕암공원) on the east coast of Ulsan. People kept telling me it was the place to go for a sea walk on a clear day, so it had been sitting on my list for a while. Once I actually started walking, I got why — pine forest, a swaying bridge, and a wild rocky coastline, all in one spot. Half a day was gone before I knew it. ...

We took a short overnight trip to Gijang (기장), on the eastern edge of Busan. My kid is obsessed with swimming, so this time I wanted a place with a pool attached to the room itself. After a lot of scrolling I landed on Villa de Himmel (빌라 드 히멜), tucked away in the Ilgwang (일광) area. It’s about a 30-minute drive from Haeundae, and there’s a Shinsegae outlet nearby, so getting around was easy. ...

I spent one night at Tanibay Hotel Ulsan, the tall ocean-view tower that opened in November 2023 right across from Ilsan Beach in Dong-gu. I had been curious about it for a while, so I booked a Deluxe Double and went over to see for myself. Every single one of the 147 rooms faces the sea. That sounded like marketing copy until I checked in - the view really does follow you everywhere, from the bed to the bathtub to the balcony. ...

I was hunting for a quiet coastal stay between Ulsan and Busan when a friend mentioned a brand-new pool villa resort near Ganjeolgot Cape. The place is called Ocean Bliss Urban Resort, and the sell was simple: every room faces the sea, there’s a 20m infinity pool, and you can basically eat all three meals without leaving the property. I went for one night. Aside from the time it took to unpack and pack, I barely stepped outside the resort. That tells you most of what you need to know - but I’ll go through the details anyway. ...