Contents
- 1 Discovering space in Jeju
- 1.1 Jongdal-ri in Gujwa-eup under Jimibong
- 1.2 A place to feel good, Dorok-dorok
- 1.3 A living room that's connected and separate at the same time
- 1.4 The bedroom is the centerpiece of your home
- 1.5 PLAY ROOM
- 1.6 Kitchen with everything you need
- 1.7 Jeju in the house, stone walls
- 1.8 Semi-vintage jacuzzi indoors
- 1.9 Outdoor spaces like pools and gardens and sweet ice cream
- 1.10 Summary
- 1.11 Dorok-dorok
Discovering space in Jeju
Some places leave a lasting impression. When you travel, you’re often captivated by the destinations themselves, but sometimes it’s the places you stay that are more memorable. That was the case with my last memorable stay in Jeju Island, Jeju Dorogeo.
When I go abroad, I invest a lot in accommodation, but when I travel domestically, I tend to stay in cost-effective hotels. The same was true when I traveled to Jeju Island, but recently, there are many unique hotels that reflect the taste of the architect, called #sensibility hotels, and it’s fun to look at them. It’s a bit expensive based on the night, so it’s difficult to stay for a long time, but if you want to feel the charm of the place and space through travel and make #life shots, you need to book a good hotel boldly.
On our last trip to #Jeju Island, my family booked a few places we’d always wanted to stay in hopes of being inspired by the amazing spaces we saw. Jeju dorokdorok was one of those places.
Jongdal-ri in Gujwa-eup under Jimibong
#Gujwa-eup, Jeju is not a very touristy neighborhood, and while Manjanggul and Bijirim are famous, it’s a bit quiet compared to the core tourist destinations to the east, such as Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak. Jongdal-ri is a quiet eastern village overlooking Jongdal Harbor with a view of the deserted #Jimibong Peak.
The owners of Dorokgeo fell in love with the quiet village during a trip to Jeju in 2017 and have been visiting Jongdali every time they come to Jeju. Then, as fate would have it, in 2021, they came across an empty house, which they transformed into a charming space with a lot of character.
If you look on dorok-dorok Instagram, there’s a picture of the old house, and I thought there’s a parallel with the Jeju accommodations that #Dajayo has created, in terms of creating newness through regeneration, or creating accommodations that blend into the town.
A place to feel good, Dorok-dorok
The traditional #Jeju stone wall and the cute wooden supports on the floor make a path. Jeju is famous for having no gates, but due to the strong winds, they were often replaced with #jeongjusuk and #jeongnang. Jeongnang, a wooden pole, was also a sign to let people know if someone was home.
If all three trees are hanging, they’ve gone far; if only two are hanging, it’ll take a while; if only one is hanging, they’ll be back soon; if all the seminal vesicles are missing, there’s a human.
After passing through the small garden-like entrance, you’ll see a wooden bench and gate that’s perfect for taking photos. To the left is the path to the rooftop, where you can climb up and take photos of the yard. The weather wasn’t great when I arrived, but it’s summer, so it was raining on and off… but the entrance is cute.
A living room that's connected and separate at the same time
When you enter the house, you immediately realize that it has a high floor. The house is white, with exposed roof beams and wooden beams. The white color and the raw wood go well together.
The overall space is also interestingly differentiated. The higher floors are connected, but the compartments are separated by walls, so you don’t feel the stuffiness of an old house.
The flooring is also differentiated from the flooring by having a raised area going up from the living area to the master bedroom. It’s also interesting to note that you can access the pool through a door off the living room instead of the front door.
The living room is modern and uncluttered. As you enter the foyer, you’ll see cabinets to the left, followed by a six-seat wooden dining table, and a long decorative cabinet behind the table.
The cabinets are used for storing clothes, suitcases, and other items, and they’re stackable so they don’t get cluttered. There’s also a highchair here, and a #beamprojector (probably because of the many white walls, so they can utilize the beam projector outside at the pool, etc.).
When you sit at the dining room table, you can see out to the yard through the bay window. I think it’s designed to give you a cool view of the outside, and the fact that every room in the house is connected, not separated by a door. I love that there are so many windows in the house, except for the insulating aspect, because it allows the house to be a sense of connection rather than a sense of disconnection.
From the table, you can see across the yard to a stone patio where you can drink tea, and there’s a pot of coffee ready to go in a mold. There are also some finely ground coffee beans. So there’s a lot of things to drink, not just coffee, but tea and juice and other things.
The cabinet that separates the table from the further bedroom area is also interesting. In the design, this cabinet acts as an information desk of sorts: when you first enter the house, you’re greeted with a #handwritten note from the owner. It’s warm and welcoming, and there’s an owner’s manual and a few other memorable items.
The instructions can also be viewed on a tablet on the table, but I like the physicality of the paper. I also like the postcards with pen drawings. I used to always try to draw pictures of memorable places I visited, but I’ve been busy lately, and I’ve started a drawing journal with my child, so I’ll have to try it sometime.
You look at the items carefully. First, I notice the Instax #Polaroid camera. It’s nice to see a camera that uses instant film since we’ve become accustomed to using smartphones and digital cameras. You’ve got 10 rolls of new film next to you, which is just the right amount to capture memories without being overwhelmed.
And then there’s the #firepit tool for fire pits in the yard. It has ethanol in it, and the bottle is as pretty as the vase, which is sentimental.
My wife was impressed with the incense sticks, because she likes to light a few candles around the house, and I like scents that calm me down. I thought of the incense sticks in temples, and there’s an #incense stick, and she said, “It’s a service to include these.”
There’s also an ANDO book on the dresser. It seems to be a book by Tadao Ando, a world-renowned Japanese architect. I wonder if he was influenced by him when he created this wonderful space.
The bedroom is the centerpiece of your home
The bedroom, which is connected to the living room, has a step on the floor. It’s not a step from the bedroom like a knife, but a little bit of a step from the living room, so you can easily divide the space and prepare your mind that this is the bedroom. If the floor in the living room is a rather cold porcelain tile, it’s a wooden floor from here on out. There’s also a folding door that separates the bedroom, so you can leave it open and close it if you need to.
The bed is a king size. At home, I don’t feel like my #California king bed is very big, but it’s neat and the bedding is clean. Pillows are important to me when traveling and the pillows were just right, not too fluffy and not too firm.
Next to the bed is a solid wood coat rack with robes on it. I usually keep my nightgown on top of the bed, but this makes it feel much more organized. I’m using the granite chunk underneath the hanger as a decorative base, and it adds to the overall woodsy feel of the bedroom. There’s also a touch of flair here. It’s a pillow mist. I mentioned that my wife is sensitive to scents, and she tried the pillow mist before bed that night and liked it, so she started using it at home after we got back to Seoul.
How about the view from the bedroom? You can see the pool through the bay window towards the yard. By placing a lightweight movable table by the window, you can see the family enjoying the pool outside while having a cup of tea from the bedroom. I think it’s a good point to add greenery by placing plants everywhere without overdoing it.
PLAY ROOM
There’s another room off the bedroom that I use to watch movies on BeamProject and drink tea or coffee. There are some books and it’s a nice place to relax and enjoy the space outside of the bedroom. The interesting thing is that you can go through a small window sill right from the bedroom to get into this room. The kid had a lot of fun climbing up and down this window sill.
He said that he normally never sleeps away from his mom and dad, but this window makes him feel at ease, and he’s very proud of himself for sleeping alone. (I’d love to do this if I ever redecorate my house… but then he’ll be older and want his own space, right?)
The walls of the playroom are lit up like an exhibition space, with props on display. There’s a low table for tea, and a beam projector on the ceiling for watching movies. In the evenings, the kids fell asleep watching their favorite shows.
It’s usually just a great place to hang out, but if you have boys, they can sleep on their own bedding. Just let the owner know when you book so they can provide extra bedding. Here’s what he looks like sleeping in the morning, he’s stretched out like he’s had a hard swim.
Kitchen with everything you need
The kitchen, which is open to the living room, is all wood, from the shelves to the sink top. It may be a little impractical, but it’s the kind of interior that many people dream of. There’s only one induction stove, but since I don’t cook much, it’s not a big deal. There’s a microwave hiding in the bottom, and a small fridge.
I have a small frying pan and some seasonings, so I think I can do some light cooking. Inside the fridge, I have a head of water, apple juice, and breakfast ingredients. The instructions for making breakfast are on the iPad.
The custard cream-colored kitchen was generally cute, with plates in a variety of unique shapes, and a good selection of coffee, tea, and wine glasses. It was just the right amount of kitchen for traveling without being overwhelming, although my wife commented that it was “pretty but hard to manage”.
Jeju in the house, stone walls
This was my wife’s favorite space. We brought the most Jeju-like basalt into the house and built a low, comfortable wall. It’s a space that feels like you’re in the house but outside. It’s called the tea ceremony zone or stone wall.
It actually feels like the outdoors when you’re sitting here, and there’s a window upstairs so you can look at the sky or look at the stars and have a relaxing cup of tea. We had our evening cups of grain tea here, and in the morning we brewed green tea, and what I thought was really well organized was that you can have tea here, relax, and then go to the large jacuzzi area.
At home, I’ve seen a lot of people changing the veranda space to make it feel like a great room. I think the good thing about traveling is that you can get ideas like this.
Semi-vintage jacuzzi indoors
From the tea ceremony area, head towards the bathroom/restroom and you’ll find a slight step in the floor and the indoor jacuzzi area. At first, I thought the jacuzzi would be small, but it’s big enough to fit the whole family. It’s made of small square tiles that remind me of old-fashioned baths, and the colors are cute. It’s bigger than I expected, so it took me more than an hour to get water.
The jacuzzi also has a good window. I made a wooden door to add to the window, and there’s a cozy nook. The lanterns and candle holders in front are cute. Outside the window is a view of the unused garden. You can use the jacuzzi in privacy and comfort.
Adjacent to the jacuzzi is a vanity made of a combination of solid woods. Aesop amenities, Mavis toothpaste, hand balm, and more are on top. The long hanging light over the sink creates the illusion of a full moon. The rattan basket in the back for towels after use is also color-coordinated, showing the owner’s taste.
Outdoor spaces like pools and gardens and sweet ice cream
A cozy yard. It feels like Jeju. The orange outhouse roof looks unassuming.
I’m sure many of you are looking for an Instagrammable pool, but my son and I loved the smaller, more compact pool. The pool itself isn’t huge, but the white terracing makes it look pretty in photos. It’s big enough for two adults and big enough for a child to play in. My son had a great time on the tube.
The pool is not available during the winter months. It’s definitely usable in the summer and there are times when it’s lukewarm.
There are two wooden sunbeds by the pool, and the pool is lit in the evening. Some say it’s even better to swim in the evening with the sunset and have a beer on the sunbeds in the summer. It was lightly drizzling when we were there, so we didn’t swim at night.
Next to the pool area is a gravel area. It feels like a small garden, and there is a separate area where you can have a fire pit. If you like camping, it would be romantic. You can get out after swimming and go in the fire pit while having a fire, and it’s romantic. There are also outdoor sofas around the fire pit. It was a little chilly, but it was nice to have a drink here while watching the stars. (By the way, the fire pit has good instructions on how to use it and how to turn it off. It’s easy to use, but you should always pay attention to safety).
The Fire Pit comes with a bottle of ethanol and a firestick inside. Since it’s an ethanol brazier, you can pour in the provided ethanol and you’ll have a good fire for a few hours.
If you sit on one of the outdoor sofas, towards the entrance there is a wooden window similar to the one in the jacuzzi, which is also a famous photo spot. In the evening, this area is also illuminated and is a great place to capture the shot of a lifetime.
And in the front of the living room, there are wooden armchairs and a super mini garden. If you’re staying for more than two days, this would be a great place to get some quiet reading done. Finally, the roof is open to the public. It might be a little dangerous for kids to climb up there, so please refrain. Many people use the rooftop to take pictures of the property or watch the sunset.
Summary
It was a short one-night stay, but the memories of Dorokdorok have lasted quite a while. Throughout our trip to Jeju, other accommodations were compared to it, and even after we returned to Seoul, my child asked to go back.
I think Dorokdoroko accomplished their goal of making our trip memorable.
I left a handwritten review, and it’s also on their Instagram (review page).
Here are some questions you may have.
Some people were worried about privacy because there is a pool or jacuzzi, but I don’t think it’s a problem. There is a single-story western-style house next door, but it’s not particularly popular, and there are no other houses behind the building. The wall is not low, and the front house is open to the street, so it’s a space for guests. However, the house is located in the village, so you should refrain from making loud noises.
Many people wonder how much the price is, but it varies depending on the weekday/weekend of peak season/off-season.
You can find more information on dorokdorok Instagram. You can make a reservation through Naver Reservation.
