Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Ilsanman]

After many changed plans and ho-ing and humming, my wife, MIL, daughter, and I ended up in Saipan for the last 4 days. We just got back. I felt the need to write a travel review, so here it is.

Day 1: We arrived at 1:30 am and got ushered to the hotel. We went to bed.

Woke up, and went on an island tour. We saw Turtle Island, the site of some battles between US and Japan, and US Memorial Park.

In the afternoon, we went swimming, then ate dinner. We also visited a night market, which comes only Thursday nights. Really awesome. I boutght some egg rolls, a whole coconut, and a papaya smoothie.

Day 2: In the morning, we went to Magahara Island and went snorkling. The afternoon, we hung out on the beach and at the swimming pool. I went to the downtown area alone for a few hours.

In the evening, we participated in a starlight tour. Nice view, crappy tour.

Day 3: It was a free day, so we did some shopping and swimming. My wife and MIL went for massages (heavily overpriced!!) and then the rest of the day was free time. More swimming and tanning.

Here's my review of Saipan:

Pros: Great weather
Relatively close to Korea (3 hours and 40 minutes)
Good access to western goods.
Extremely safe (I never once felt threatened in any way)
The island's outlay is very simple and easy to get around.
The people are friendly for the most part.
Beautiful scenery and clear water.

Cons: Too expensive (relatively double that of Korea)
Too many Koreans. It's annoying to see their crappy restaurants and whorehous*cough*massage parlours on every corner.
A lack of good shopping. They really cater to tourists but it doesn't do much for people living there.
Taxis are overpriced, restricting your freedom.
Really really strict security at the airport. I guess they've had a problem.

Overall, I'd give Saipan a 7.5/10 for a vacation spot. Thailand or Philippines might be a bit better for most people, but we chose Saipan mostly for safety.