Korean Job Discussion Forums

[zeppelin]

Hi guys,

Been here for years but haven't traveled anywhere else except Japan.

I'm wondering where the best places to go for a bit of rnr - beaches, chilled people, maybe some live music bars - that's not too far from Korea and could be quite cheap.

I'm thinking 10 days to 2 weeks. I'm not keen on staying in a backpacker hostel but a fairly basic but private hotel room would be fine.

Any recommendations and budget suggestions would be very welcome!

[jonbowman88]

well if you want beaches you have to travel a little ways this time of year, warm beaches anyhow. Probably the cheapest you'll be able to find is Cambodia. Sihanoukville to be exact. Flights to cambodia are the cheapest at least they were last year and to stay at a nice hotel expect to pay $25/night this is a nice room. Food is like $2-3 a meal. That being said stuff does add up. Between drinks, tuk tuk rides (taxis) shopping boat rides, whatever you spend more than you expect cause stuff is really cheap. just remember to take cash or make sure you have a working international atm machine because they don't know what credit cards are.

[ttompatz]

[sweet_potato]

When do you want to go?

I would recommend Taiwan.
Taipei is awesome to explore for a few days. There is the gorge on the east coast, the sun-moon lake is central (??). Kenting in the south has beautiful beaches (it was too cold to swim in December, but if you go in the Spring it'll be perfect). If you're going in April, they've got this Spring Scream thing going (music festival) and it's apparently fantastic. You can rent a motorbike in Kenting and ride the entire coast independently (hardly any cars on the road). The people are friendly, food is great, and prices are a bit cheaper than Korea.

[tomstar86]

Taiwan - I've heard amazing things about it. Actually, I've yet to hear anyone trash it unlike Japan, China, Vietnam, Thailand, where you often hear mixed reports (especially with Vietnam!)

You can fly with AirBusan to Taipei for a very very very reasonable price!

Tom

http://waegooktom.blogspot.com

[JBomb]

Malaysia is dead cheap. If you want beaches, head for Langkawi also has a great range of accommodation and because it is duty free, expect to be paying very little for anything. it also has some gorgeous beaches that are perfect for doing nothing at all. Then if the mood hits you there are plenty of ferries there up into Ko Lipe and the Trang Islands which are also inexpensive and amazing.

[northway]

[Taiwantroll]

I love Taiwan obviously, but I wouldn't recommend it for a vacation. Why? Well, it is not particularly tourist friendly. Most places do not have accomodation for English speakers. Also, hotels are typically very expensive compared to other Asian tourist destinations. If these warnings don't deter you then you will be pleasantly surprised. Taiwan is a beautiful place to visit. Just expect the unexpected.

[sallymonster]

Go to the Philippines. You can fly Jeju Air to Manila (from Incheon) or Cebu (from Busan) for 190,000 won each way. From one of those cities, you can get a flight through Cebu Pacific or Air Philippines to a beach paradise such as Boracay or Palawan. I've been to Boracay, and I was surprised how cheap it was considering all the tourists that go there.

[iselynjenniep]