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The thought of outdoor swimming in the autumn might give you a little chill but it’s a lot different when it comes to swimming on Jeju Island. The southern-most island enjoys its peak season in the autumn, as the average temperature stays between 15 and 21 degrees Celsius.
The Shilla Jeju, a luxurious hotel in Seogwipo, rolled out its “Moonlight Swimming” package that comes with a free jazz music live concert in the evening.
On Sept. 30 evening at the Soombi Spa Zone where palm trees and subtropical plants create an exotic and romantic atmosphere, families and couples started to come to the oval-shaped outdoor pool in earnest from 9 p.m. as the stage for a jazz concert was ready, right next to the pool.
Children and some young couples were swimming in the outdoor pool mostly, while grown-ups were enjoying a family Jacuzzi and Soombi Jacuzzi where water temperature is kept at 40 degrees at all times. The hotel said it maintains the water temperature of the outdoor pool at around 27-29 degrees.
While taking a dip in a warm pool, looking up toward the fresh-aired skies, a quintet jazz band led by a female vocalist started its first song, “Fly me to the moon.” The familiar romantic lyrics and melodies got a good reception. Some of the audience was in the pool, some at the bar beside the pool, and others were seated in front of the stage.
The “Moonlight Swimming” package also includes two tickets for a tasting tour of 15 kinds of wine, produced in the three countries that hold the biggest international film festivals ― France, Germany and Italy. The tour starts with a red carpet right outside the pool and continues to the Honey Moon Road and Shiri Bench on the hill of Soombi Garden.
The pool side bar holds a tap beer festival where seven varieties of tap beer are offered for 32,000 won per person during the 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. happy hour. They are Germany’s Erdinger, Ireland’s Guinness, Japan’s Asahi, Belgium’s Hoegaarden, the U.S.’ Miller and Korea’s Red Rock.
While the outdoor swimming and jazz music package runs through the end of November, the jazz concerts will be divided into five themes ― swing jazz until Oct. 13, world jazz until Oct. 30, romantic bosanova until Nov. 10, funky brass band until Nov. 20 and jazz movie music until Nov. 30.
The next morning, an easy Olle walk guided by the Shilla Jeju’s “guest activity organizers” (G.A.O) was remarkable.
For 20,000 won per person, the G.A.O takes you on a bus at 9 a.m. to a nearby village where you can start walking the Olle trail. The 20,000 won includes rental of a backpack filled with snacks such as soft, sweet bread, Jeju tangerines and a bottle of water.
The G.A.O’s Olle courses vary depending on which day you book. The Saturday course is a 7.3-kilometer walk among the Olle No. 6 path, starting from Bomok Village’s coastal walk to a forest walk and ending at the market in central Seogwipo.
The best thing about G.A.O’s Olle walk service is that they explain in detail the foods, flowers, plants and tourist spots that lie along the Olle path that you wouldn’t know if you had walked the path by yourself.
Jo Yong-hwan, one of the G.A.O.s, said foreigners can also participate in the G.A.O. program but explanations of the Olle walk in languages other than English would be “somewhat difficult.”
By Kim Yoon-mi (yoonmi@heraldcorp.com)
The Shilla Jeju, a luxurious hotel in Seogwipo, rolled out its “Moonlight Swimming” package that comes with a free jazz music live concert in the evening.
On Sept. 30 evening at the Soombi Spa Zone where palm trees and subtropical plants create an exotic and romantic atmosphere, families and couples started to come to the oval-shaped outdoor pool in earnest from 9 p.m. as the stage for a jazz concert was ready, right next to the pool.
Children and some young couples were swimming in the outdoor pool mostly, while grown-ups were enjoying a family Jacuzzi and Soombi Jacuzzi where water temperature is kept at 40 degrees at all times. The hotel said it maintains the water temperature of the outdoor pool at around 27-29 degrees.
While taking a dip in a warm pool, looking up toward the fresh-aired skies, a quintet jazz band led by a female vocalist started its first song, “Fly me to the moon.” The familiar romantic lyrics and melodies got a good reception. Some of the audience was in the pool, some at the bar beside the pool, and others were seated in front of the stage.
The “Moonlight Swimming” package also includes two tickets for a tasting tour of 15 kinds of wine, produced in the three countries that hold the biggest international film festivals ― France, Germany and Italy. The tour starts with a red carpet right outside the pool and continues to the Honey Moon Road and Shiri Bench on the hill of Soombi Garden.
The pool side bar holds a tap beer festival where seven varieties of tap beer are offered for 32,000 won per person during the 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. happy hour. They are Germany’s Erdinger, Ireland’s Guinness, Japan’s Asahi, Belgium’s Hoegaarden, the U.S.’ Miller and Korea’s Red Rock.
While the outdoor swimming and jazz music package runs through the end of November, the jazz concerts will be divided into five themes ― swing jazz until Oct. 13, world jazz until Oct. 30, romantic bosanova until Nov. 10, funky brass band until Nov. 20 and jazz movie music until Nov. 30.
The next morning, an easy Olle walk guided by the Shilla Jeju’s “guest activity organizers” (G.A.O) was remarkable.
For 20,000 won per person, the G.A.O takes you on a bus at 9 a.m. to a nearby village where you can start walking the Olle trail. The 20,000 won includes rental of a backpack filled with snacks such as soft, sweet bread, Jeju tangerines and a bottle of water.
The G.A.O’s Olle courses vary depending on which day you book. The Saturday course is a 7.3-kilometer walk among the Olle No. 6 path, starting from Bomok Village’s coastal walk to a forest walk and ending at the market in central Seogwipo.
The best thing about G.A.O’s Olle walk service is that they explain in detail the foods, flowers, plants and tourist spots that lie along the Olle path that you wouldn’t know if you had walked the path by yourself.
Jo Yong-hwan, one of the G.A.O.s, said foreigners can also participate in the G.A.O. program but explanations of the Olle walk in languages other than English would be “somewhat difficult.”
By Kim Yoon-mi (yoonmi@heraldcorp.com)
