Whistle Lark Hotel — Hotel in Jeju

“How does a place like this exist at this price?”|I was genuinely shocked the moment I opened the door to my hotel room. At this level, it should cost at least three times more. Sitting on the terrace, opening my iPad, and starting work with the ocean right in front of me—it felt nothing short of magical.||Being able to enjoy a terrace with such an ocean view in Jeju at this price feels like a miracle. Honestly, I debated whether I should even write this review because I wanted to keep this place all to myself.||If this kind of ocean-view terrace were in Busan, it would easily cost over 500,000 KRW per night. But here, you can have it for just 100,000 KRW!||Originally, I had planned to stay at the Grand Hyatt Jeju. I’ve stayed in their Corner Suite before for 600,000 KRW per night, but this time, I wanted to save some money and opted for a budget-friendly choice. I didn’t expect much at all.||But as soon as I sat on this terrace, I couldn’t help but compare it to the 5-star hotels in Jeju City.||Here are the highlights:||1. The hotel is directly by the sea.|2. You can endlessly enjoy the ocean view from the terrace while working on your laptop.|3. It’s just 100,000 KRW and even has a bathtub.|4. Coin laundry facilities (this is super important for me since I change clothes twice a day, and the laundry room on the 2nd floor is incredibly convenient).|5. Spacious bed setup (Double + Queen beds).||Of course, there are some downsides:||1. The interior feels slightly dated (like the carpets).|2. The gym equipment is very minimal (understandable due to space limitations).||However, the cleanliness of the rooms is excellent, and the hotel is well-maintained, as you would expect from the Best Western brand. The biggest plus is that you can open the balcony for direct ventilation.||This completely offsets any disadvantages. I’m very sensitive to cigarette smells, and at other hotels with sealed windows, I often noticed lingering smoke odors from previous guests. But here, there’s absolutely no chance of that, which I love.||The location is also fantastic for sightseeing.|In city-center luxury hotels, I used to just grab food from E-mart or fast food, but here, there’s a massive local market street right behind the hotel. There are plenty of black pork BBQ restaurants, too. I even asked the taxi driver for recommendations and jotted them down. (Pro tip: ask taxi drivers for real local spots—they’ll give you a whole list!).||There’s also Jeju’s largest night market nearby, and it’s super convenient for heading to Hamdeok Beach. As someone who used to stay only in high-end hotels in Jeju City, this is a whole new world for me.||If you’re someone who often visits ocean-view cafes in Jeju and works on your laptop there, please, just come here. Sit on the terrace, listen to the sound of the waves, and open your MacBook. You’ll realize ocean-view cafes are overrated. This ocean-view terrace hotel is unbeatable.||I’m traveling alone, and I plan to immerse myself in work while sitting on this terrace. I’m actually writing this review from the terrace right now. It’s pure happiness.||I debated until the very last minute whether to stay at a luxury hotel in Jeju City instead. But let me simplify things for you:|1. How far is the hotel from the ocean?|2. Can you sit on a terrace, enjoy the sea breeze, and get lost in the view?||A terrace hotel right by the sea beats a luxury hotel far from the ocean any day.||Oh, one last thing—be sure to book an ocean-view room. It’s truly a...

8D7N stay.

After seeing so many positive reviews, I was looking forward to my stay here. However, I was disappointed by the service.

Events that made my sister and I feel this way:

Staff were not the friendliest and unhelpful Upon reaching the hotel, I walked towards the check-in counter. No greetings but a straight stare only. The tone of voice seemed to be off too. I thought they were having a bad day/it was too early in the morning (8 AM) and decided to brush it off.

My sister sat in the hotel lobby to take a bite of her bread while I used the toilet. Again, staff stared from the counter, and only after close to 10 minutes did they decide to come forward and tell us no eating. No signs of "No food and drinks allowed" were put up.

Toiletbowl's pipe seemed to have an issue. One night, it jammed and water rose. Called the staff, and all they did was show up at the door with a plunger and was expected to solve it on my own (FYI, have already tried all means and methods that one can think of).

Again, interacted with the staff on check-out day. Once again, unfriendly, no smiles, not a single "thank you".

Pillow was really flat. The air conditioner seemed to have an issue too, it would constantly switch its mode and temperature kept changing, really noisy as well. WIFI was terrible. One night it could not work at all. Was also told that 2 single bedded rooms facing the sea only had rooms on level 3 when I requested for high level.

Also, walls were not sound proofed. It was really noisy at night when people who spoke walked past. Weirdest thing I could not understand was seeing multiple staffs enter the room opposite ours during the day and late at night. They also seemed to be the ones contributing to the noise level when I bumped into them right outside. Seemed like they were using it as a pantry kind of feeling? Not sure about this but thought it was really unprofessional. Housekeepers were really polite and mannered though.

Extremely disappointed with the service, especially when it was not cheap. Though location is great with convenience stores around, I think it would be better to stay at the hotel next...

Dated Seaside stay

The biggest highlight of the hotel is its fantastic location, the night next to the seafront, and easy access to the lovely promenade that lines the seafront. But that is where the positive spin ends. The property is starting to show its age and feels very dated and tired. The amenities need a big facelift and the staff can certainly add more smile and warmth to the service if they were to make the guests feel like this is an island retreat, especially meant for a beach getaway!

LOCATION: Great location near the waterfront and just 10 minutes away from the airport.

DINE + DRINK: Didnt have a chance to try their breakfast but the attached lobby-level restaurant is ITALIAN. I didnt come this far to an island in Korea, to try out Italian cuisine!

ROOM: I stayed in Room 738, so this review is based on that; VIEW: Wonderful view of the Sea and pier from a lovely balcony attached to the room ; SIZE: Spacious enough for 2 adults and a kid with simple baggage; AIR-CON: Perfectly functioning cooler that helped in setting the perfect room temperature; BED: Comfortable bed that played the expected part of putting me to sleep; BATHROOM: Stand-in shower; TOILETRIES: Good spa quality Toiletries

FACILITIES: The gym was a joke! It was nothing more than an extended room with a few random weights and cardio machines. Big letdown!!! The swimming pool is good and comes with sea views, but unfortunately, it was packed with a crowd all the time. They do have a coin Laundry area which was a plus if you are looking to launder your clothes on a long-term travel

SERVICE: Good staff that took care of all my needs, but they can certainly improve on the friendliness and add more smile and warmth to their service!

HOW WIRED YOU WILL BE: Free high-speed Wi-Fi that works well all over the property. Big Plasma TV screen dishing out a wide variety of channels spanning sports, news, music, movies, and entertainment - But almost none of them were in ENGLISH!!! So if you want to chill in the room and watch TV forget about that, unless you...