Chuseok Trip to Incheon
Hi!
For my "first" travel entry, I want to share about what we did over this Chuseok Holiday. Chuseok is Korean thanksgiving, one of the two major holidays here. Many people visit their families or go on a trip during this time. We had some Hyatt points, so we decided to book 2 nights at Hyatt in Inchoen right next to the Incheon Airport. We picked this place because the hotel itself is almost brand new and it's one of the most kid friendly hotels in the area. It has a separate kid's swimming pool, a playground, and a patio/garden area where kids can run around. Their kid's menu selection is decent and not overpriced as other hotels. Incheon is also only 1 hour away from Seoul, so it was the perfect distance for us to getaway for a short trip with two other families.
For my "first" travel entry, I want to share about what we did over this Chuseok Holiday. Chuseok is Korean thanksgiving, one of the two major holidays here. Many people visit their families or go on a trip during this time. We had some Hyatt points, so we decided to book 2 nights at Hyatt in Inchoen right next to the Incheon Airport. We picked this place because the hotel itself is almost brand new and it's one of the most kid friendly hotels in the area. It has a separate kid's swimming pool, a playground, and a patio/garden area where kids can run around. Their kid's menu selection is decent and not overpriced as other hotels. Incheon is also only 1 hour away from Seoul, so it was the perfect distance for us to getaway for a short trip with two other families.
On the first day we got there, we stopped by the beach about 15 minutes away from the hotel called 을왕리해수욕장 (Eulwangri Beach). The beaches on the west side of Korea mostly has muddy sand, low tides, small waves and the water is brown and warm. Our kids from ages 6 to 2 had a great time swimming and digging for crabs and other sea creatures here. However, the shower was closed on the day we were there and this made it extremely difficult for us to wash the sand off of 6 kids and ourselves. We had to share one sink in the public bathroom which was not fun. But the most important thing is the kids had fun.
(My 22 month old trying to catch up with his older brother.)
After some fun in the sun, we went to eat lunch at 선녀풍, a restaurant just few blocks away from the beach. They are famous for 물회 and dumplings. 물회 is a bowl of all kinds of sashimi with thin noodles served in cold spicy broth. I personally had the best 물회 here. Their dumplings were tasty as well and our kids really enjoyed them. For those who does not think this is appetizing, there are plenty of other restaurants that serve cooked seafood. This area is particularly well known for grilled clams. I advise parents with small children to take your own child seats since many of these places do not offer highchairs.
After lunch, we let our kids take a short nap in the car while we drove to our hotel and my husband checked in. After they woke up from their naps, we enjoyed our time at the pool and had Chuseok special buffet dinner at the hotel.
(A picture of the kids minus another baby after buffet dinner. This was the best picture I could take of all of them sitting still.)
On the second day, we went to 마시안갯벌 which was only 5 minute drive from the hotel for clamming. During the low tide from 7am-1pm when we were there, you can go into the muddy sand field and dig for clams and small crabs. Although my youngest who is almost 2 had a little melt down, all the kids genuinely enjoyed searching for clams and crabs and they were very proud of their catches! They also have a pretty decent wash off station, so it was much easier experience for us to wash off and change after. This place is great for toddlers to explore, but little hard for babies. My friend carried his baby in the ergo in his back the whole time.There is a small area where you can lay your blankets and have a picnic overlooking the beach, which is an another option for parents with little babies. The best time to go clamming is in the fall and they recommend for you to wear thick socks because you might step on broken shells. The fee was 8,000won per adult and 3,000won per child. We also rented the digging tools for 1,000won each.
(*you can check out my youngest melt down video on my instagram page!)
We stopped by 황해칼국수 (knife cut noodles with assortment of clams in hot seafood broth) for lunch after clamming. You have to go here before noon if you don't want to wait in line. This place was definitely my top 5 칼국수 place and their kimchi didn't disappoint!
(Look at the line outside!)
After lunch, we went back to our hotel, took a short nap, and hit the pool again! My daughter says she likes the pool much better than the beach! lol My city kids!
Then on the third say, we had a big buffet breakfast at the hotel, took our time to check out. On the way home, we stopped by Songdo, a brand new city. You can learn more about it here.
If you are visiting Korea, it might be worth for you to stay here one night or two before coming to Seoul. We spent most of our day at the Central Park by the river. My family enjoyed riding a ferry along the river and walked over to 한옥마을 (Korean traditional village) and had lunch there before coming back to Seoul.
(My crew members! =p This 30 minute ferry ride cost us 35,000won, which was plenty of time with three kids.)
(This was her favorite part of the whole trip!)
I hope this was helpful planning your next short getaway or a day trip to Incheon. Please write your questions or comments below and I will try my best to reply back as soon as possible. And don't forget to follow me on facebook and instagram for future updates! Thank you so much!
Lastly, if you are interested in visiting Incheon and need help with the booking,
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