[Travel Advice] 4 Days in Busan, South Korea
4 days of sunrises in Busan at the Paradise Hotel
Random Observation/Comment #922: I feel like I need to go see more sunrises and sunsets.
//Sunrise on the beach in Busan with the drop
Things We Loved About Busan
Beach hotels - This really felt like a mini Miami with some really incredible spots and amenities. I would totally do this again.
Beach for Sunrise and Sunset - It’s not a long beach, but it’s quite beautiful and filled with charm. There’s morning joggers and a huge exercise community. I love that they have built in little stages for performers.
Busan Activities
Friday - Dinner and Relax
Arrive at 4PM from KTX to hotel
Paradise Hotel - This is totally worth the price of the hotel. We got super lucky somehow and booked on Agoda a king room with a beach view for $200 a night. I think it’s off season and we kept hunting for deals. The amenities are awesome.
Obanjang Korean BBQ dinner - Great chatting with friends and meeting the bride and groom with fam! Classic BBQ vibes.
Bar Nyx - Randomly found a Speakeasy on 3rd floor in the main building. it’s behind a hidden door, which is always so cool. Drinks are 25,000 won ($18 USD) which is totally reasonable for the delicious care.
Purple Moon pub - What a weird pub. Maybe it’s for karaoke? We definitely went at an off time.
Saturday - Wedding and Boat ride
On the Plate - Breakfast Buffet at Paradise Hotel is so good. Fresh dim sum, which I dipped in the sauce of a braised Taiwanese Pig knuckle dish. Also, you know the buffet is good if you can get both crispy and non-crispy bacon options.
Haircut and massage - We were actually going to hang out at this pool, but it was being cleaned, so getting a haircut was just as good of an idea.
Exploring the Paradise Hotel - No shortage of amazing views and amenities.
Pool time - 85 degrees pool and a hot tub. Super relaxing.
Wedding ceremony - So happy to join this wedding and be there for a great friend and loving relationship. This was the whole reason for the trip, so it was a real celebration.
Boat and Drone show - Left from Suyeongman Bay and had a 1.5 hour ride around. Many thanks to the bride and groom for organizing it!
Sunday - Chill Day and Sky Capsule
Morning sunrise - I love sunrises. This was such a peaceful one that I did in my sandals. Bold choice.
Breakfast buffet with Justin - Just glad to share some wisdom and memories with an old friend.
Lotte Mall and UNIQLO shopping - There were a lot more stores than I expected. We bought all our winter and summer clothes for the fam at UNIQLO. Lunch was from a random assortment of places.
Sky Capsule ride from Mipo Station - Book this ahead of time! Our slot was for 4-4:30PM and we got there at 4:10PM with a ticket to join the queue. It was around a 30 minute wait on line. We were able to make it across by 5:15PM. It’s around a 20 minute ride. The beer that you can buy from the station was a good choice.
Sunset near lighthouses - The eye of Sauron! If you walk to the white lighthouse, you can see the sunset directly over the observatory.
Haeundae Market - Exploring the market and got some freshly made dumplings. This place was so good.
Shabu All Day Busan Haeundae - Family friendly, but I think it was missing some noodles or something to round it out.
Monday - Chill day and BBQs
Working Holiday - This turned out to be a go-to spot for breakfast. Delicious benedicts and pastries.
Crab Peak - Randomly found this lunch place and ordered way too much. The abalone congee/porridge was so good. The crab ramen also had a ton of regular crab for $7!?!? I didn’t even need to order the huge snow crab. I won.
Walk through Blue Line Park to Haewol Observatory - I needed to digest so I can eat some more later. This was actually a lovely walk and much shorter than I thought it’d be. It seems to be a common jogging route in the morning.
Rib of Legends - The meat is so tender. this isn’t really a typical set of side dishes, but it was delicious. Super tiny menu, but the spicy cold noodles are a great accompaniment and super chewy and refreshing.
Tuesday - Morning Sunrises
Sunrise on the beach at 7AM - We saw the perfect drop rising and release. So dope.
Working Holiday - I had the mushroom paradelle and we got some pastries to go.
Long commute with lots of airport lounges - Lounges FTW! I also binged Hijack, which was okay I guess.
Overall the noms were great and I would totally come back over the summer (even if it’s a bit more crowded). If we had more time, then we’d totally go to Spa Land for a day and BUSAN X SKY for the sunset. Definitely more time needed for Seoul overall to explore more of the little neighborhoods.
~See Lemons Love Busan