Staying in a 200-year old Jeju’s traditional house. Discover Jocheonmasil

Last Updated on September 16, 2024 by Laura

Maybe because I watch way too many K-Dramas, maybe because I love places that have a history as a background, but one of my dreams when visiting the island of Jeju was staying in a Jeju’s traditional house. One of those low-ceiling stoney places you see in tv series. A place where you can go out on a walk in a peaceful neighbourhood and say hello to people. One where the love of the past is still part of the walls of today. I think I found this place. It’s called Jocheonmasil and it’s my dream house in Jeju. In this blog I will tell you everything about our traditional house stay in Jeju. This include every details about the house and how you can book it too for your next trip.

Jeju Island’s traditional houses

Traditional House stay in Jeju – Street in Sinchon-ri

Jeju’s traditional houses have a very long history. They differ greatly from the traditional accommodations of the mainland (i.e. Hanok). This because of the environmental conditions which Jeju Island is often affected (e.g. strong winds, heavy rain etc.) doesn’t allow the same type of architectural style to be developed.

Jeju’s traditional houses are build within olle roads. Olle, in Korean, is the small alley leading to a house from the main street. Olle roads are traditionally built with doldam stone fences and purposely projected on a curved line to “hide” the house of the village from the immediate view.

Structure of Jeju’s traditional houses

In Jeju, each traditional house is made of 2 main buildings. These are respectively called as Angeori 안거리 and Bakgeori 바케고리. The term Angeori refers to the main building within the house, while Bakgeori refers to a subordinate building within the same complex. In Jeju, traditional families used to live next to each other and the separate building allowed different generation to live close but at the same time on separate houses.

Traditional houses in Jeju used not to have an entrance gate. This was replaced by two stone pillars of about 1 metre placed at two metres from each other. Three holes were carved out on the side of each pillar facing each other, and wooden rods were inserted between the stones. These rods were used as message to indicate if the owner of the house was in or away for a trip. Many traditional houses in Jeju were built with volcanic stones and used natural materials native from the island like grass or rice straw to build thatched roofs.

Jocheonmasil

Jeju Traditional House Stay – Jocheonmasil main garden

Jocheonmasil is located in a peaceful and picturesque village called Sinchon-ri. A place were picture-perfect swinging alleys alternates to cute cafes and an unbeatable sea-views. It’s an accommodation with over 200 years of history. It has been renovated but still keep the its traditional soul perfectly intact. From the onggi in the back garden, to its reconverted gopang, this accommodation has so many unexpected surprises to discover!

A note for potential guests. When you book a stay at Jocheonmasil, you automatically rent the whole property. Because this includes two bedrooms (one double and one with twin double beds), it’s ideal for a family or a big group of friends.

Angeori 안거리

Jeju Traditional House Stay – Angeori

As said above, Angeori is the main building of the house in traditional Jeju accommodations. At Jocheonmasil, this is not an exception and, as expected, this building clearly distinguish itself as the main character of the whole property for its traditional features.

Infact, despite being one in front of the other, the Angeori has a completely different vibe respect to the Bakgeori. Beautiful and carefully curated, the Angeori seems to have preserved more elements of its original historical structure. From the still surviving wooden beams, to its ondol wooden floor (that is described having more than 100 years!) and the wall-carved wooden cupboard (the only time I’ve seen something similar was in this 130-years old Hanok in Seoul). This part of Jocheonmasil is probably the one that preserves its historical heart and familial tradition.

Jeju Traditional House Stay – Angeori lounge

The Angeori, is able to host up to 4 people thanks to is large twin double beds. This could be a group of friends or a family. Indeed, as per tradition, this should be the part reserved to the family before the children were old enough to move to their independent house (i.e. the Angeori). Amenities of the main house include a spacious shower and toilet area with Dyson electronics and Aesop toiletries, as well as a lovely rear garden. This is home of some lovely onggi and colourful flowers. The Bakgeori is a beautiful space and I honestly thought most of the time that I would have loved to have my family there with me. I hope I can return with them one day!

Bakgeori 바케고리

Jeju Traditional House Stay – Kitchen

Bakgeori is the area reserved to the “grown up” children that move out of their parents’ home. This part of the property seems a little different from the Angeori but still incredibly well-curated. The kitchen is a large open space that incorporates the natural elements of Jeju, like lava stones, as part of its furniture design. Moreover, the kitchen area can become integral part of the garden thanks to its retractable doors. This gives the impression of a very large environment where families can enjoy both outdoor and indoor spaces at the same time.

Jeju Traditional House Stay – Jocheonmasil Bakgeori

Additional ambiances in the Bakgeori include the a rear garden with bbq area, master bedroom, toilet, shower room and open bath. Differently from the kitchen/lounge, decor in these spaces has been reduced to the minimum and i really loved the design choice. This attributes to the kitchen the entire focus of the house: a place to live, where the whole family reunites for big dinners and happy moments. The rest of the house is a private, sober space that seems to call for relaxing moments and time in bed with a good book.

One of the things I really loved about this accommodation is its amenities. In fact, the minimalist style does’t mean the house lacks of comforts. Indeed, also the Bakgeori is equipped with Dyson electronics and Aesop toiletries (which BTW are some of my favourite ones in the market!). Guests definitely feel cuddled by all these special touches.

Rear Garden

Jeju Traditional House Stay – Bakgeori rear garden

A notable mention of this part of the house is the rear garden. This is a really nice space that includes a table with seatings and a bbq station. The cute cat in the picture is not part of the set, but we did loved his company during our stay! A bbq set can be pre-ordered at the time of booking.

Bakgeori’s open bath

Jeju Traditional House Stay – Bakgeori’s open bath

As mentioned before, one of the special areas of the Bakgeori is its open bath. It was totally unexpected and it really made my day to find this out!! Indeed, I was just checking the shower and thought it was a little dark. So, I opened the big wooden doors to allow natural light coming in and WOW!! The entire area has been covered with plants to allow you bathing with complete privacy. I have to say it totally looks like a private bath in the middle of the jungle! The design is completed with natural stones that are part also of the shower walls. It was one of my favourite parts of the house.

Gopang

Jeju Traditional House Stay – Gopang

Another (unexpected) surprise at Jocheonmasil is a place called Gopang. This is a reconverted barn that is now used as a special bath area. In fact, a Cypress bathtub has been installed to give guests their own private spa moment! How cool??? If you are new to Cypress bathtubs, these have many benefits including relaxing muscles, relieve stress and improve circulation thanks to the natural oils of the wood itself. All you need to do is fill them with water, add salts and relax.

Unfortunately, despite trying this amazing bathtub was in the plan on the afternoon of our arrival, life got in the middle and I was very sick. Possibly because I was travelling non-stop for the previous 15 days. Therefore, I preferred to just relax in our lovely Bakgeori. Luckily, I felt better after a couple of hours so I was able to enjoy our stay again!

Experiencing Jocheonmasil. Jeju traditional house stay

Jeju Traditional House Stay – Jocheonmasil

Jocheonmasil made our stay in Jeju really special. We loved every single second of our experience and I regret not staying further days! Finding the place with Naver was very easy and, despite the limited space for parking, our car managed to fit in the small allocated space! The village is peaceful and beautiful. On the morning of our second day, we went out for a walk nearby and we spotted some Haenyeo (i.e. the women divers of Jeju) returning from their diving and it was such a special moment that we could have never experienced in a big chain hotel.

My personal opinion is that the world is in desperate need of special places like Jocheonmasil. Places that have a soul. Places that have history but not the one of great kings and big battles. History of families, of daily lives, adventures and laughs within the walls of a loved house. This is the love that is still felt in every corner of this accommodation, and that made it fall in love with it.

Video of our stay at Jocheonmasil

How to book your stay at Jocheonmasil with Stayfolio

Jocheonmasil is available exclusively via Stayfolio. This is a platform with an incredible portfolio of carefully curated and unique stays. These properties share a common and defined sense of aesthetic that is combined with promotion of local culture.

This is something I really liked of the Stayfolio’s manifesto which focuses on small, local owners rather than big, corporate hotel chains. Indeed each of these accommodations are full of character, history and local culture.

Booking Jocheonmasil with Stayfolio

You can book Jocheonmasil via Stayfolio here. Members who book their stays at Stayfolio can unlock also exclusive discounts, hidden properties and before release access to exclusive properties in all the destinations curated by the platform.

Please note that after booking, the check-in instructions for each place will be emailed to you on the day of your arrival.

Rates for Nujung start at $352 per night.

Practical Information

Getting to Jocheonmasil from the Jeju International Airport

Jocheonmasil is located in the village of Sinchon-ri, at ShinchonBuk 3-gil 22. This is at about 35 mins from Jeju International airport. You can reach it both by car or with public transport.

Getting to Jocheonmasil by bus

If you opt to explore Jeju by bus, you will need two lines to reach Jocheonmasil. This will take 50 mins to 1 hour. From the airport, get on the line 43-1. Once in the bus, get off at the 4th stop (the one after Dongseong Village. Sorry the name of the stop is in Korean!). Here take line 101. This will be a further 6 stops rides and you have to get off at the stop after Samyang Elementary School. From here, you have to walk 10 mins to the accommodation. There are no bus stops inside Sinchon-ri.

Reaching Jocheonmasil by car

Jeju Traditional House Stay – Jocheonmasil entrance

If you rent a car in Jeju from the airport, you’ll likely collect this from the Jeju Auto House that is out of the airport area. This is at 35 mins from Jocheonmasil. The road is pretty smooth despite passing through Jeju city. We really loved to through the coastal road! It’s very scenic. I recommend you downloading Naver App. This is easy to use and will give you the best directions to get around Jeju.

READ MORE: The best apps to get around South Korea.

You can eventually reach Jocheonmasil also by taxi. This would cost around KRW 14,500.

Parking at Jocheonmasil

As mentioned before, Jocheonmasil doesn’t have a “proper” parking. In fact, there is a small parking area just in front of the main gate but it’s very small. Therefore, if you have rented a big car, this won’t fit. A medium-compact car shouldn’t have problem. We rented a Hyundai Avante and it fitted within the limit of the space. If you have a big car and can’t park, there is a parking space in the area (about 3 mins walk).

Explore the area. Discover Sinchon-ri

Jeju Traditional House Stay – Sinchon- ri

If you are staying at Jocheonmasil, I warmly recommend you to head out and explore the nice village of Sinchon-ri. There are not historical landmarks or anything similar, but the village is so pretty that you could not help but fall in love. As we are breakfast people, we headed out early in the morning to find a cafe that was open before 10 am. A rare event in South Korea.

As soon as you pass by the olle road branching out from Jocheonmasil, you will immediately spot the sea! The village snakes entirely around this lovely coastal walk surrounded by pretty houses with colourful rooftops and flowers. If you are walking early enough, you might even spot groups of Haneyo returning from their dive and this will be a very special sight since it’s quite hard to find them in real life!

Where to eat in Sinchon-ri

Jeju Traditional House Stay – People Cafe’

The area is dotted with pretty cafes and restaurants that unfortunately are closed in the early morning. However, we were lucky enough to find probably the only South Korean cafe’ open at 9 am. We weren’t sure that it was open but the lady who was working there invited us to come in. This place is called “People Cafe‘” (in Korean 피플카페) and has one of the most stunning views on the coast you can find for a breakfast at 9 am! As expected, we were the only customers that early and we had one of the most special breakfast of our entire stay in South Korea.

If you pop out later in the morning, possibly for a brunch, another place that caught my eye was Sijeok In Sungan. It looks quite futuristic from the outside but the food pictures on Naver seemed promising!

Jeju Traditional House Stay – La Una restaurant

For dinner, since we had a car, we decided to get slightly out from the village in a place called La Una (in Naver is mispronounced as Rauna) slightly out of Jeju City. After 15 days of Korean food, I needed a pizza and this place has a great Neapolitan-style pizza! Another cute restaurant nearby was Jeju La Tavola (mispronounced on Naver as “Ratabolla” lol). This is very close from Jocheonmasil and can be reached within 5 mins walk.

Landmarks close to Sinchon-ri

The village of Sinchon-ri is in a ideal location to explore the north-eastern side of Jeju. In fact, it’s close to Jeju city where you can check out the lively centre but also the picturesque Yongyeon Pond. Moreover, it’s a great location to hike the Seoubong Peak or explore the incredible Manjaggul Lava Tubes. To have a proper understanding of this part of the island, I would recommend 2-3 days in the area.