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Their website is here -> www.oceanvista.co.kr/ However, I notice it has been restricted for use in Korea only, and you need a Korean issued credit card in order to pay. I did not book from their website at all. Instead, I downloaded Kakao messaging app (on your mobile).. and you can reach them on their official channel by searching for: 오션비스타제주 With the help of Korean translation to English.. you can book a room without any upfront payment. We paid for the room when we went the to terminal on the day Alternatively.. you can try to reach them via email - psg@oceanvista.co.kr

@@whereisant thanks for the help

No. We flew from Barcelona to Granada, and then hired a car to drive around southern Spain which was our main focus. But I'm sure driving from Barcelona would be fun also stopping along all the small cities on the way

Yeah.. Korea is one of those countries that does require IDP unfortunately.

Thanks for your kind comments. Doing this more for memories than anything serious.

@@whereisant Ofcourse but still, good video, very interesting informative

Glad you like it. Thank you

When I went on the cruise.. yes, basic food and beverage is included. But they have a lot of premium options that require top up should you get bored of the included food/beverage. Things may have changed though... So best to check directly with them

They are both comparable when it comes to skiing especially if it's your first time. It comes down to other considerations, eg. Things you want to do, logistics in terms of moving around. For example.. Hakuba has a village.. so if you want to shop, try different restaurants.. you can stay in Hakuba town and there's things to do after skiing. Shiga Kogen on the other hand tends to only offer half or full board hotels. It's a national park so there's no on- mountain town so no variety in terms of shopping or cafes etc. But Shiga Kogen has the monkey park which is a must see. Can't go wrong with either to be honest. Just depends on your priorities!

@@whereisant Thanks for your advice! :)

Yeah.. agree. 5 days long enough to see a fair bit already. There's plenty of tours that only do 2-3 days! Way too short!

Hello police officer

Thank you!

Thanks for watching!

Thank you for watching!

Thanks for watching! Do let me know if you have any questions

Happy to hear that!

I usually go mid-Dec to early-Jan. Some years it's great, some years not so great. If you're not after powder snow everyday, then it really doesn't matter. Even the "not so great years, we still managed to get very decent snow. Only downside is that not the entire resort is open during the early season. All footage you see in this video is shot around mid-Dec.

Totally can relate. I don't mind driving there short term for a holiday. But I definitely wouldn't consider driving there long term! Can imagine the number fines I will end up with if I do!

Don't mind at all! We used the usual suspects for hotel bookings like booking.com and agoda.com. Sometimes, we use the more 'local' ones like Japanican.com. Start with searching for "hotels" on Google Maps near Hakuba. The listings there usually will link you to these hotel bookings sites. Do let me know if you would like any clarifications!

Thank you!

You can find their website here: www.oceanvista.co.kr But it's pretty much useless unless you understand Korean and you have a local credit card to pay with. Instead we booked it via online chat on their official Kakao account. Using a bit of Google Translate and a bit of patience.. you can reserve a room without upfront payment. Here's their Kakao chat channel: pf.kakao.com/_vxdxjTs You can pay them at the terminal when you arrive on the day. Hope that helps.

Glad you found it useful. Thanks for watching!

Of course they are basic rules. No disputing that. But the rules are not implemented the same in other countries. Judging by the number of people (locals and foreigners) stopped by the cops, I don't think it's just a problem with following basic rules.

One day I hope to go there in summer.

You are so welcome!

The hotel that provided free laundry service for us was "Jeju Bricks Hotel", which you can book on booking.com: www.booking.com/hotel/kr/jejubricks.html They don't advertise that they provide free laundry which I find a bit strange. It is close to one of the major walking trail, so I can recommend it if your main objective is there for a bit of scenic walking / hiking. This hotel is down south near Seogwipo. Much quieter than busy main city up north. I would split my stays between northern end of Jeju where main town is for Dongmun market and the famous "Nanta" show, followed by a few days down south for a slower pace just exploring waterfalls and walking trails along the coast. Jeju is a wonderful island!

We didn't book all of our accommodations at once. Some we booked 9 months ahead, some only 2 months ahead. Not all of them is open/available for booking well in advance either. We tend to book early making sure the accommodation can be cancelled with little to no penalty. That way, if something we prefer is available closer to date, we can change it. It's not a bad idea to email the ones you are interested in directly to find out when they are open for booking

Glad I could help! Thanks for watching my video!

Yeah, the open compartment wasn't as bad as we thought it would be as it wasn't packed/busy. Mind you, there's also another option where there's no compartments at all. Just open floor.. can't imagine being able to sleep at all :)

Thank you! 😃

You can't go wrong with either. Great choice!

You don't need to know any Korean to drive there. I assume you'll be navigating around with something like Naver Maps. Google Maps doesn't work there. All the signs / traffic signals are pretty standard. We didn't particularly like the low speed limit, and it probably takes a bit of getting used to driving opposite to what we drive at home (they drive on the right hand side). But aside from that, driving around the island is pretty enjoyable.

Visited around mid-December. Definitely slightly on the early side. We were told snow arrived really late this season. Quite a bit of the resort weren't open when we were still there, eg. Sun Valley. Didn't bother us though. There were enough snow at the resorts that were open (higher elevation), which we were happy with.

Don't believe which B.S specifically?

They are listed on booking.com / Agoda.com / japanican.com. Their officlal site points to Booking.com www.booking.com/hotel/jp/shirakabaso-yamanouchi.en-gb.html

15th to 28th Dec 2023. Season started a bit late this season.. but did have a few good days

Glad you found it useful. I'm sure you'll have plenty of fun over there!

Thank you!

Give me a break. We were happy to take the ticket and pay the fine in full. Being our first time there and with no idea what the protocol is.. What else would you do if you're short on cash, with the police officer threatening to confiscate your license if you don't pay on the spot? Of course with hindsight, we could demand for the ticket and not bribe/pay them. But if you're in the situation with the police officer happy to waste your time until you yield.. I doubt that too many people would do differently.

Yeah season started really late this year. Out of the 10+ days we were there.. probably only had 2-3 days of good dumps.

Thank you and have fun!

Thank you! Cheers!

My pleasure!

I rented from internationally well known rental car company Sixt just outside Fez airport. There's a couple there from memory like Hertz and Avis. Didn't have any bad experiences as such apart from minor difficulties with communication (I know zero French). Can't speak for the local rental car companies.. which may well be troublesome.

Glad you enjoyed it!

Do you mean within Shiga Kogen? If so, there is a few to choose from. Suggest taking a look at this official info which lists all kids snow park around Shiga Kogen: www.shigakogen.gr.jp/english/topics/kids-snow-parks.html Don't think you can go wrong with any of them. If you mean outside of Shiga Kogen, I personally like Iwatake located in the Hakuba area, as it has a good combination of non-ski activities for both adults (photos / views / cafe) and kids (sleds, swings etc). Have a look at this: hakuba.com/experiences/snow-activities/iwatake-white-park-to-do/#:~:text=The%20Park%20features%20the%20popular,having%20to%20ski%20or%20snowboard.

Bus Fares between "Busan Sasang" and "Samcheon": 11300 KRW You can find out current prices, you'll need to go - www.bustago.or.kr "Friend" Room on Ferry between Samcheon and Jeju Island: 154,000 KRW www.oceanvista.co.kr/theme/main/html/price_cus.php

I must say I don't have much to offer in advice for a family as big as yours! :) It's pretty hard to single out a single resort. Kids just need a bit of snow and they can play with it regardless of which ski resort they go to. But if you want a resort that caters to kids.. then Hakuba maybe a good option, especially at the larger resort like Happo One where there's good English speaking ski schools. On days you're not skiing, you can head up to Iwatake for all sorts of non-ski related activities (cafe / toboggan / giant swing etc). Good luck with it though. You can have fun at just about any of the ski resorts in Japan (I feel!)

Great eyesight for you to notice it!