This is less a review of this coffee shop than a sweet recollection of a slightly bitter experience in Jeju that brought me to this cafe.
I arrived at Jeju airport on a late Thursday afternoon just in time to catch the sunset from the bus going to my hotel. Supposedly. I later realized (thankfully not too late) that I took the wrong bus from the airport, so I got off at the Halla Hospital bus stop, still a ways away from my actual destination.
By this time, it was already dark. I waited at the bus stop for a bit, waiting to see if the right bus would come but it didn’t. At this time, I was only just learning how to read the route information and understand the LED display boards at bus stops. Eventually, I realized I was at the wrong stop.
With Google Maps on my phone (later, I would learn that Naver Map is much more reliable and accurate), I walked around the area a bit, pondering on whether I should just catch a taxi, which would be more expensive.
I walked around in circles for a while, which made me tired and almost panicky. At 7 p.m., I found No Lone Zone, right along the highway close to Halla Hospital. I decided to take a break and breathe, to relieve my panic and think of a plan.
No Lone Zone is not really remarkable, but it’s a nice hangout. It’s your typical stylish city cafe with neat interiors and expensive coffee and pastries, where college students and young professionals would go to hold a meeting or just chill. It’s a huge bonus that the barista was tall and handsome, looking more like a K-pop idol than a coffee expert, lol.
After about an hour, I was calmer and refreshed. After fiddling a bit with Google Maps, I found the right bus stop and went there a couple of minutes early before the next bus to make sure I didn’t miss it.
No Lone Zone is not really something I would actively seek out for coffee when there are a lot more ambient cafes near the ocean and the mountains. But I would probably go back here at least once or twice to remember the scary yet fun memory of my first time in Jeju.
It’s more of a place for local workers and on-the-go business folks looking for a nice place to work on their laptops. No Lone Zone is actually quite conducive to working and studying.
No Lone Zone is located at Ewha Officetel, 50 Doryeong-ro, Jeju City.
Daybook by Rei 