Toddler-friendly BBQ pension on Sido, Incheon: Poolside Pension

A baby-friendly trip near Seoul: one night at Poolside Pension on Sido

A first island trip with a 28-month-old: why Sido, Incheon?

For our first island trip with our 28-month-old, we picked Sido in Incheon, an easy trip from Seoul, and stayed at Poolside Pension in front of Sugi Beach. I'd been wondering for ages when we could take the baby on an island trip, and we finally made it! Going far is still a lot of travel time for a little one, but going to the same old places feels like a waste, right? Then Sido in Incheon caught my eye.

We stayed one night at Poolside Pension, which was really satisfying from the room on, and got to enjoy Sugi Beach properly.

Where is Poolside Pension and what facilities does it have?

Poolside Pension sits right in front of Sugi Beach (Sugi Haesuyokjang) on Sido, so it's an ocean-view stay where you can see the sea even from the room.

The exterior has a resort feel, just like the name, so it felt like we were on vacation the moment we arrived.

When you travel with a child, how easily you can get around matters most, and I loved that the beach is only a few steps from Poolside Pension.

The facilities are varied too: an outdoor pool, a kids' water play area and shower facilities are all well equipped, so kids can splash around happily.

• The outdoor pool and water play area are open on weekends
• There's no convenience store, so I recommend shopping for groceries beforehand

There's also a restaurant and an unmanned café on the ground floor of Poolside Pension. In the middle of our barbecue we got Jadam Chicken (a fried chicken chain) takeout, and it was so good it vanished in no time. The next day before checkout, we took it easy with a cold coffee from the unmanned café.

Poolside Pension rooms: ground floor or second floor?

You can choose a ground-floor or second-floor room at Poolside Pension, and I picked the ground-floor room, where barbecue is available.

The room was kept very clean overall, and the bedding was fresh and comfortable. Since we were staying with a baby, cleanliness was my top priority, and there was no dust or anything uncomfortable.

It's a duplex layout, so our little one had a blast going up and down the stairs. Thanks to the sea view out the window, it felt like a getaway even when we stayed inside.

Baby's first barbecue was even more fun than expected

Having a charcoal barbecue in the ground-floor room at Poolside Pension was one of the small goals of this trip. Our baby's very first barbecue!

At home we can't grill meat often because of the smell, but sitting in front of the charcoal and grilling on the trip made the mood completely different.

Our baby kept shouting "Meat! Give me meat!" and ate much better than usual, so we had a really satisfying dinner.

As the sun went down and a breeze picked up, I got to chat leisurely with my husband for the first time in a while, with the baby running around beside us... Honestly, when you're raising a little one, meals always end up like a battle, but that day we all got to eat slowly and enjoy it.

Until what time are fireworks allowed at Poolside Pension?

At Poolside Pension, fireworks are only allowed until 9 pm. After a delicious meal, we lost track of time and used up all the fireworks we'd brought, haha. The baby loved it.

Baby mudflat play at Sugi Beach, right in front of the pension

The thing I was most looking forward to the next day was mudflat play at Sugi Beach, right in front of Poolside Pension! The view of the sea opening up the moment you step out the door was just so good.

What to bring for baby mudflat play

With baby sand toys, rain boots and a rash guard, you're all set for the mudflat 🤭

At first the baby got used to the familiar beach, then once we went farther out, the feel of the mudflat underfoot for the first time seemed so fascinating that the baby kept making footprints for ages.

Picking up tiny shells and crabs, splashing with both hands when we found a puddle, scooping sand and dumping it out again and again: so cute. Even without a fancy experience program, kids really do have the most fun in nature, as I was reminded.

We ended up covered in mud, but seeing the baby giggle "This is fun~~" made mom and dad happy too.

Sido with a baby: was one night enough?

One night at Poolside Pension on Sido, Incheon packed our 28-month-old's first island trip, first barbecue and first mudflat play into one trip, so it meant a lot to our family in many ways.

Above all, I liked that it's not far from Seoul so the travel is easy, and that the pension and beach are close so we could move at the baby's pace. With kids, how comfortably you can rest and enjoy matters more than how far you go, and in that sense Poolside Pension was a very satisfying place to stay.

If you're looking for a light two-day, one-night trip with a child near Seoul, I recommend the combination of Sido, Sugi Beach and Poolside Pension.