The best thing about reality dating shows, beyond the vicarious drama of watching conventionally hot aspiring influencers fall in and out of love, is the top-tier vacation inspo. Whether they take place in a bright luxury villa or on a tropically decorated beachfront, shows like Bachelor in Paradise and Too Hot to Handle allow viewers to melt away from their current surroundings and mentally transport to clear skies and crystal-blue waters.
Arriving in the middle of December, Single's Inferno season 2 offers two main locations for escapist viewing. The joint production between Netflix and Joongang Tongyang Broadcasting Company (JTBC) isolates a group of singles on a sparsely-furnished and uninhabited island, referred to as Inferno, and gives them the chance to pair up and spend time in Paradise, a luxury hotel where they can be waited on, eat meat, and enjoy all the air conditioning and amenities their hearts desired. For fans who are wondering where in South Korea the show takes place, both the island and the resort are pretty close to the filming locations for all our favorite k-dramas.
'Single's Inferno' Filming Locations
Both the Inferno and Paradise locations on Single's Inferno are located near Incheon, a South Korean port city around an hour away from the country's capital, Seoul. If the name sounds familiar to any non k-drama fans, it's because many travelers arrive in South Korea via Incheon International Airport, which is considered one of the world's best airports. The island known as Inferno is located off the coast of the city, and the resort called Paradise is considered an ultra-luxury airport hotel.
Luckily for fans who want to turn their escapist viewing into reality, both Inferno and Paradise are open to visitors. See some of the scenery of the reality hit below, and read on to learn how to visit Single's Inferno's filming locations.
Inferno
The Inferno setting is located on Saseungbong-do, a small island that was officially registered as one of the nation’s uninhabited islands in August 2018, per The Korea Herald. Known as "Sado" by locals, the island measures 2.5 miles long by 1.25 miles wide, and has a long history as a filming location. It has been used as the backdrop for several beloved variety shows, including Running Man, Muhan Dojeon, and Two Days and One Night.
The island is open to visit, and its tourism website recommends it as a location for camping, swimming, fishing, clam-digging, and viewing a picture-perfect sunset. To get there, visitors have to take a boat from the Incheon Port International Passenger Terminal, with ferries running regularly during the peak season. Fees are around 100,000 won (about $83.50) for solo passengers or 15,000 won (about $12.53) for those in a group, though you can also rent a private boat.
Paradise
The extravagant couple dates are filmed at the literally-named Paradise City Hotel and Resort near Incheon Airport. First opened in phases in 2017 and completed in 2019 per CNN Travel, the 3 million square foot complex is jam packed with attractions rivaling the wildest Vegas resort, including outdoor and indoor pools, a sauna and spa with an anti-aging clinic, a fitness gym and kids' zone, the "Safari Park" entertainment center (where So-yeon and Jin-taek went bowling in Season 1), several dining and shopping options, a casino, a club, a theme park, *breathe,* and an art gallery with regular exhibitions.
While the Season 1 contestants only spent time in the suites (if you can say “only” about the hotel's "Deluxe Pool Villa, which is larger than an average apartment and includes a private pool), the Season 2 trailer hints that the cast will be able to enjoy the rest of the “art-tainment” resort, which includes shots of the couple enjoying a private dip in the property's public indoor pool and a ride on its carousel.
As for the price of visiting this mini-Vegas, a two-night package in the Paradise Hotel's deluxe single room starts at 221,000 won, or around $168. There's also a second hotel, the boutique-style Art Paradiso, but it has been closed due to COVID-19 since July 2020.
