Kannawaen

“Le Ryokan Expérience”

Notre séjour dans cet hôtel pendant des vacances et comme son ambiance de suite dès notre arrivée. Le personnel est sympa et très serviable. Incroyable avec les équipements des chambres, tous exceptionnels. J'ai adoré la piscine à l'intérieur et à l'extérieur. Le repas de style tenpayaki, vraiment … Plus

Notre séjour dans cet hôtel pendant des vacances et comme son ambiance de suite dès notre arrivée. Le personnel est sympa et très serviable. Incroyable avec les équipements des chambres, tous exceptionnels. J'ai adoré la piscine à l'intérieur et à l'extérieur. Le repas de style tenpayaki, vraiment délicieux. Nous y retournerons, c'est sûr pour les vacances.

Moins

“Beautiful place - sensational staff”

We booked here for 2 nights (which turned out had to be extended to 3 because of the cyclone which shut down the southern half of Japan). An absolutely beautiful ryokan and the staff simply cannot do enough for you. They moved us from the upper levels where we had booked to a more secure room (in … Plus

We booked here for 2 nights (which turned out had to be extended to 3 because of the cyclone which shut down the southern half of Japan). An absolutely beautiful ryokan and the staff simply cannot do enough for you. They moved us from the upper levels where we had booked to a more secure room (in case the cyclone hit and caused damage we would be safer) which I believe ended up being an upgraded room. The outdoor onsen tub was delightful in our own private courtyard and I definitely took advantage of that many times while we were here (we couldn't do much else as everything was closed and most of the town was sandbagged). The staff still literally went out of their way to make our stay so pleasant. I can't remember the name of the main fellow we dealt with - an absolute gentleman. We enjoyed the teppanyaki dinner one night (sensational - expensive but most definitely worth it - quite theatrical and the service is next level good!). The Japanese breakfast was also throughly enjoyable - but 2 things - come hungry (it's big) and if you're not a big seafood eater you probably should go for the western option. The beds are king singles - a lot of places in Japan we found were like this - odd... Good hot shower in onsen style. Amazing washroom. Great TV and the internet was super fast and worked right through the worst of the cyclone when it hit. There was a great little Indian buffet restaurant across the road too, which was really well priced - so good we ate there twice (being a month in Japan it's nice to have something different from time to time - just like we do at home). The strangest thing though - the bar doesn't open until 8pm and "happy hour" is for tea. I even tried to order a drink before dinner and was met with puzzled looks and told that they would only serve alcohol when the bar opened at 8pm - after dinner at 7pm... That was really weird...

Moins

“Beautiful ryokan next to the Hells of Beppu”

I wanted to visit Beppu and experience the hot springs. I booked a room at Sanso Kannawaen after watching a video on the facilities. The room, hot springs, food, and service definitely met my expectation for a highly rated ryokan. Its location is perfect for visiting the Hells. Umi Jigoku is li… Plus

I wanted to visit Beppu and experience the hot springs. I booked a room at Sanso Kannawaen after watching a video on the facilities. The room, hot springs, food, and service definitely met my expectation for a highly rated ryokan. Its location is perfect for visiting the Hells. Umi Jigoku is literally a 5 min walk from the entrance of the ryokan. From Beppu station, it was a short 15 min taxi ride (longer by bus) and cost 2200 yen. Our taxi ride to Oita airport (50 min) was arranged by the ryokan and cost 10200 yen. The surroundings have some restaurants but since I got the dinner and breakfast option, I did not venture outside the ryokan. The room I got was a Japanese Western room in the annex. It was a wonderful room with tatami mats and western beds. It was roomy with a great view of Beppu city and the ocean. There was both an indoor and outdoor tub with the incredible hot spring water of Beppu. The indoor tub was made of wood while the outside tub was made of stone. Both were comfortable and could easily fit 2 people. There were water, tea, coffee, and snacks in the room. The community hot springs were on the rooftop of another building and had gorgeous views of the city. The view is particularly striking at night when the city lights up and the steam of the hells can be seen visibly throughout the city. There were both outdoor and indoor hot springs and both were very large. When I was there, there were very few guests so it felt like a private hot spring. The hospitality of the staff was exceptional. We arrived before check-in time and they gladly held our luggage while we visited the hells. When we checked--in, there was a welcome drink (yuzu tea) that was excellent. Our bags were already taken to our room too. Dinner was kaiseki and had a fixed time that was provided at check-in. We ate at the dining room together with other guests. The food was high quality as expected of a ryokan of this caliber. There were two options for breakfast and I chose the Japanese option. Like dinner, it was exquisitely presented with most of the dishes inside a 3 drawer box that you open like a present. Everything was delicious and beautifully presented. I wish I had time to stay more than 1 night as Kannawaen was excellent throughout my stay. If I go back to Beppu, I would definitely stay at Kannawaen again.

Moins