This week, we will stay at various newly-opened hotels under profitable plans. These hotels started operations in 2009. They offer special perks to entice guests and boast refreshing hot springs. We will also get to enjoy various delicacies of autumn at these spanking new hotels.
The first trip takes us to Kasansui, a hidden hotel located in Gora, Hakone. Under an economical plan, it costs 9,800 yen (S$149.35) to stay the night, and includes two meals. Start by taking the Odakyu Electric Railway from Shinjuku to Hakone Yumoto. The journey takes about 1.5 hours. Then, transfer to the Tozan Railway at Hakone Yumoto and enjoy a 40-minute ride to Gora, a spa town. The hotel staff will pick you up from the station. The hotel is five minutes away from Gora Station by car. Surrounded by greenery, Kasansui opened in March 2009 and features 10 rooms. You will be thrilled by the trendy Western-style lobby, which offers a panoramic view of Hakone’s mountains such as Mt. Kintoki, Mt. Myojin and Mt. Myojo. The guest rooms are comfortable, while the hotel’s hot spring features fresh spring water from Owakudani. The hotel aims to provide quality service and a comfortable atmosphere at a reasonable price. Its owner runs two other hotels in Gora. The traditional Japanese-style Yamadaya opened in 1957, whereas the luxurious Hanagokoro opened about eight years ago. These three hotels span across a total area of 3.3 acres. Guests of Kasansui have the privilege of using the facilities of these two affiliated hotels.
If you wish to go sightseeing, Kasansui Hotel will provide you a map of popular places worth visiting. Plus, if you make a booking in advance, the hotel staff will also drive you to some of these tourist spots. One place you may wish to visit is the Hakone Botanical Garden of Wetlands in Sengokuhara. It is about 30 minutes away by car. With an area of 2 hectares, it features various seasonal plants and flowers such as patrinias, balloon flowers and fringed pink flowers. It is a colourful sight indeed. Go to the Yamadaya Hotel and take a dip in its various open-air baths. You can try the open-air bath with parquetry called Nihei no Yu, which has milky spring water, or a relaxing and rustic open-air bath surrounded by greenery.
Return to your hotel for dinner. The chef, who has 30 years of experience, whips up a variety of delectable dishes. You will be served fresh seafood from Odawara, such as horse mackerel, amberjack and bigfin reef squid. There is also a creative dish called Aohoba-yaki, where seafood and vegetables are put on a cedar board, topped with miso, and baked in the oven for 10 minutes. In addition, Hakone sanrokubuta (pork) is served as tobanyaki. After dinner, take the hotel car to Hanagokoro to enjoy a free tequila cocktail in the bar.
For breakfast the next day, you have a choice of either a Japanese or Western-style breakfast. After checking out, roam around Gora and look out for a café with a resort-like atmosphere. Paseo – which means “wandering” in Spanish - is actually a flower shop café running by sisters. Its handmade desserts, such as seasonal desserts and sorbets, are popular. Visit a bath which is actually located in a gorgeous house belonging to one of the café owners. It uses fresh spring water and is limited to two pairs of women per day, at a cost of 1,500 yen (S$22.98). You will also be served a free drink at the end of your comfortable bath.
We next travel to Izu Kogen, where we will stay at a newly-opened hotel called Homare no Hikari, Mizuki. First, take the Odoriko Express from Tokyo and travel for two hours to Izu Kogen Station. The hotel’s car will pick you up from the station. It travels along cherry-lined trees during the five-minute drive. The resort-like Mizuki opened in May 2009 and all of its eight guest rooms have an open-air bath with splendid ocean views. During certain periods, the hotel offers a discounted rate of 19,800 yen (S$303.30) for a night’s stay. If it’s too early to check-in, ask the hotel staff to recommend some attractive tourist spots. Armed with a roaming map, make your way to the 23 open gardens in the area. These are residential gardens which are opened to public. One such garden is the Setsuko Garden, where 500 kinds of flowers are cultivated. Besides beautiful blooms, the garden also boasts panoramic views of Izu Oshima and Izu Seven Islands.
For lunch, go to the Sakura restaurant. Its speciality is tsubaki gozen, which popular among women. Four types of seasonal food are served as appetizers. The main dish is Miyazaki roast pork which has been roasted for two hours and seasoned with over 20 kinds of herbs. The tender and aromatic pork is juicy and tasty. The entire meal, which comes with eel cooked rice and dessert, costs 1,980 yen (S$30.33). After lunch, return to your hotel to check in. Besides an open-air bath, the modern rooms also boast both a six-mat Japanese room and a Western-style bedroom. Before dinner, soak in the open-air bath for a truly blissful treat.
Dinner, which is served in your room, comprises 10 elaborate dishes such as dobinmushi, matsutake, Izu’s yellowstripe butterfish, golden eye bream, shabu-shabu and abalone. The president of the hotel goes fishing on his own boat several times a month, and if he does catch something such as bluefin tuna, you can get to eat it too. After dinner, you will be offered a special aroma treatment, plus a midnight snack. The next morning, visit a chartered bath on the rooftop before tucking into a luxurious breakfast consisting of Izu’s seafood. The hotel’s speciality is ishiyaki rice with crab paste broth. You can check out of the hotel at 11am.
Our third trip takes us to Kyoto, where we will stay at a machiya-zukuri (town house)-style hotel. Sakura is located near the Kyoto Station, opposite Nishi Honganji – a UNESCO World Heritage site. The hotel is walking distance from the station. Stroll along the nostalgic Shinmachi-dori street, which has many shops. The three-storey hotel opened in March 2009 and features a courtyard and 20 rooms. If you stay in a shoin-zukuri style Japanese room, it costs 6,300 yen (S$96.50) per night, whereas if you choose the chashitsu-zukuri style room, it is 7,200 yen (S$110.20) a night. The hotel - which is run by five owners - also has Western-style rooms.
The hotel organises special events for its guests. For example, guests can join a variety of workshops such as traditional arts and cooking. You can even rent a kimono from a shop called Hokkori, near Shijo-dori. The hotel staff will drive you to the kimono rental shop, which boasts 200 kimonos. You can borrow a kimono for a full day at a cost of 3,500 yen (S$53.61). The price includes hair setting and socks and the shop owners will help you wear the kimono.
After this, visit the temple complex of Nishi Honganji and go to the Goeido hall which was built in 1637. It recently underwent restoration, which took 10 years to complete. Goeido is 48m wide and 62m long, with a height of 29m. Next, go to another workshop organised by the hotel. Since Kyoto is famous for tea, make your way to the Bikoen tea shop, which supplies green tea to Honganji. You can take part in an authentic tea ceremony here and learn the history of tea. The one-hour “tea party” is a unique cultural experience not to be missed. For dinner, you may wish to go to a newly-opened restaurant called Ifumi. Located in Pontocho district, the restaurant serves Kawadoko cuisine. All the seafood is bought from the Kyoto Central Market every morning. The simple restaurant serves excellent dishes such as sashimi, wakasaguji, miso-flavoured grilled blackthroat seaperch, matsutake tempura and pike eel dobinmushi. The meal costs 3,990 yen (S$ 61.12). The next morning, enjoy a reasonably-priced breakfast before checking out of the hotel.
