Mifuneyama Rakuen Onsen
C · 6.4 / 10situational
A non-traditional art-hotel ryokan in Takeo Onsen that shares the same onsen and the magnificent Mifuneyama Rakuen garden with its luxury neighbor Chikurintei, with a dark lobby, a flashlight check-in and a colored-light show at the front desk. Nagasaki Joe's 2023 stay found pleasant meals and a much-touted spa that did not live up to its billing, at a fraction of the neighbor's price. His advice is to book Chikurintei if you can and to fall back on this decidedly non-luxury alternative when it is full.
Scores
Food 3.5 / 5
Dinner and breakfast were both pleasant on Nagasaki Joe's 2023 stay, though he does not single out any dish, and nobody else in the thread has eaten here.
Bath 3 / 5
The spa is a proper Takeo Onsen hot-spring bath with saunas and cold baths, and it gives you the same onsen experience as Chikurintei next door, which Nagasaki Joe thinks may be jointly owned. It is promoted as the number one spa in Japan, but he found it just OK and overrated.
Service
Check-in happens in a very dark lobby with no lights on at the front desk, so the staff work by flashlight. Beyond that, nobody in the thread has written about the service here.
Room
Nobody in the thread has described the rooms. Nagasaki Joe booked the hotel as the cheaper alternative when Chikurintei had no availability, and he does not count it as a luxury ryokan.
Place 4.5 / 5
The vast Mifuneyama Rakuen garden is right next door and free for guests. The whole area around Mt. Mifuneyama bursts with color when the azaleas bloom in April, and KI-NRT expects the momiji against the evergreens in mid to late November to be a stunning sight, with a fall illumination he says could be spectacular. Inside, the lobby is kept dark, and a vast array of colored lights near the front desk gives an artistic light show.
Getting there
- Fukuoka — 1h, 0 transfers. Ltd exp / Nishi-Kyushu Shinkansen relay Hakata to Takeo-Onsen, then ~10 min shuttle.
- Kagoshima — 2h35, 1 transfer. Shinkansen to Shin-Tosu, transfer toward Takeo-Onsen, then ~10 min shuttle.
- Nagasaki — 0h25, 0 transfers