Staying at Kobe Minato Onsen Ren!
It was farther than I expected on foot
I headed from Kitano Kobo no Machi to my hotel, Kobe Minato Onsen Ren, and walking there turned out to be a pretty long trek—which, honestly, makes sense.
I finally arrived at Kobe Minato Onsen Ren. It opened in 2015, so it still feels fairly new. It’s also a regular top-ranked hot spring property in western Japan in BIGLOBE’s onsen rankings.
I’m also excited to hear that the operator, La Suite, is set to open a spa in the huge Umekita Phase 2 redevelopment project in Osaka Umeda in 2024.
The front desk had a calm, Japanese-modern atmosphere. After checking in, I headed up to my room.
The Seaside Deluxe room
I stayed in the Seaside Deluxe, the most standard room type. Even so, it felt very spacious for a standard room. (60 square meters)
There’s a tatami-style area where you can lay out futons, but the room also comes properly equipped with beds.
The sink area was roomy too, with double basins, so it would work well even for a larger group.
The bathroom has a separate washing area. I probably wouldn’t use it much since there’s a large hot spring bath in the hotel, but it’s still a nice feature.
Best of all, the room comes with a terrace where you can take in this very Kobe sort of view. Unfortunately, the tower was under construction…
I was really looking forward to the night view.
Pools, a live kappo-style buffet, and more…!
An indoor pool for swimming, and an outdoor pool for relaxing
To work up an appetite for dinner, I got in a little exercise at the pool. The indoor pool wasn’t huge, but since nobody else was there and I could swim freely, it was a great pool.
There was also an outdoor pool, and at this time of year (May) it was heated. It had a jacuzzi and a pool bar too. The indoor pool felt more fitness-oriented, while the outdoor one was completely for leisure.
There was even a stage, though it was so narrow I worried I might fall off. I was also intrigued by the Kobe illustration in a Mary Blair-like style…
After a swim, I relaxed in the hotel’s signature hot spring baths.
The baths were clean, spacious, and very nice. No wonder this place is always near the top of the hot spring rankings!
The live kappo-style buffet was perfect with drinks
Dinner was a buffet in the dining hall. At each seat, there was a cart set at the same height as the table, and you could use it to go pick up your food. I’d never seen that before, haha.
True to the name “live kappo” — a style of Japanese dining centered on chefs preparing refined dishes right in front of guests — there were plenty of carefully prepared Japanese dishes.
I was especially happy to see things like Awaji octopus dressed with nuta miso.
To go with the live kappo-style dishes, I chose a sake tasting flight from Nada. It was fun.
The night view I’d been looking forward to was just as beautiful as I’d imagined. The construction covering around Kobe Port Tower was being used for projections.
Breakfast the next morning was also a buffet in the same venue. The herbal medicinal rice porridge was especially delicious.
A little sightseeing around Kobe and Akashi
Heading from the hotel to Kobe-Sannomiya
After checking out, I took the shuttle bus to Kobe-Sannomiya. It was really confusing that it was a Hanshin station but had “Hankyu” written on it!! Haha.
Comments