Sankara Hotel & Spa Yakushima Reviews

Although the location is far from the port, there is a reason why it is located halfway up the mountain at the southern tip of Yakushima. It boasts a beautiful view overlooking the vast sea and the mountains behind. The stars are incredibly visible at night. Not to mention the service. It's best. The pool water is cold, but the sun is shining so there is no problem. Due to the nature of the island, there are mosquitoes. Both breakfast and dinner were delicious. The best I would definitely visit again It's a resort.

Pick-up from Yakushima Airport was excellent. We were greeted by Mayuri (I think this was her name!) who drove us back and gave us a really comprehensive brief on the hotel, the island and what we could get up to during our stay. Sankara is located what feels like half way up the side of the mountain so you have a majestic panorama of the sea in front of you, and a tropical mountain behind you. When it rains you can see huge waterfalls gushing down from the peaks. It's really spectacular. Check-in was welcoming and seamless. Bags already in our room when we got there. The room itself was phenomenal. It reminded me of being in Thailand - really tropical, very large, and well-equipped. Welcome snacks and a comp minibar were great. The bed was massive and comfortable - really easy to sleep well here. The bathroom was massive and had excellent Thann toiletries. The food at Sankara really makes it stand out. The breakfasts are superb and fill you up for the day. They change buffet options just enough each day to keep things interesting. Their baked options are, oh, wow... Custard tarts, curry bread, black tea melon pan... The dinners are otherworldly. The main restaurant, which was included in our price, had an excellent daily menu with phenomenal specials. We 'upgraded' to the fancier restaurant upstairs one night and had an even more elevated experience - an exquisite menu and elevated service. I also fell in love with Nanbu Bijin sake here. They have a great range of local shochus and beers too. The main lounge is open all day and they have beer/shochu on tap - as well as a great selection of snacks and baked products (which are all excellent). They also put out a full bar each evening for happy hour. They do car hire here which made exploring the island so easy (includes insurance and petrol - think I spent Y6,600 for several hours). They also rent out waterproof clothing - and hiking boots - making is SO easy to explore and trek up the island's famous mountains. There was a full-on typhoon here during one of our days but it didn't matter - just added to the atmosphere of the hotel, in which we had a snug and lazy day. The gym is simple but sufficient for anything you need - important for burning off some of the calories from all the great dining options they have. The pool is awesome - but a little cold while we were there. But it's the staff here that make it so special. They always seem to anticipate your needs - and do so in such an unobtrusive, subtle, accommodating way. I've never come across anything like it in Japan. I will definitely come back one day. There's so much more I could say but words wouldn't do it justice. You have to experience this magical place for yourself.

We stayed at the Sankara for 3 nights on part of our holiday to Japan, and it was definitely the highlight of the trip. Everything about our stay was fantastic - the staff were all amazingly welcoming (and spoke fantastic English), and nothing seemed like an imposition for them. They really went out of their way to make us feel at home and taken care of. The hotel itself was great - the rooms were huge, private and well appointed. The public areas were comfortable, with free drinks and snacks throughout the day. The pool area was beautiful with stunning views of both the sea and the mountains. The hotel even offers car rentals and hiking equipment rentals, making it incredibly easy to experience all that Yakushima has to offer. Lastly, the food was EXCELLENT. I was a bit nervous about the dining concept of French food using Japanese ingredients (as I wanted to mainly have Japanese food while in Japan) but I didn’t need to have worried. Literally everything I ate was heavenly. We ate at both restaurants during our stay and both were world-class. I didn’t want to leave, and can’t wait to return.

The staff at Sankara Hotel and Spa provided the best service I have ever had. They were always available to take us to places we wanted to go or to pick us up. Beautiful property with a great view of the ocean. Stayed in a very nice villa within walking distance of the hotel.

We have traveled to many countries and without a doubt this is one of the most beautiful accommodation we've enjoyed throughout our travels. My husband and I were surrounded by beauty, quiet and luxury at Sankara. Everything was perfect from the staff, the room, the food, and the impeccable attention to service and detail. Look no further for comfortable beds, incredible meals, and deep relaxation in your private (very large) soaking bath. The staff go out of their way to accommodate any need. They celebrated my birthday with various small touches that warmed my heart. Thank you to all for making our stay a wonderful experience.

A wonderful hotel! We were collected from the airport by the hotel, for the 30 minutes drive. On arrival the staff were so welcoming. We had 2 villas (upstairs and downstairs). The hotel is on a very steep hill, but the staff collect you in buggies whenever you want so don’t let the hill put you off! The main building housed the lounge and restaurant - and we helped ourselves to drinks at the bar before dinner (excellent selection of drinks and snacks available throughout the day/evening). We used the hotel’s car for one day to see the island (self drive) which was so useful. We were contacted in advance of our stay to discuss our dietary requirements. Breakfast and dinner were exceptional. We stayed 3nts, and on our last we just fancied a simple meal instead so ordered from the room service menu, but still ate in the main restaurant which was lovely. The hotel has a great laundry room where you can use the washer/dryer whenever you want. We have stayed in many Small Luxury Hotels of the World - but without any doubt, this hotel had the best service and truly outstanding staff. We absolutely loved this hotel!

Everything about our stay was amazing. Sankara was easily one of the best hotels we have ever stayed in around the world. They made our honeymoon incredibly special.

Getting to the hotel involves a flight to the Island. Pick up by the hotel was included. Walking into the lobby you look out at the water. The picture on Tripadvisor's page for the hotel does not do the view justice. Our welcome was warm with a nice drink and after a quick check in on the deck, we were offered a tour of our room. We opted to sit on the deck, unwind and order lunch. We finally left for our room which was a villa that housed two units. We had the upper suite. Inside was a very largenice room. The highlight of the room was a large indoor shallow hot tub, which was fabulous in the bathroom While meals were included we opted for the extra cost chief style French dinner. There were about 10 dinners seated around a large hotplate. The chief made and described each course with many local ingredients. We ordered wine by the glass. The hotel has a large wine cellar. The meal was very memorable. The next night we ate in the main dining room and again the meal was fabulous. I asked for the wine list, which mixed up our server. Finally the wine list was found and it was extensive with some great sections. The pastry chief stood proudly in front of her amazing creations insisting you taste as many as you wished. The desserts were clearly French style and rivalled the best French patisserie. Hotel and restaurant was refined and and warm. We took a day trip by local bus to tour the island. A great stay.

We had a most wonderful time at this beautiful hotel. The view out to sea is amazing as are the grounds. Our ground floor villa room was huge with everything we could possibly want. However, what makes this hotel stand out are the staff. Their attention to detail was incredible. They took time to understand our dietary requirements and we ate the most amazing dinners and breakfasts. The wonderful bread was an unexpected bonus. This is the only hotel I have ever stayed at where they even ran a bath for us ready for when we returned from a hike! The staff were friendly and engaging. Yes, it rains a lot in Yakushima, particularly in June, but the beauty of the Island and this hotel is simply breathtaking.

I’ve traveled all over the world, and I can say with certainty that this was one of the best hotel experiences I’ve ever had. They are kind & welcoming hosts - and the rooms were incredible. Great English, and even better service. Plus, the food was OUTSTANDING. Don’t hesitate to stay here if you find yourself in Yakushima!

We stayed three nights at the Sankara in a first floor villa room, which is their least expensive. We also had upgraded our dinner to have it in the Oras restaurant, which was their nicer restaurant, The cottage was nicely laid out, and comfortable. Meals were superb,and among the best that we have had. For the three dinners, we sat at the chefs counter, which is highly recommended. The dinners were all amazing, and no dish was repeated. Although styled as French, it was really Japanese with local fresh ingredients, although a few dishes required a fork and knife. They also listened to our food likes and dislikes. Breakfast was also amazing, with great pastries and cooked dishes. We highly recommend the crepe. My wife took advantage of the spa and had an excellent shiatsu massage and also a Thai message, which was by a Thai masseuse. The stag was very attentive NS responsive, and remembered what we wanted, and who we were. Of the seven hotels we stayed at in Kyushu, this one had the most and best English speakers.

After a great time at Sankara (and Yakushima overall) 2 years ago, we decided that a return visit was in order. Would a second stay serve to enhance or diminish the fond memories we had from 2019? I can emphatically say that our love affair with Sankara was reaffirmed - no aspect of our experience caused a blemish to the fond memories we had. The food, spa, service, accommodations - they were all exceptional yet again. We thoroughly enjoyed the Sankara Villa Suite during our prior stay, but decided this time to go for the top room, the Sankara Suite. It's a gigantic 126m² in size, and has separate bedroom/living room/dining room, an indoor and open-air bath, and even a spa room with massage beds (for 2 people) where you can get treatments in the comfort of your Suite if you prefer. It also had an expansive balcony with views of the Ocean. Although we loved the Sankara Suite, there were some aspects to it that would have us recommend the Sankara Villa Suite (at least the one we stayed in, which was Room #10) over the Sankara Suite. For starters, the panoramic view of the ocean from the Villa Suite is completely unobstructed, unlike in the Villa Suite, which - while still very nice - had roofs that were visible in the line of sight, partly because the Villa Suite is more elevated. And the Villa Suite is still spacious (104m².) We also felt that the spa room in the Sankara Suite was overkill and unnecessary - it's a very short (and covered) walk from the Sankara Suite to the actual Spa, and Mrs. KI-NRT wanted to check out the spa products on display in any case, so having the therapists come to our room wasn't such a valuable luxury worth paying the huge price difference between the two rooms. Which leads me to my second point... Sankara is very, very expensive. Even the entry-level rooms are not cheap by any means. The Sankara Suite is not quite double the price of the Villa (which is already in nosebleed room rate territory), but at the prices that they charge, you sort of demand perfection and then some. Thankfully, Sankara's overall experience was so extraordinary that it somewhat justifies the exhorbitant rates. It's worth noting that breakfast at Ayana and dinner at the amazing Okas restaurant were included in our room rate. While there are many wonderful boutique luxury hotels and ryokans in Japan, in many ways Sankara takes service, convenience and amenities to an Aman-like level. Airport transfers are complimentary and private (each group of guests get their own driver and van), they have a fleet of vehicles that you can rent by the hour (and you'll want to drive because getting around in Yakushima via public transport is extremely inconvenient) and - while they don't assign a butler to you - most (if not all) of our preferences from our previous stay were recorded and remembered. For instance, they knew that we don't like Champagne, so as a welcome offering in our room, they had a nice bottle of wine waiting for us upon arrival. What's

Great

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