Staying a couple of nights at the Mercure Wakayama Kushimoto Resort
There are many things we enjoy about Japan. In this instance, it is the reasonable price that is available in Japan for upscale hotels like Mercure. The value is incredible. For the price we pay at the Mercure, in Victoria at home, we would get a pretty dodgy and run down motel.
The Mercure is situated atop a big hill with a commanding view of the area. There is a pool outside, spacious common areas and an amazing Onsen. Looking forward to the weekend.
The grounds of the hotel offer a view of the The Hashiguiiwa Rocks below. They are a group of 40 gigantic vertical Igneous rocks that form a line 900 metres long in the sea.
These rocks are an incredible draw for visitors and is considered to be one of the most photogenic spots in Japan. They are located at the base of the hill from the hotel. We’ll explore these when we leave on Monday.
We chose the least expensive room option with a mountain view (rather than an ocean view) and we are quite happy with it. A soccer pitch, baseball field, homes and mountains give us lots to take in…including the sunset.
A couple of soccer games kept us entertained Sunday morning while we had breakfast in our room. We tend to self cater at places like this as the price of meals is very high. I guess that is how they recoup a profit with the rooms being so inexpensive. Dinner buffet costs $80 per person and breakfast $35 per.
Mercure Hotels offer free lounge access to all guests which comes with a killer view of the ocean, complimentary beverages and snacks throughout the day and evening. In the morning, coffee, tea, infused beverages and snacks are available. Beer and sparkling wine on tap are added in the afternoon, and in the evening, the choices expand to wine, scotch (Japanese, Scottish) tequila, gin, etc plus snacks. As you can imagine, the lounge is a popular place and makes for great people watching. They offer a breakfast and a dinner buffet. We didn’t have any provisions for dinner so Mary Ellen asked the price of the buffet. $80 per person!!!! We made do with the nut mix from the snacks.
The Ottoman Frigat, the Ertugrul sank in 1890 off of Kushimoto. It was a sailing frigate of the Ottoman navy. 600 sailors and officers were onboard. Around midnight on Oct 16, 1890, the vessel hit reefs and fell apart in stormy weather with only 6 officers and. 63 sailors surviving.. Japanese ships transported the survivors home 2 months later. There is also a cemetery and monument on the island as well as a museum.
The hotel offers bikes to their guests. They had just purchased a fleet of Panasonic e-bikes. A professional photographer was doing a photo shoot to promote the bikes. As well, since this location is on the route of the Pacific Coast Cycle route to Tokyo, this photo shoot could attract cyclists to their hotel.
The Spa/Onsen is outstanding. The facility offers a huge Onsen pool inside and a delightful outdoor pool with ocean views. It is quite pretty: the outdoor pool is nestled into nature with rocks surrounding the pool. This photo shows one of the lounges where you can have a beverage and relax after the Onsen.
