Esashi Ryotei Kuki

The food is unbeatable. You should come here, or you'll really be missing out.

I've stayed here every year, and it remains my favorite Japanese inn. The rooms, service and food are all excellent, and the place feels warm and relaxing. There are only seven rooms, so the staff can give personal, thoughtful service, and they always leave me feeling well looked after. Each room has its own hot spring bath, so I can soak whenever I want, especially nice in the morning. Windows have recently been added to the baths, giving them a calm, open-air feel. After a soak, sitting on the terrace in the breeze is refreshing. The rooms also have DVD players and movies to rent, including Star Wars. The all-inclusive plan lets you order drinks whenever you like, including beer, sake, shochu, whiskey, brandy and juice. I always call for a Sapporo Classic after using the in-room bath, and they bring it right away. There's also a lounge bar after dinner, with classic cocktails and Gunrai's original drinks. I enjoy the included selection, but the carefully chosen sake, Hokkaido wine and beer are so good that they're worth paying extra for too. The two-night menu changes a lot between the first and second evenings, and the chef's care shows in every dish. The fish and meat are beyond what I'd expect, and the grilled crab shell was delicious. Breakfast can be Japanese or Western, and both are great. My favorite is the rich egg-on-rice made with fresh eggs of the day. They've been flexible with our requests. We even got to visit the family farm and pet the chickens and sheep, and making our own mascot-like stuffed animals was fun. There's a lot to see around here. Kamome Island is about a five-minute walk away, with marine activities that seem to get more popular each year, from fishing to marine wheel riding and paddling out with kids. Just walking around is nice too. A short walk from the inn is Esashi Ancient Highway, where the old townscape is still there; the hand-baked cone soft serve along the way is delicious. Atsutabe Michino Station, around 15 minutes by car, is newly opened and has a fun projection mapping experience, plus meals including delicious power chicken made with wild garlic. Kaminokuni Winery is about 30 minutes away, in a former elementary school, and has been getting attention for its collaboration with Gackt. You can buy wine there, and apparently there's a ski resort in winter. Kaminokuni no Michino Station is fun too, with shrimp dancing and tekki-don (a rice bowl topped with tekkii). Matsumae Castle is about an hour's drive up the mountain. At Golden Week, the cherry blossoms are in full bloom and there are lots of food stalls. I usually stay near Hakodate the night before and enjoy seafood at the market, then try to check in as early as possible the next day. On the drive from Hakodate to Gunrai-san, you can also stop at Onuma Park or get soft serve and milk at Yamashita Farm.

We stayed one night in spring 2023, driving from my parents' home, and went in with modest expectations. The stay turned out better than I expected. Our room was spacious, with air conditioning and underfloor heating, and I liked the soft hot spring water and its comfortable temperature. Dinner and breakfast, featuring local Esashi ingredients, were excellent and just the right amount for someone in late middle age. As a Hokkaido resident, I was glad to see so many ingredients from Okushiri Island, which is distinctive for Esashi departures. We could unwind on the terrace with a beer and watch seagulls around the fishing port. The room wear looked like work clothes, which surprised me a little, but changing sizes was easy. They even brought extra beer, so we got to enjoy the all-inclusive plan. The service was straightforward in a good way. My husband and I have been to nearly all of the Hoshino Resorts' Kai series and Hoshino Resorts, but we prefer Gunrai, perhaps because we're a little tired of the usual "omotenashi" (Japanese hospitality). Getting here is difficult, unfortunately. Still, given that every room has a private hot spring bath, the price with two meals doesn't seem too high. The seaside market nearby has a good range of frozen seafood at what seemed like bargain prices. I bought octopus and snow crab for myself and as souvenirs on the way home. Next time I'd like to bring my parents.

The only real drawback is that there aren't many tourist spots nearby. Otherwise, I think the inn is well worth the price. The rooms were designed by a famous architect, with comfortable, high-quality flooring, and the in-room hot spring water felt soft and pleasant. Meals made with local ingredients tasted excellent and were a good-sized portion for someone in late middle age. The all-inclusive package covers as much alcohol as you like, and I especially enjoyed the Okushiri wine. The service was friendly too.