GRAND BASE Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park

This was a great place to pause and recharge between stays at more conventional hotels and ryokans in Japan. The building is clean and stylish, and the room was quiet, comfortable and spacious. It had a kitchenette with a good-sized fridge and freezer, sink, microwave, hot pad, and cooking and eating utensils, plus wonderful beds, a sitting area, a shower and tub, and a washing machine in the unit. I personally had no trouble with the hot water. The location was ideal for me: a quiet neighborhood within walking distance of Spark, plenty of restaurants and cafes, the Peace Park and Museum, the Dobashi trolley stop, and a ferry landing for Miyajima. I couldn’t ask for better accommodation.

A quiet spot near the main memorial area, and a real highlight of our trip. The mini apartment was incredibly clean, and having both a washing machine and bathtub made it a great place to stop and recharge.

The room and neighborhood were peaceful, and the area has restaurants and convenience stores nearby, plus a large grocery store called Spark just around the corner. We could use the kitchenette to heat soup, boil eggs and so on. The Peace Park, museum and Atomic Bomb dome are a short walk across the street. The ferry to Miyajima is also close, at the other end of Motoyasu bridge, and a taxi ride from the train station takes about 10 minutes. There’s a washer in the bath area. To dry clothes, hang them in the shower and switch on the heater fan, which makes it feel like a mini sauna. It’s handy, but heavier clothes might take half a day to dry, and the shower area stays occupied meanwhile. In room 205, the hot water ran for a few minutes, turned cold, then got hot again a few minutes later. Maybe we didn’t fully understand how the heater worked, but it made showers a little complicated. Otherwise, we had a great stay.

It was easy to get here by tram from the train station, and the room was spacious. Being able to wash and dry clothes right in our room was amazing. A lovely young woman who was cleaning made us feel welcome when we ran into her. I just wish there had been an iron to borrow, since some clothes don’t travel well.