Shiroyama Kanko Hotel

I stayed one night during Golden Week, so it cost a bit more than usual. Breakfast was ¥4500. I liked the bakery, but the breakfast overall was disappointing. I’m Turkish and used to the best breakfast buffets, so the time limit and limited food selection made me sad. After entering the dining hall, I was expected to leave within two hours. If I come back to Kagoshima, I’d definitely stay here again, but probably eat breakfast somewhere else. You can take a bus from Kagoshima Chuo station or Tenmonkan, and the schedule is on the hotel website. My biggest downside was where my room was. I’m not sure if it was the room type or because I was traveling solo, but they put me in a corner room with the least view of Sakurajima. There are so many rooms that it takes a while to walk from the escalator to your room. I could still enjoy the Sakurajima view from the onsen. The hotel has its own restaurant, a convenience store, and an ATM on the ground floor, so there’s no need to go out. They also stored my luggage for three days while I was away trekking in Yakushima.

The onsen is reason enough to stay, and guests can use it at no extra cost. We also ate at four of the restaurants, and every meal was top quality. Housekeeping kept our room in great shape, and the whole staff was both warm and professional. One of the best independent hotels we've stayed at.

The hotel itself was excellent, but the help I received after my flight was canceled was really disappointing. I asked the front desk to call JAL and find out whether I could be moved to another flight. They seemed unsure how to handle it and spent about 20 minutes looking at the computer before telling me the call would cost 108 JPY per minute. Breakfast was just okay.

The onsen was wonderful, especially with the city and Sakurajima volcano in view as you soak. You can also see Sakurajima from the breakfast area, which made the buffet especially nice. The staff were kind and accommodating, and there are restaurants, a convenience store, a bakery, a cafe, and souvenir shops on site. I'd book a restaurant through the website ahead of time. The hotel sits on a small hill, so you'll need a car or the shuttle, which runs every 30 minutes between downtown and the hotel.