We stopped overnight in Yanagawa on our road trip from Nagasaki to Fukuoka. As a recently new hotel we decided on New Gaea. Not that new really as it was just a makeover with the old facade still visible when you open the sliding windows to see the exisiting old walls. Check-in was OK BUT my complain (as I think others would too) is that there is no driveway or any place for our vehicle to stop in front of the hotel to drop our luggage or to check-in before heading to the carpark which was some 5-minutes walk away beyond the railroad crossing. So we had to borrow the opposite neighbor's driveway to unload/load our luggage. Hotel has no onsite carpark facility, except when we were at the lounge for drinks that we noticed a small parking area, probably for staff behind the building. There's a lift in the hotel, free welcome drinks in the evening with bubbly after 9pm till 11pm and the rooms were quiet. We were in a 3-bedder and pretty comfortable in size with our luggage opened. Good WiFi coverage, clean room with full amenities. In the morning after checking-out we left our luggage with the front desk to explore Yanagawa. Good location as the canal is just behind and follow either way one will reach the shrines and the castle moat. Train station is nearby on one end of the hotel and a mall with supermarket is within 10-minutes walking.
요즘 흔해 빠진 체인점같은 호텔말고 일본의 전통 향을 느낄 수 있는 료칸을 원했는데, 추구했던 료칸이었어요. 처음에 후기에 료칸사장님께서 영어가 안되신다는 글을 보고 조금 걱정했는데 문제없이 소통하였어요. 대부분 호텔이 굉장히 좁았는데 방이 굉장히 넓었으며, 항상 드라마나 만화에서만 보던 저의 로망을 이룬것같아 개인적으로는 일본을 몇번 왔다갔다하는 사람으로써는 제일 만족했던 숙소였습니다. 청결은 말할 것도 없고요.
또, 조식으로 먹었던 일본느낌의 음식이 아직도 머리속에 맴돕니다.
다음에 방문했을때는 저녁도 먹어보고싶어요!♡