Unzen Hanzuiryo

“Exceptional villa and cuisine”

For our return visit to the area, we decided to try out Ryotei Hanzuiryo, the most famous and luxurious of the Unzen ryokans, and among the most renowned properties in the entire country. Hoping to snag one of the two Tokubetsu Shitsu (Special Rooms) with open-air bath, we called them 9 months prio… more

For our return visit to the area, we decided to try out Ryotei Hanzuiryo, the most famous and luxurious of the Unzen ryokans, and among the most renowned properties in the entire country. Hoping to snag one of the two Tokubetsu Shitsu (Special Rooms) with open-air bath, we called them 9 months prior to our planned visit (when booking online, they only start accepting reservations 8 months out.) For those of you wishing to stay in one of the Tokubetsu Shitsu rooms, they allow reservations a year in advance via phone. Due to its high prices (often over double the rate of Hoshino and Unzen Kyushu Hotel, both nearby), it does tend to have some decent availability if you plan even a few months ahead. Established in 1993, the "ryotei" in Ryotei Hanzuiryo stands for a place that serves high-end Japanese cuisine, which is not unlike the Auberge moniker attached to Western properties that offer gourmet dining. It really is the ryokan's claim to fame, and based on our dining experience here, it definitely lives up to its name. The 14-room property was recently acquired by Onko Chishin, the company behind Setouchi Retreat Aonagi, Iki Kairi Murakami, Goto Retreat Ray and Muni Kyoto, among others. While we were a tad concerned about the changing of the guard, we were relieved to learn the head chef was retained under the new ownership. In fact, just about everyone there were holdovers from the previous regime, with the exception of a handful of new hires that were brought in to handle communication in major foreign languages, including English. The 14-room property is nestled in a secluded area about 10 minutes away by foot from the central Unzen district (and the Unzen Hells.) The one drawback, however, is that this property is only offers in-room Onsen in the two special rooms due to regulations on the amount of Onsen the ryokan can draw from the main Onsen fields. From what I understand, the older properties in Unzen (Kyushu Hotel, Unzen Kanko Hotel, etc.) have first dibs on the hot springs and also make the rules. Hoshino Resorts KAI Unzen also has no restrictions since the rights were grandfathered in from the old establishment that existed on the grounds that Hoshino acquired. Although Ryotei Hanzuiryo does have a communal Onsen bath, for those wishing for in-room Onsen, the lack of them in the non-special rooms is a significant drawback. Whereas the more centrally-located Kyushu Hotel and KAI Unzen are modern buildings with contemporary decor, Ryotei Hanzuiryo is far more traditional - the buildings are sukiya style (a type of old-school Japanese structures) that beautifully blends into the lush surroundings, moss-laden gardens and Koi-infested ponds, giving it an incredibly peaceful vibe that is reminiscent of Takefue, Gosho Gekkoju and Wanosato. Inside, it's a mixture of Showa-era aesthetics mixed with traditional Japanese elements. Hanzuiryo's enormous guest rooms - even the standard accommodations offer 250m² of living space (here's looking at you, Aman) - have their own unique layout, flavor and landscaping.. it's definitely not a cookie-cutter construction, that's for sure. The two Tokubetsu Shitsu are Jyuen and Tsubakien; they are Villa style, are located in a separate part of the ryokan's grounds, and have their own gate and pathway to the rooms. It's really splitting hairs between the two, but we opted for Jyuen, since we preferred the tatami room in the former over the bar counter and tea room that exists in the latter. Jyuen is an enormous 300m² and features an array of different rooms (bedroom, Western-style living room, Japanese tatami room, dining room, two bathrooms, a sauna and both an indoor and outdoor bath (only the outdoor bath is Onsen.) There is a narrow hallway that wraps around most of the Villa, which is a design aesthetic of sukiya-style structures. We loved Jyuen - it's spacious but not spartan in its appointments, the outdoor Onsen rock bath was amazing, the view of nature from every room in the Villa was soothing, and all amenities taken care of, including personalized lotion/creams, toothbrush, razor, shaving cream, brush, comb, cotton swabs.... it easily blows away any first-class airline amenity kit by a country mile. The bed was heavenly (much more than Westin beds) - the comforter was light, fluffy and warm... I wish more properties stopped cheaping out by using heavy, non-down comforters. And then there was the kaiseki meal for dinner, which is served in the guest room (there is no restaurant here), and was outstanding. The ingredients were high end, the flavors were subtle but unique and umami-infused, and the presentation of each dish was incredibly artful. They served a medley of Torafugu (puffer fish) from the nearby Ariake Sea, which consisted of Torafugu Ganba Yubiki (Sliced and boiled Fugu), Nikogori (Terrine of Fugu in a jellied broth) and Skin of the Fugu as well. The Yurine-iri Kuwai-mochi Mizore Jitate (Arrowhead powder mochi dumpling with Lily bulb inside, in a soup made from dashi, grated daikon radish and salt) was similarly unforgettable - it had the texture of mochi but was much, much lighter. Nagasaki one of Japan's seafood and culinary capitals due to numerous currents colliding in every bay, channel and open water, and also has sophisticated cuisine as a result of its long history of interactions with China, Korea and later the Western powers. Ryotei Hanzuiryo does a top-notch job in representing the best that Nagasaki has to offer, which is saying a lot. Service was also among the best that we've experienced; our Nakai-san (room attendant), Ms. Hata, was charming, cheerful, and meticulously explained every aspect of every dish in exhaustive detail. Every time we left the room, we returned to find our towels refreshed, electronic cables cleanly rearranged, cups replaced and cotton swabs refilled in the container (even when we only used one swab out of 10!) Every single staff we passed by acknowledged our presence and greeted us with smiles, even if we were 50 feet away. Finally, they valet parked (and retrieved) our vehicle each time we came and went. Ryotei Hanzuiryo is definitely in the upper echelon of luxury ryokans. The Villa was otherworldly, the setting is mystical, the food was sumptuous and service was Omotenashi at its finest. If the lack of in-room Onsen in the non-special rooms is not a showstopper, this ryokan should delight even the most discriminating luxury guest.

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