Sankara Hotel & Spa Yakushima

My friend and I stayed for one night. That morning we joined a river kayaking tour, and since there were no changing facilities near the river, I asked if it would be okay to arrive wearing a wet wetsuit. They kindly agreed, which I truly appreciated. We were dropped off by the tour staff, and the moment we arrived, the stunning infinity pool and blue sky spread out before us—I couldn’t help but shout, “Wow, amazing!” We were shown to seats by the poolside, and even before check-in my friend said, “Wow, I should’ve brought my laptop—next time let’s definitely bring our laptops and stay longer for a workcation.”When we were taken to our Room and tried to open our suitcase, it wouldn’t open—an unexpected problem. When we asked the butler for help, they immediately prepared a cute tracksuit that could be worn over swimwear and arranged a rental car for us. Thanks to that, we were able to have it opened at a local gas station we had found in advance, and everything worked out safely.For dinner they prepared a handmade welcome plate inspired by the kayaking experience and sea turtle nesting observation tour we had done—it was moving from the moment we sat down. Every dish was something new to us and absolutely delicious; in particular, I loved the peach sorbet made by the pastry chef. We got so caught up in eating and chatting that we stayed late, yet the chef still came with a smile to see us off all the way until we boarded the golf cart back to our Room.The next morning we joined a kokedama-making activity and enjoyed learning about plants while creating one. I can’t remember the plant’s name now, but when I mentioned that I like tea, they also wrapped in large leaves that can be enjoyed as tea along with my kokedama.Even though we were probably the noisiest guests during our stay, everyone treated us with kindness until the very end—I’m truly grateful. Next time I’d like to bring my laptop and come back for a longer workcation stay.

All the staff provided refined service, and the dining was of a very high standard, so we were extremely satisfied with our stay. Thank you very much!If the sauna had been a bit more reasonably priced, we would have liked to use it.