Nanki Susami Onsen Hotel Belvedere

At check-in, you kindly upgraded our Room, and to celebrate my mother’s 90th birthday you gave us a gift, took photos of her wearing a red celebratory vest (with a framed print), and offered warm congratulatory messages from the staff. She said she felt shy, but she was truly moved and looked so happy. The meals were also very delicious. The staff were kind and even helped care for my mother during breakfast—thank you very much. As the property is on a hill, the view is wonderful. We headed home completely satisfied.

After passing Tanabe and Shirahama, traffic thins out noticeably, and only a handful of cars exit at the Hiki River interchange. It’s about a 5-minute drive from the interchange—up a hill—and you arrive at the Hotel. The building has an early-Heisei Resort Hotel vibe; it’s old, but somehow nostalgic. The Onsen has a faint sulfur scent, and the alkaline water leaves your skin silky smooth. This time I stayed in the Room called “Hoshiakari,” and the water in the open-air bath in the Room felt especially high quality. Dinner featured delicious kué (longtooth grouper), and I also enjoyed local Wakayama sake. That said, breakfast feels noticeably less satisfying than it used to. There were fewer side dishes that seemed to be prepared in-house, and while there was oden, some items (like daikon) hadn’t been peeled properly, which affected the texture. That never used to happen before. Even my favorite Inobuta curry had been renamed “homemade curry” and was sweeter—more geared toward children. Still, aside from breakfast, I enjoyed my stay more than enough—though it did feel like something was missing to truly complete the experience.