SanDiego1K

kyushman, that's good info! Thank you.

RichardInSF

I sure didn't see any "Yattai" when I was at the hotel and I walked along the river some on the way to go to a coin laundry. Maybe they're seasonal and I was there out of season.

Goosh

Tontoro ramen was my favorite ramen within the ramen stadium complex. I didn't see the "yattai" food carts out but did see them parked in a lot across the street from the hotel on the canal side.

OsakaWino

The yattai are only open at night. They're along a rather short stretch of the river to northwest from the hotel. Go out the main entrance (not the Canal City side), cross over the canal to get to the river side, and turn right. A few things note though: there tends to be a lot of smokers, the yattai themselves are plentiful with cooking odors, so dress accordingly, since anything you wear is going to need some airing out, and hygienically they're a just bit below the level of a stand at a county fair, not necessarily unsafe, but they change their cooking oil rather infrequently and tend to rinse things rather than actually wash them. Still, it is easy enough to decide if it is for you, just walk over and you can see what its like right away.

MisterSelfish

The Yattai are supposed to open later in the evening, but we noticed them there around 8pm or so when we visited in late April. The food was decent, but I was more blown away by Ichiran Ramen in the shopping complex nearby. If you like ramen, Fukuoka is responsible for the tonkotsu style.

The hotel was ok. Best part was the lounge. The wife and I have a trip report on the GH here: http://theselfishyears.com/2013/05/2...e-grand-hyatt/

And on local food: http://theselfishyears.com/2013/05/2...od-in-fukuoka/

If you can manage it, an overnight trip to Kurokawa Onsen Town is a must.

Aventine

Ippudo. That's my ramen chain pick.

GH83

Just booked two nights here for mid-September. Spent the extra 3k points/night to get a Club King room. Judging by the reviews it's the way to go. Does anyone know if the club rate includes access to the spa? The rate says it includes complimentary access to the fitness club, but I'm not sure if that is the same as the spa. Any insight?

OsakaWino

Yes, free access to the pool, spa, etc.

You can confirm that here:

http://fukuoka.grand.hyatt.jp/en/hot...ities/spa.html

And your 3K pts/night are very well spent.

GH83

Nice. Thanks for your help! Hope I don't eat too much in the club since I hear the food in Fukuoka is excellent.

suite2suite

... and the strawberries from Fukuoka are the best. "ichiban desu"

GH83

Will they still be in season in mid-September?

suite2suite

Unfortunately not.
The strawberries grown in the region of Fukuoka known as the "Amaou" brand are at their best in April and early May. The ones that are grown in greenhouses are harvested in December.
So you could say they're in season from December to May.

GH83

Bummer. Fortunately, ramen is restricted to no season.

The_Wrath_of_Khan

So I have a 1 night stay, sounds like the GH is the better property?

OsakaWino

Definitely. The HR is more of a "business hotel" in the Japanese sense.