Originally Posted by
KI-NRT
Was it the best meal we've ever had? I wouldn't go quite that far. However, part of the purpose of traveling to various regions of the country (think Lombardy vs. Tuscany vs. Sicily) is to experience the local delicacies and culinary history, and in that respect, Iki Kairi hit the spot. And yes, some of the dishes were among the most memorable offerings that we've had the privilege of experiencing.
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One of Iki's advantages has to do with tourists, or lack thereof. There just aren't that many guest rooms on the island, and isn't well known to even many Japanese. Therefore, even during peak season or on weekends, it's blissfully uncrowded - we had very low levels of stress during our entire time there. Also, it's only a one hour jetfoil ride from Hakata Port in Fukuoka (15 minutes by taxi from Fukuoka Airport), or 90 minutes from Karatsu in Saga Prefecture. Iki can also be accessed via a (very) short flight from Nagasaki Airport or Fukuoka Airport. I'd strongly recommend visitors to rent a car, as buses are infrequent, and taxis are few and far in between. We rented from Budget Rent A Car, and a representative waited for us (with a sign board) at Iki's Ashibe Port. And within minutes, we were off to explore the island.
Just visited a couple months ago. Glad to report that service levels was good. The quality of the seafood and produce is not par for the course these days and I don't regret taking meals at the hotel. Lunch was good as well. Iki island brings back memories of when I visited Japan decades ago, when foreigners were not that common and food quality level across the board were good. Seiichi Ota is the GM and Executive Chef and he is very involved in the food. For longer stayers, it is possible to have teppanyaki upon request, if available. We arrived and was delighted that the Executive Chef was cooking for us himself. Very well done. Over the meal, he explained the food items, and when we noted the unusually delightful mature chicken, he explained it was reared for longer than usual and wanted to know if we thought the meat was too tough. Not for us.
I see mention of renting cars from the port. Would like to point out that the property offers complimentary pick up/drop offs from the ports, as well as electric BMWs for rental on site, managed in house. We were sent off and welcomed back right at the driveway of the hotel. Extremely convenient!