We're planning a trip to Japan in the fall focusing on gardens and street food. One night in Tokyo on arrival, probably at the IHG Strings Hotel at Shinagawa, just because it's easy to get to and it's on the way. Maybe 4 nights in Osaka for street food and viewing the fabulous looking gardens The Banking Scot previewed on his trip reports, staying at the Ritz or similar. Then a couple of nights in Kobe to visit the Herb Garden and as a base to visit the Korakuen garden and Kurashiki.

Problem is, I haven't found a hotel in Kobe that really floats my boat, but Kobe seems a better possibility than staying in Okayama where, again, nothing stands out to me. Anyone know of an especially nice hotel, maybe with an onsen, in Kobe within reasonable distance (short taxi ride) of the train station?

For information, from Kobe we'll move on to an Art Island cruise on the floating ryokan Guntu for 3 nights, then back to Atami for the plum garden festival (Fufu Atami maybe) and then home. The only thing set in stone at this point is the cruise.

Anyone have any comments and suggestions? Thanks

Hi,
Thanks very much.
For Kobe there is the Okura hotel ( have not stayed there but the okura at Huis ten bosch near Nagasaki was very good) as well as the Sheraton and Marriott

At Okayama I stayed at the ANA Crowne plaza ( connected by a walkway to the JR Station then about 30min walk to the Korakuen Garden). My room was a little compact but was an executive room so had breakfast/afternoon tea and evening snacks . Used the shinkansen to Himeji ( c 15mins or so). I enjoyed the hotel ( was out most of the day ) and also went to onomichi and kurashiki

For Kobe I would almost be tempted to stay in osaka and use the special rapid trains to Kobe (20-30mins). The shinkansen leaves from shin-osaka going via shin-kobe ( a subway ride north of kobe city centre)

Regards

TBS

PS on my first visit to Okayama in 2023 , I stayed in Hiroshima and did a day trip ( Hilton and Sheraton hotels in Hiroshima). Though they do look far apart on the map, the fastest shinkansen ( Nozomi ) did the journey in 40 mins ( though the transport costs on the Shinkansen will be higher to okayama). Last May i did use the one of the Kansai regional area passes which was useful for doing day trips for several days in a row

If you're looking for something with a bath, consider the Dormy Inn Kobe Motomachi. It's walking distance from Motomachi Station.

I don't know what your budget is, but given that you can afford Guntu, I'll throw out Kobe Minato Onsen Ren as the best option for you. It's a real gem.

The hotel serves tasty and healthy buffet for both dinner and breakfast, and service is warm and polished.

It offers great value for what you get. Even the base rooms are 50 square meters in size, and yet it's no more expensive than a base room at a Sheraton.

What really separates this hotel from others - they have their own hot spring source that's piped in from 1150 meters directly underground on the premises, not trucked in and continually filtered and recirculated like the ones at most other non-luxury properties. It's the real deal.

And, if you opt for the Harbor Suite, you get an in-room free-flowing onsen bath that's very large, and it's semi open-air, even.

Thank you KI-NRT. I read and enjoy all of your ryokan reviews and trust your judgement. What gave me pause about Kobe Minato Onsen Ren was it appears to be on a pier which I'm afraid might service cruise ships. Having lived near the cruise ship terminal in Charleston, SC I would hate to have one of those things outside my window belching smoke for its generators 24/7. If you have any information on that, it would be appreciated.

Nothing worse than cruise ships and yet we have to drink out of paper straws 🫩 always check here.

https://www.cruisetimetables.com/kob...-schedule.html

Nothing worse in Japan than a cruise ship unloading in a small city that gets overwhelmed by non paying gawkers.

Good question. I don't believe that mega ships can/will dock right in front. At least when we were there, we did not see any of them passing by. We noticed a few smaller ships but noise and air pollution was a non-issue when we stayed. YMMV.

The large cruise ships will moor at the pier closest to the Port Terminal Station (Pier Number 4) and the Onsen Ren is on Pier Number 1 (roughly 10 minutes apart on foot)

There will be large Cruise ships arriving or departing on close to 100 out of 365 days next year. There will be days when more than one large ship is there at a time, perhaps those are the days you might want to avoid.
You can cross check your proposed dates on this or similar resources: https://www.cruisetimetables.com/kob...dule-2026.html

Thank you and thank you for the Learn a little Japanese painlessly thread. That helped a lot on our trip last spring.

Kobe hotels kinda suck. I've stayed at a few, but keep coming back to the Crowne Plaza at Shin-Kobe station only for the convenience of location. Its very close to the ropeway and to the herb garden. I'll be there again later this month.

They converted one property to a Marriott 4 Points, this year, but the reviews suck. Osaka wouldn't be a bad place to stay if you want a nice hotel.

+1
That CP is a favorite of mine even if it feels dated like most CP�s in Jpn. It is convenient and the views are great.

We also took advantage of the market in the lower levels of the attached shopping center. Nice cheap way to get quality prepared foods.

Another vote for the CP at Shin-Kobe, which is the obvious choice if you plan on taking multiple trips via Shinkansen. You simply can't beat the convenience of the location, directly on top of a subway station providing quick access anywhere in the city, and a very short walk to the Shin-Kobe station, providing easy access to the rest of Japan. Being perched up on the hill means great views, as well. Kobe hotels may not be terribly glamorous, but you will be able to do extraordinary things with the money you are saving compared to the far more overpriced neighbors, and it is indeed a quite convenient location for exploration. The city has a lot to offer in a very easily-navigated compact space, minus the hordes of tourists who have overtaken Osaka and Kyoto. It also has very easy access to KIX, via the 30 minute ferry ride between KIX and UKB (only 500 Yen for tourists).

That said, I just returned from my second stay at my all-time favorite Kobe hotel, the Peanuts Hotel. Definitely not what the OP is looking for, but certainly a very unique niche hotel, with adorable rooms and an fantastic diner, which is somehow simultaneously not Japanese and very iconically Japanese. Even if you don't stay the night, you are welcome to swing by the Peanuts Cafe in the lobby, as well as the Peanuts Diner.