iahphx

Anyone been there recently? Just reduced from a category 4 to a category 3. What little commentary I've found in English regarding this "remote" Kyushu resort is extremely favorable.

schriste

I was there in October 2005 and also in February 2005.

Positives:

• Spacious rooms
• Nice pool with sand beach
• The Shosenkyu Onsen is a great on-site hot spring bath.
• Banyan Tree Spa on site ($$$)
• Great platinum treatment. They will give you a suite if they have one available, free access to the onsen, free buffet breakfast with a vast selection, and access to the lounge (has a PC with free internet access).
• Many resort activities available (tennis, golf, bike riding, etc)
• The hotel is located in within the Seagaia Resort complex which includes the humungous Ocean Dome (artificial indoor beach with waves).

Negatives,

• The décor or the rooms are rather blah and dated looking.
• Miyazaki is out of the way to say the least.
• The resort is located out of town, so you will either need a car, or have to take taxis. There is bus service to the hotel from the train station.
• No use is made of the real beach. I never even saw it, except as a view from my room.

Overall this is a nice place. I’d say it would be a great getaway if you live in Japan. There is an international golf event held here every year that would be interesting if you are a golf fan. For the average tourist to Japan this resort probably does not make too much sense as it is time consuming to get to and is very international in design. I went there because I like trains and just ended up in that area after ridding the new Shinkansen line in Kyushu. If you do go, make sure you go to their onsen... it is great.

chanp

Any updates on this property? Didn't see it on the master list either.

nydad

I'd be curious as well.

iahphx

My stay was 4 years ago, so I can't give you a recent report. The hotel is fine, but I would not recommend you stay here as a foreigner unless you have platiunum status in SPG. Otherwise, all the amenities that you might wish to use are extremely expensive, and you are left with a remote (and pretty boring) Japanese hotel.

If you do stay as a tourist, it is wise to rent a car, given the isolation. Driving in this area is not difficult. Renting the car might be difficult without a translator!

Evident

Wasn't sure if i should start a new thread for Sheraton Miyazaki or just post it here. I spent a week here in award points and I must say it was probably one of my best SPG experiences, and great value for the points. I currently live in Japan and needed a get away. Miyazaki was the "hawaii of japan" before fares to hawaii became much cheaper. The prefecture is a hidden gem and is worth going to. You will certainly need a car to get the most out of visiting Miyazaki.

Back to the hotel- Apparently it went through some major renovations very recently. it's a great family resort. My wife and I have no kids at the time we went though and still had fun. The private onsen on the hotel property is a steal. it costs about 8000 yen for two hours and its great. There's a golf course or two surrounding the hotel, but we dont play golf. rooms have a great view of the ocean. There's a beach but you must drive or take the shuttle to it. every night there's a brief but very nice fireworks display. The shochu bar has very great shochu from the prefecture at very reasonable price and good service- a great local touch!!
There's a cafe in the hotel with very good bread and coffee, with lounge chairs and "living room" spaces where you can relax and fall asleep. in the back of the cafe is a writing room where you can mail postcards to anywhere in the world, for free, which is a very cute idea.

Overall, I really enjoyed Miyazaki, and this hotel had a lot to do with it. I want the hotel and tourism here to succeed because both have a lot to offer!

MSPeconomist

Miyazaki is a small town in the southwestern "corner" of Japan. I'm surprised that the market is large enough to support a big resort, although the prices seem attractive compared to elsewhere in the country.

Evident

southeastern corner . Great beaches, dramatic cliffs, fun drives, and wild monkeys... can't ask for more.
And yeah, I think the property went through several bankruptcies before it was finally acquired by whatever company it's owned by now, which of course licenses the SPG name.

JNelson113

Any recent stays? Contemplating staying for four nights later this week. Thanks!

jpdx

I spent two nights here last November, and thought I wrote a lengthy review. Can’t find it anywhere, so here are a few quick notes.

The hotel is part of a megalomaniac bubble-era project, Seagaia, which included world’s largest indoor water pool, Ocean Dome. Here’s a great summary of the development’s history from one of my favorite (now defunct) blogs. The place had been on my bucket list for years, but sadly, the ruins of Ocean Dome were razed a few months before my stay.

I arrived by train from Kagoshima and then took the public bus to the hotel – it’s #18 bound for Florante Miyazaki, at a cost of 510 yen. The bus only runs every hour or so and connects somewhat seamlessly with only a couple of the daily Limited Express arrivals, so a taxi will be more convenient.

Upon arrival, the porter had a card with “VIP” names on it – I most decidedly am not one, but my name was on it anyway, and I was ushered to a desk with an agent who spoke English. He may well have been the only one in the entire hotel who had more than rudimentary English skills. I was assigned a maybe 1200sqft suite with 180 degrees views. It’s old, but not as bad as many Japanese hotels, and some things have been updated (e.g., new carpet). Pretty impressive room, overall.

Platinum benefits include lounge access. The evening cocktail hour has some basic snacks that can serve as dinner in a pinch, limited selection of spirits, and good wines and champagne (Moet). There’s an afternoon tea hour, but it’s only some very light snacks and macaroons. Breakfast can be taken in the lounge or the buffet restaurant. I initially went to the latter, but because I stayed on a weekend, it was a zoo, with long lines and stuff running out, so I retreated to the lounge, which was pleasantly deserted and had an acceptable basic selection (continental plus scrambled eggs/sausage/bacon).

The hotel is still an architectural monstrosity, but it has lost some of its bubble-era craziness. Public areas have been recently remodeled to suit the Japanese hipster taste – the bakery, postcard writing room, pool, and activity spaces ooze the charm one finds in Japanese lifestyle magazines like Casa Brutus and Popeye. It seems to work – the place was completely sold out, with some of the expected weekend wedding business, but more notably, young families with their minivans.

That minivan must come in handy in Miyazaki; my greatest regret is not having a car. In addition to the public bus that runs hourly or so, there’s a resort shuttle that stops at the golf course and other hotels. One stop (perhaps 3 miles from the hotel) is about a 5 minute walk from a beach, but it’s a pretty pathetic beach.

Rates can fluctuate wildly (that’s true for many Japanese hotels), but if you lock in a 12k yen rate and end up in the giant suite, it’s not a bad place to spend a few days, especially if you have a car to explore the area.

iahphx

Thanks for that trip down Memory Lane, jpdx. I haven't felt the need to return to Miyazaki more than a decade ago. I didn't realize the Ocean Dome closed down. It was open when I visited (although it had a down-on-its-luck vibe). I guess I was about the last one to see it operational.

JNelson113

Nagasaki Joe

I just reserved a stay here this July and will be driving by car. It's the only Marriott chain hotel in Kyushu, where I live, so I decided to use my FNA there. I understand that Platinum status gives you club lounge access, and a reviewer above says you also get free onsen (hot spring) access. That was back in 2006, can anyone confirm that the free onsen access is still provided to Platinums? I noticed at the hotel website that the club lounge is located way up on the 36th floor, so the views must be pretty spectacular. I would love to see some more recent reviews. I'll post one after my stay.

Nagasaki Joe

I originally planned to stay here in July, but had to change plans and stayed during May. My detailed review of this hotel can be found here:
Stay at the Sheraton Grande Ocean Resort in Miyazaki City, Japan

hnewman

I am planning my retirement trip for a month in Japan starting at this hotel in Miyazaki for 4 nights in March then to Yufuin. Any suggestions on activities (we are hoping Japan completely opens soon) would be most appreciated. We are thinking of a cooking class but any must do activities.