sankara hotel & spa Yakushima

Literally the best hotel I’ve ever stayed at. If there was such a thing as “six stars,” they should have the designation. And I’ve stayed at five star properties. Food was exceptional. Room was huge, spotlessly clean, 100% private, and beautifully appointed. The private bath was eye-popping and wonderful. Beds were perfect. But the best part by far was the service—the level of care, the attention to detail. Rio, Jun, and Tommy were among the many staff we interacted with. Rio was kind, natural, thorough in explaining the facilities. Jun was a whiz with wines and food recommendations. Tommy noticed my left-handedness and made sure my place setting was arranged to accommodate it at every meal. I was blown away. Hidden gems: fabulous e-bikes for rent, free cookies and snacks in the lobby and room, corn ice-tea, and free passes to the beautiful onsen at their sister property, Samana.

World class service, food, and accommodations all alongside a once in a lifetime natural landscape views. A trip to Japan is not complete unless you visit Yakushima. A trip to Yakushima is not complete unless you stay at the Sankara. Sankara boasts everything you want - attentive service, breathtaking views, world class food / drink, tailored recommendations for attractions (hiking guides, boutique woodcraft from the local wood, hiking rentals). To give you an idea of the level of service - I couldn’t even carry a towel in from the pool without a staff member running to carry it for me. Everything at the hotel is incredibly reasonably priced especially given the hotels acclaims as a Michelin Key location. Their room prices aside, they could easily double their food / service prices given their acclaim. Two special shouts outs for making our stay special: 1) Jun at the Ayana restaurant in the Sankara hotel is a waiter worth specifically requesting. He offers world class service - accommodating every special request for food, building beautiful cocktails based on his guest’s preferences, and making his guests feel like they are the only ones in the restaurant. 2) The chefs at the Ayana restaurant deserve a special shout out. They could open a restaurant based on how good their pasta is alone which is an absolute steal as an appetizer at dinner. We contemplated canceling our one remaining city in our Japan vacation just to extend our stay at the Sankara. My wife and I cannot wait to stay at the Sankara again.

It was a really nice inn. However, there was a large caterpillar in the small bowl of Japanese food at breakfast. It was prickly and looked pretty scary. When I pointed it out, the only thing they said was "Oh, sorry," which was very disappointing. I've recommended it to friends before, but I'll share it. I won't be going there again.