Review: Sheraton Kagoshima (Japan)
| Positives | Negatives |
|---|---|
| Excellent onsen facilities | Access to lounge needs reservation during the evening |
| Stunning volcano view | Shuttle service information needs clarification on Kagoshimachuo Station stop |
| Shuttle service from/to Kagoshimachuo Station | |
| Great cash value |
After spending 4 nights in Fukuoka, I head down to my final destination of the Kyushu portion of my Japan trip, Kagoshima.
Kagoshima is a city surrounded by Japan’s most active volcano, Sakurajima, which caught my full attention.
I chose the Sheraton Kagoshima as it’s the sole hotel in the city where I can use hotel status benefits, and it has intriguing onsen facility with many rooms offering a view of the volcano. It turned out to be one of the most enjoyable stays I’ve had, which is a nice surprise since I don’t expect much from a Sheraton.
Sheraton Kagoshima- Booking
I booked a 2-night stay here at a Long Term Stay rate that applies for a 2-night stay minimum for 17,100 yen (~$110) before taxes and fees. Two nights seems to be the sweet spot to get the most out of your stay here and to explore some main attractions Kagoshima has to offer.
I also applied 2 Nightly Upgrade Awards for the Sakurajima Suite, and I was happy that it was confirmed 2 days before my check in date! I was in glee after seeing it in my tiny room inside the Crowne Plaza Fukuoka.
Sheraton Kagoshima is a Category 4 hotel, so 35K Free Night Certificate redemption is guaranteed, even when points top-off are necessary.
Sheraton Kagoshima- Location
Sheraton Kagoshima is around 15 minutes walk away from Kagoshimachuo Station. But, it is just right across Takenohashi tram station. In Kagoshima, you’d be using trams a lot for getting around the city. Beware that they may only accept Suica (Tokyo/Kanto-based IC card) and Sugoca (Kyushu-based IC card) for the trams. Luckily, you can also use credit cards for pretty much every public transportation in Kagoshima City!
I personally used them to earn points and work towards my signup bonus, and that my Hokkaido-based IC card (Kitaca) did not work for the trams there.
Sadly, public transportation from Kagoshimachuo Station is a bit inconvenient as you have to circle around the tram line to get to the hotel. But, the hotel has a shuttle service which I’ll explain down later. In the vicinity of the hotel, there’s not much interesting going on.
Sheraton Kagoshima- Check-in
I arrived to Kagoshimachuo Station at 11am on a very rainy day. I grabbed a cab from the Kagoshima Station to the hotel. Shortly after and during the taxi ride, I saw a “Sheraton Kagoshima” shuttle bus right in front of me.
At the time, I wasn’t aware that the hotel has a shuttle service. So I just sat in the backseat of the cab looking sort of defeated. The price of my cab was 900 Yen, and it took around 8 minutes to get to the hotel.
After arriving to the lobby, I was hoping that I can check-in early to my suite, but they told me that the room wouldn’t be ready until 3pm, the standard check-in time. It’s no big deal since I would just use the time to get some lunch and explore after. I was given a keycard for lounge access though!
One of the neater things I saw in the lobby was a green space with tons of seating that made for a relaxing atmosphere.
As I headed to the elevators, I passed through the hotel’s main cafe called &More, where you can grab lighter food to go.
They also ran dining discount promo for Marriott Bonvoy members. But, I didn’t take advantage of it since I planned to eat outside.
Sheraton Kagoshima- Sakurajima Suite
I was assigned to Room 1601 on the 16th floor. Sakurajima Suite is a corner suite with a picturesque view of Japan’s most active volcano, so I was very much looking forward to be staying in this suite!
As I entered into the foyer, I was met with a well-appointed large living room!
Before going into the living room, I checked the closet to the left of the entrance. The umbrella pictured was mine, but you may borrow an umbrella from the bucket of umbrellas placed in front of the hotel.
There’s also a half bath to the right of the entrance.
Living Room
The living room comes with nicely sized sofas and a sizable dining table.
The pantry’s clad in marbles with few decorations. There’s a Nespresso machine and complimentary water bottles. Minibar and glassware can be found inside the cabinets underneath.
Across the pantry is the dining table. They left the hotel details inside an enveloped on the table.
I liked the volcano-inspired small decorations found in the suite.
You can enjoy watching TV with a view of Sakurajima on the side, if the weather allows for it.
Bedroom
The bedroom is right behind the wall where the TV is in the living room. The bedroom’s well appointed with a chaise by the window to also admire Sakurajima. The bed is comfy, with a good balance on softness and hardness.
Across the bed is the TV with a long low table to put your luggage on. Notice the slidable partition next to the TV.
Beside the bed is where you can control the curtains and lights inside the bedroom. The ones in the living room have their own separate controls.
During most of my stay, the clouds obstructed the complete view of Sakurajima. But, I was happy that I at least got to see it from my suite on the very last day of my stay. It’s a spectacular, but also ominous, view!
Bathroom
The bathroom is right next to the bedroom, with its own slidable partition too.
The suite has double vanity sinks on top of a marble counter. Bathroom amenities included are dental, shaving, and even skincare kits.
The wet room comes with a separated shower and bathtub. Finally enough, I didn’t use the in-room shower much because I enjoyed the excellent onsen facilities this hotel has. Still, I tried it in my final morning and thought the shower pressure was good.
Gilchrist & Soames is the bath amenity, a Sheraton standard.
The bathroom includes a separate toilet room behind frosted glass.
On the very back of the bathroom is the closet where you can find the bathrobes, slippers, and pajamas. There’s 2 slippers provided. Blue is for onsen use, and the white one for room.
The provided pajamas are two-piece. Finally, I got to wear pants at night after a week!
Overall, the Sakurajima Suite is a gorgeous room and is well-appointed. I had a similar level of enjoyment staying here with the Kamome Suite in Nagasaki Marriott. But, the volcano view made this suite in Sheraton Kagoshima more favorable, in my view.
Sheraton Kagoshima- Breakfast
Breakfast is served daily from 6:30-10:30am in the Daily Social restaurant on the 4th floor. It’s a full buffet style that serve Japanese, Chinese, and Western food.
Starting from the entrance, the first row I encountered is the drinks station. There’s plenty of fruit juice to choose from. A barista can also make coffee for you here!
Across the drinks station is the pastry section that offers wide variety of bread.
My particular favorites are the variety of muffins offered.
The pain au lait is suspiciously very familiar with the one I had in Roku Kyoto’s breakfast.
There are chefs working behind egg and noodle stations to order your own custom egg and noodle dish.
There’s both rice and porridge!
There’s also homemade tofu stored inside a container that looks like a volcano. The tofu spills sort of resemble volcanic ash, which is quite funny.
The cold cuts and salad sections are located on the far back of Daily Social.
The staff also gave me a card that notifies me when I’m still working on my breakfast. Simply flip the card once you’re done and leaving. Overall, the breakfast is nice, and it was even better that I got it for free thanks to my Titanium status.
Sheraton Kagoshima- Executive Lounge
The hotel’s lounge is located on the top floor (18th). It opens 24/7, but only serves full meals on the evenings. You must reserve one of the 3 available time slots to access evening hors d’oeuvres, however.
Before I was able to check-in, the front desk gave me lounge access, and I decided to check it out. The lounge is set in a straight hall manner, complimented with dining tables by the window.
The corner segment offers more relaxing seats with an open view of the city and Sakurajima if weather allows for it.
During the day, you can help yourself to coffee, tea, soft drinks, and small snacks. Alcohol fridge is closed until 6pm.
I briefly visited the lounge at 8pm on Monday night just one time. By the time I got there, it was packed and I couldn’t get a good seat by the window. Oh well.
The lounge serves typical things what a typical lounge offers. Cocktails and small bites that could make for a full meal if you consume enough of them.
Some of the food are what you can find during breakfast like the fish cake and bread.
Chicken nuggets and onion rings were served.
The food was OK, and I’d rather eat outside. The reservation requirements put me off from returning. But, I’ve always been indifferent towards hotel lounges anyway, especially when I’m in a new city where I’d rather eat good food outside despite having to pay.
Sheraton Kagoshima- Onsen/Hot Spring Spa
The hotel’s onsen is on the 5th floor, and is arguably the best part of Sheraton Kagoshima!
Outside of onsen, the hotel has a spa service by LymphVenus where you can order massages too. I was given a discount coupon, assuming from being an elite member, but I didn’t feel it was necessary to use.
Just behind the glass window from the spa lobby is the foot bath, or ashiyu. The water comes from natural source, and is similar to the one I experienced while I was visiting Sakurajima island.
Seat pillows are neatly prepared for added cushion while you’re enjoying having your feet submerged in hot spring water.
The foot bath does a nice job to warm my whole body still, so it’s not necessary to get in the full hot spring bath to keep warm. It’s a nice and quick option, but a full bath is still much more enjoyable!
Both the foot bath and full body bath have the same view of plants in front of a filtered wall. I think it would’ve been more glorious if it’s an open view of Sakurajima instead!
I could not get pictures inside the baths themselves due to very obvious reasons. But the changing room before is is very clean and modern. The lockers come with passkey locks that you can set on your own.
Inside the full bath section, there’s closed air and open air baths, separated just with a glass door. It’s recommended that you rinse as well, which is readily available inside, along with sit-in shower stalls in traditional Japanese onsen fashion. There’s also a cold plunge pool and sauna inside.
My experience in Sheraton Kagoshima’s onsen facilities was excellent! It is definitely up there compared to Hotel the Mitsui Kyoto, and I’m amazed I can get this type of experience in a Western hotel that only charge low $100’s per night!
Sheraton Kagoshima- Fitness Center
The gym’s also on the 5th floor and is open 24/7. It’s equipped with cardio and strength training equipments.
Sheraton Kagoshima- Shuttle Service
The hotel’s free shuttle service runs between the hotel and Kagoshimachuo Station at 30 minute intervals from 08:30 to 21:30.
When I first got to Kagoshima, it was confusing on where the shuttle bus for the Sheraton stops at when I circled around the bus station right in front of Kagoshimachuo Station. It turns out, there’s another bus terminal across the street which is where the shuttle bus stops at, which I’ll point out in the map below.
Again, do not confuse Kagoshimachuo Station with Kagoshima Station.
From Kagoshimachuo bus stop, you can buy a ticket for direct shuttle to KOJ for around $10, so getting to and from the airport is technically easy as well from the Sheraton. I didn’t take a picture of the shuttle, but it’s black and has a Sheraton logo on it. Very straightforward.
Conclusion
Sheraton Kagoshima is an excellent hotel to choose for a trip to Kagoshima, or a brief stopover on your way to Yakushima. I can get the best of both worlds from a Western and Japanese hotel; a big room and onsen facilities.
The best part is that it’s typical of them to charge in low $100’s per night, which brings amazing value relative to many things it offer like free shuttle service, and full body and foot hot spring baths.
Even when it gets expensive, it’s a guaranteed 35k FNC redemption should it be necessary for you to burn.
The Sakurajima view is also a highlight of this hotel. Other hotels could have similar views, but the Sheraton is the only hotel where you can earn points and use elite benefits across the major hotel loyalty programs in Kagoshima.
The only thing I found meh was the lounge, but I’m very impartial to that since I rather go out and try out new restaurants, and it did not detract from the overall experience.
I’d happily return here should I be back in Kagoshima and soak myself again in its relaxing onsen.