Mitsui Garden Hotel Gion

I stayed here on my previous trip as well. The location is incredibly convenient, being close to Hakata Station, Canal City, and several popular bakeries (the ones with queues!). The room size is decent enough for two people. Upon check-in, we received complimentary capsule coffee, which we could prepare ourselves using the in-room machine.

The room was larger than I expected, with enough space for my 28-inch suitcase. There's also a hot spring bath on the top floor. The location is fantastic, very close to Hakata Station, about a 10-minute walk away. Breakfast was delicious, with small, clean, and neatly presented Japanese-style dishes. My only minor disappointment was that the sea urchin rice had already run out.

The room wasn't overly spacious; while the twin beds could be pushed together, we could barely open our 28-inch suitcase by the wall due to limited space.

Location-wise, it's fantastic for subway users, with the station entrance right outside the hotel. However, for those focused on shopping, it's somewhat inconveniently situated between Hakata and Tenjin, meaning it's not truly close to either major shopping district.

That said, breakfast was absolutely delicious! The cute little bowls used for serving food were a charming touch, and it certainly put me in a great mood to start the day.

There's a free rooftop onsen (hot spring bath) available, but remember to bring your own swimwear.

I wouldn't recommend this hotel for first-time visitors to Fukuoka. For a maiden trip, most people would prefer to be closer to Hakata for its dining, sightseeing, and easy access to day trips, or near Tenjin for serious retail therapy. This spot is much better suited for returning visitors.

Extremely convenient close to many drugstores, famous breakfast, bread stores, Canal city, Hakata station.

It’s one of the best hotels in Fukuoka! The staff are very nice and helpful. The location is perfect, it closes to few big shopping malls and you don’t need to worry about finding food or shopping. I will definitely go back there again.

Nice hotel with good service. If kids are free to stay, then it will be more recommended. The new restaurant for meals are good.

I chose the Mitsui Garden Hotel Fukuoka Gion primarily because of its breakfast, but it turned out to be a bit of a letdown. Even with a reservation, we still had to wait, and by the time we got seated, popular items like the sea urchin rice bowl were already unavailable.

The location is excellent, making it very convenient for sightseeing, dining, and shopping. The hotel was also very clean. They have a public bath, which I didn't get a chance to use. Each day, two bottles of Ito En water are provided, and upon check-in, you receive two Nespresso coffee capsules. There's also a self-service coffee station on the first floor.

Beyond the breakfast disappointment, there was an issue when we asked the hotel to call a taxi. A female staff member in the first-floor lobby told us it would be about a 10-minute wait, but then she simply vanished. We ended up waiting for nearly half an hour, feeling quite helpless. I've truly never encountered such a lack of service in a Japanese hotel before.

The hotel boasts an excellent location, surrounded by many dining and drinking establishments. Canal City is just a 5-minute walk away, and places like Tochoji Temple are also within easy walking distance, making it incredibly convenient. The room size was perfectly adequate, and the service was outstanding! A highlight is the indoor and outdoor hot springs on the 13th floor, which were wonderfully relaxing. The front desk also provides complimentary skincare products for guests and even helped us arrange a taxi. My only minor complaint is that the room felt a bit dated.

Northern Kyushu Trip: Mitsui Garden Hotel Fukuoka Gion

We traveled from Kurokawa Onsen to Fukuoka by bus. There are three daily services: 10:15 AM, 11:15 AM, and 2:15 PM. The fare is 3,470 JPY, and the journey takes approximately 3 hours.

Again, we asked the hotel front desk to help us call and book tickets. The 11:15 AM bus was the most suitable choice, as we would arrive in Fukuoka around 2 PM, allowing us to walk to the hotel and check in directly without needing to store our luggage. A special shout-out to the front desk at Kurokawa Roku Ryokan for proactively booking our bus tickets for the next day.

Roku Ryokan also offered a drop-off service to the bus station. Though it was a short distance, it was a nice gesture and much appreciated.

Upon arriving in Fukuoka, the bus made three stops: the airport, Hakata JR Station, and Tenjin. We got off at Hakata JR Station. From there, we used Google Maps to navigate and reached the hotel in just over 10 minutes.

The hotel's location is excellent, very close to Hakata Station. There's a 7-Eleven and a bakery downstairs, and Tenjin is just one subway stop away.

Hotel rooms here are typically small, so traveling with large suitcases in Japan really isn't ideal.

The hotel's onsen (hot spring bath) is on the 13th floor. It's a public bath only, with both indoor and outdoor pools.

In the hotel lobby, you can pick up complimentary disposable toothbrushes and other amenities. I particularly recommend the sample-sized lotions; they were quite good.

The only complimentary item from the hotel was a single cup of coffee, which was nothing special.

One important thing to note is that the name on the reservation must match the name of the guest checking in. Both rooms were booked under my name. One room was checked in smoothly, but for the other, the front desk insisted on changing the name to the actual occupant's before processing. The problem was that changing the name took time. I had to contact Ctrip, who then contacted the hotel, and once the hotel agreed to the change, it took a while for it to update in the front desk system. So, we could only check into one room initially. Such rigidity!

mitsui garden is a standard booking for me when going to japan but amongst the mitsui gardens that i have experienced, this could be the smallest and least pleasurable experience. it was still a good hotel just not as good as its sister hotels. onsen felt too cramped and was probably a victim of its own success given the crowd. my biggest issue was the room. it “felt” smaller than similar bookings in other mitsui gardens. of coz could just be a layout thing. location was pretty good and hence the crowd. breakfast was very good, amazing (see pics) all in all not the best time here, a pity, i liked the brand.