Galleria Midobaru 別府御堂原畫廊温泉酒店 (Beppu, JAPAN)

After spending two days in the heart of Fukuoka, it was time to pack our bags and embark on the second half of our journey to explore the rest of Fukuoka Prefecture. This requires a bit of driving (about two hours) but I have a feeling that it's going to be well worth the hassle.

Much of my research on this trip has been focused on hot spring resorts in Beppu and Yufuin. There are a ton of options in the area but since I'm not a fan of those traditional ryokans, finding one with a contemporary décor and amazing view proved to be next to impossible. But like I always say, never say never.

Opened in December 2020, Galleria Midobaru ((別府御堂原畫廊温泉酒店) is a designer hotel located on the base of Mount Tsurumi overlooking Beppu Bay with a private hot spring bath in every one of their guest rooms. The hotel is just a comfortable 10-minute drive from Beppu's city centre and it is very easily assessible via a number of highways.

Once we arrived at the hotel lobby, we were immediately greeted by the jaw-dropping view of Beppu Bay right from the ceiling-to-floor windows (Little one didn't look impressed though as he was more focused with his smartphone 😉).

After going through a maze of contemporary arts, we finally arrived in front of our room on the third floor.

If not for the extra bed that they have mistakenly arranged for us, the room was more than enough for the three of us.

Of course, the first thing I wanted to do was to go out to the balcony and take a deep breath of the fresh air from Beppu Bay!

I could sit here all day and admire this view. It was so peaceful around here. 

Another highlight of our stay was the onsen bath right in the bathroom area. It had the same bay view as the balcony although a little obstructed.

After removing the wooden cover from the onsen bath, I started off the pump and in about 15 minutes, the tub was already filled with hot spring water. 

Little nugget just couldn't wait to get started and he was the first to jump into the piping hot spring bath. 

We thoroughly enjoyed our two-night stay at Galleria Midobaru, which was nearly perfect. However, we did encounter a few design deficiencies in our room that slightly affected our overall experience. Firstly, the location of the toilet right next to the doorway could have been more thoughtfully planned for convenience and privacy. We also noticed the absence of some well-covered blinds which have compromised the light control in the room, especially in early morning (how could we not after waking up by the sunrise at 6 every morning!). For you light sleepers, don't forget to bring your sleep mask! 

But despite these minor issues, our stay at Galleria Midobaru was fantastic.

Rating: ❤❤❤❤

Price: ￥￥￥￥

Address: 6 Kumi Horita, Beppu, Oita, 874-0831, Japan

Tel: +81 (0)977-76-5303

Website: https://beppu-galleria-midobaru.jp/en/

Kaguno-Konomi Mont Blanc 香菓 和栗の金糸モンブラン (Dazaifu, JAPAN) ★★★☆☆

Our stay in Dazaifu wasn't supposed to last more than an hour but there was just too much to see on Dazaifu Tenmangu Omotesando (太宰府天満宮表参道) and around Dazaifu Tenmangu. By the time I checked my watch, two hours have already passed us by!



But there was still one more place I needed to visit, Kaguno-Konomi (香菓). This outlet of the fruit-centric cafe is focused primarily on freshly made Mont Blanc cakes (和栗の金糸モンブラン).

I had to purchase a ticket from the vendor machine outside first but it's easy enough for everyone since there were only a few choices around for Mont Blanc (original, matcha and a seasonal mango flavor).

My server first prepared a thick slab of milk soft serve on the plate before adding the chestnut vermicelli on top.

This was done using the machine and fresh chestnut vermicelli ready to be served.

Looked like a plate of noodles with a chestnut on top from this angle.

The color looked much much better with my camera.

Hidden underneath the chestnut vermicelli was the melting milk soft serve. A freshly made "Mont Blanc cake"!

Santa has arrived early this year, obviously! 🎅🤣

We're running late so it was time to hit the road again quickly. Jelloman is behind the wheels today and we got Tosu as our next stop before we head for our final destination (Beppu).

Food Rating: 4.5/10

Price: ￥￥￥

Address: 3-2-39 Saifu, Dazaifu, Fukuoka, 818-0117 Japan

Closest Train Station: Dazaifu

Tel: +81 (0)92-923-2881

Website: www.instagram.com/dazaifu.kagunokonomi/?hl=en

Opening Hours: 10:00am - 6:00pm daily

Kanoya 太宰府梅ヶ枝餅 かのや (Dazaifu, JAPAN) ★★★☆☆

There was one thing we knew we needed to check off our list before leaving Dazaifu and that was Ume-ga-emochi (梅ヶ枝餅), some sort of red bean sweets that is deemed a must-try when visiting the Daizafu area. 

I have been on the lookout for the handmade Ume-ga-emochi since we arrived and there were a lot of shops at Dazaifu Tenmangu Omotesando selling these Japanese rice cakes with red bean filling. Kanoya (太宰府梅ヶ枝餅 かのや), however, was one of the few shops that didn't rely on machines to make this traditional sweet.

I wasn't paying attention and almost got burnt (literally) by the heat from these handmade Ume-ga-emochi.

I only bought two of these to share among the three of us but I should have got more cuz they were seriously good. The rice cake itself was slightly chewy like mochi and it was complemented nicely by the sweetness of the red bean filling.

Kanoya 太宰府梅ヶ枝餅 かのや is the name to look for if you're interested in trying some of these hand made Ume-ga-emochi!

Food Rating: 5.5/10

Price: ￥￥

Address: 4-6-17 Saifu, Dazaifu, Fukuoka, 818-0117 Japan

Closest Train Station: Dazaifu

Tel: +81 (0)92-922-5410

Website: https://dazaifu-kanoya.com/

Opening Hours: 9:00am - 5:00pm daily