The Ashizuri peninsula in Kochi prefecture is one of Japan’s most beautiful destinations, with a national park surrounded by ocean – plus, the area is full of fresh, local delicacies. One of its long-established inns, Ashizuri Pacific Hotel, has been given an upgrade and revamped itself into a luxury resort called The Mana Village.
The renovations aren’t quite complete yet, but the hotel opened its new waterfront Italian restaurant Azzurissimo in early February. Originally open to hotel guests only, starting from March 10, the restaurant will be open to the public as well.
This means you can dine at this stunning outdoor restaurant on the coast with a spectacular ocean view – and you don’t even need to book a room.
While the restaurant is still in its soft opening stage, you can expect classic Italian dishes made from organic ingredients.
The hotel’s two luxury suites on the other hand have been open for booking since last November. Each Mana Room suite comes with a small kitchen, oceanview bath and a terrace that overlooks the island. All the room amenities are designed to be environmentally friendly, and are packaged in paper to reduce plastic waste. The interior is decorated with goods made by local artisans, including pottery made by Hiroji Morita from Tosa city, and glassware by Eizo Ueki from Ashizuri.
You’ll find a café and bar where you can enjoy coffee, seasonal gelato and special cocktails made with locally grown fruit. There’s wifi, too, so you can get a little remote work done while you lounge on the cosy sofas.
And if Italian food isn’t for you, there’s also a seafood restaurant, Live Kitchen, which offers multicourse meals featuring sashimi and grilled katsuo (skipjack tuna) from Kochi.
The Mana Village is gradually renovating its guestrooms into luxury rooms, and is expanding its facility with residential housing, a farm and even a marine leisure area over the next few years. But there’s no need to wait. You can book a stay at the hotel now from around ¥40,000 per person via the website.
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