そして訪れたのが好対照のふたつの温泉だ。まずは明礬の紺屋地獄にある温泉保養ランドの泥湯。駅からバスで20分強。ここは何十年も前から変わらぬままの古い施設で、壊れたロッカーが修理される気配もなく並んでいる。お湯までは吹きさらしの長い廊下を歩かなければならないので、寒い時期には避けた方が賢明だろう。お湯そのものは野趣に富んで楽しめる。露天は混浴で、無防備な印象は否めないが、大胆にパートナーに泥のボディマッサージでもさせて長湯という選択もまわりを刺激しない範囲なら悪くないかも。DIY版のマッドSPAだ。勇気がない女性も暖かい内湯や壁に仕切られたところまでの泥湯を試してみることはできる。入湯料の1050円は施設の状態を考えると高い。
別府を代表する大型ホテルが杉乃井で、別府の町や湾を一望できる温泉の棚湯とアクア・ガーデンが入場料1500円で楽しめる。駅からはホテルのシャトルが出ている。一大レジャー施設のようで慌ただしくはあるが、夏場はその開放感と相まって賑わうに違いない。海外からの客も安心できるホテルという感じだ。
Like many other ancient hotspring spots, the town of Beppu looked tired. Their metabolism was not functioning. As Beppu onsen spots scatter in various directions, we chose to stay at a hotel in Oita and commute to Beppu by train that took 12 minutes, and this approach worked quite well. Hokke Club in Oita was clean, functional with good size of the room, situated in a good location. And above all, the charge was only 5100 Yen including very nice breakfast.
I tried two contrasting onsen spots in Beppu this time. The first was Onsen Hoyoland in Konya Jigoku known for mud bath, and it was about 25 minutes bus ride from the station. The facility was aged and unchanged for probably a half century to say the least. Many safety lockers were left broken. You have to walk a long, open corridor from the entrance to the bath, and the visit in winter is not recommended. The bath itself was wild and interesting. The outdoor section is mixed for men and women, which appeared least defensive inevitably. On the other hand, couples may try mud spa a la DIY mutually rubbing the partner’s body with the mud though it won’t be too sensual as there are neighbors in the bath. The water is not too hot and allows a long bathing. Female visitors who are not ambitious enough can experience at least the internal hot tub and also the walled section of mud bath. The admission of 1050 Yen is a bit high considering the facility conditions.
The second was Suginoi Hotel, probably the most popular facility leading Beppu today. They offer the complimentary shuttle service from the station. Tanayu consists of 3 or 4 different levels of open-air onsen tubs with a magnificent view of the entire town of Beppu and the bay, and its admission fee of 1500 Yen covers another section called Aqua Garden hot water pool to play in swimsuit. This place is more like an amusement park and the traffic is busy, and it must be popular in the summer because the bath and the pool under the sky with a view is quite an attraction. It should be dependable for foreign visitors, too.
No comments:
Post a Comment