Watermark Hotel Nagasaki

The Watermark Hotel Nagasaki is situated on the grounds of Huis Ten Bosch, a theme park located on Hario Island in the southern part of Sasebo, Nagasaki, facing Omura Bay. This park recreates the Netherlands in a way that it felt like I wasn't in Japan any longer, but like I had been teleported to a lovely dutch city. Many Dutch-style buildings like hotels, theaters, villas, museums, shops and restaurants surrounded me. I was immersed in a town with canals, windmills, amusement rides and green areas and parks planted with seasonal flowers.

I found the hotel where I was going to spend a few nights in a perfect location with amazing views of the bay, right in Harbor Town next to the Palace Huis Ten Bosch. However, this is only the beginning. The Watermark Hotel is a symbiosis of luxury and comfort, and you notice that immediately once you step into the huge elegant lobby. Everything follows a classically European style. The guestrooms feature luxury wooden furniture and the right lighting creates a graceful atmosphere. The Western beds are quite firm but very snug and comfortable; every night I fell asleep straight away and had a restful sleep. All rooms provide a seating area and an en-suite bathroom with a large bathtub. They also have flat-screen TVs with English language cable channels and offer free wired Internet.

There are several guestroom options: standard, superior and deluxe rooms. And at the same time, you can choose from different views: superior view (rooms with a view over the theme park) or harbor view (rooms with a view over the harbor and the bay). Above that, there's a suite called Club Watermark, which is a 2 bedroom space that comes with a certain price of course.

Every morning I woke up early to enjoy a magnificent buffet-style breakfast at the Excelsior restaurant with fantastic views over the bay. There were all sorts of nice food to satisfy both Japanese and Western tastes. Watching the sunrise while having my breakfast was a wonderful and relaxing experience. It's probably the best way to start the day.

Talking about food, I have to mention the Tea Clipper Lounge, which offers French pastries and Italian ice cream, and the Spinnaker Bar, where you can enjoy a drink overlooking the marina.

The hotel is extremely accommodating to foreign visitors, and the whole staff speak English very well, which made my life so much easier.

The Hotel is 2 km from Huis Ten Bosch Station and about a 15-minute drive from Saikaibashi Bridge. However, the Huis Ten Bosch Theme Park as a general hotel reception for all the hotels located in the park, and this reception is just a 3-minute walk from Huis Ten Bosch Station. From the reception you can then take a free hotel shuttle bus, which takes about 10 minutes to the Watermark Hotel.

From Huis Ten Bosch Bus Station situated next to the Huis Ten Bosch hotel reception you can also take a bus to Nagasaki Airport, which takes about 50 minutes and is a very convenient service.

I cannot think of a better place to stay and to enjoy everything this beautiful theme park has to offer; it was really an unforgettable experience.