HOTEL SPECIAL

Through May 31, The Oak Door Bar is offering a selection of Japanese gin cocktails, bringing together floral touches with gins from Sakurao Distillery.

The lineup includes the Hanami, which blends Sakurao Rose Gin with raspberry and elderflower, and the Bouquet, a complex creation featuring Sakurao White Herbs Gin, white curacao and fresh fruit. For a twist on a classic, the Japanese dirty martini combines Sakurao Original Gin with a dash of shiso (perilla) oil.

Fiorentina Pastry Boutique has also created exclusive dessert selections for spring, from sakura (cherry blossom) desserts to Easter eggs and spectacular Mother’s Day cakes.

The Strawberry Afternoon Tea is a feast for the senses featuring nine exquisite strawberry-themed sweets, including strawberry daifuku (stuffed rice cake), shortcake, sandwiches and macaroons. Hotel-made scones and savory dishes such as fish cutlet sandwiches and meat pies are also available. Through April 30, some of the strawberry desserts will be changed to cherry or pistachio versions to allow diners to savor the cherry blossom season in style.

The Strawberry High Tea will be available between 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m., and from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Combining strawberry-inspired desserts and savory dishes, including lamb cannelloni with Bolognese and crab quiche, the menu is designed to appeal to the most discerning palates in a sophisticated and relaxing atmosphere. The high tea plan on Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays includes free-flowing wine, sparkling wine, beer, highballs and soft drinks.

Through April 19, the Japanese Garden will be illuminated in sakura colors that will transform the landscape into a fantastical scene like something out of a dream.

The Garden Lounge, with its panoramic windows, is the best place to enjoy the illumination, which will last from 30 minutes before sunset to midnight. While admiring the twilight view, guests visiting from March to April will be able to indulge in drinks and tapas and the delightful Evening High Tea on weekdays, as well as the Super Sweets Buffet (hours extended on weekend and holiday evenings).

This year, the hotel is offering enticing accommodation plans to celebrate its fifth anniversary such as the Active Stay plan, available until April 25. The plan is specially designed for guests who want to maintain a healthy lifestyle during their travels. The plan’s menu includes plenty of smoothies, vegetable dishes and steamed chicken, as well as soy yogurt. The plan additionally allows for one-time access to the well-equipped Harborview Fitness Club at the nearby InterContinental Yokohama Grand.

Guests with club access also get to enjoy a dedicated reception desk for smoother check-ins and check-outs as well as exclusive food and beverage services. A lounge with private meetings rooms is also available, making Club InterContinental perfect for business and pleasure.

Waterfront beauty and premier experiences at InterContinental Yokohama Pier 8 will create lifelong memories.

Another highlight of Kanaya Resort Hakone is the Seiyo Zendokoro John Kanaya dining space. It is the successor to the restaurant of the same name first established in 1971 in Nishi-Azabu, Tokyo, by Senji “John” Kanaya, founder of the Kinugawa Kanaya Hotel. Combining Japanese respect for natural flavors with praise for Western flamboyance and boldness, the Seiyo Zendokoro John Kanaya has come up with innovative dishes best described as “French cuisine that can be eaten with chopsticks.”

The imaginative courses feature Soshu beef, the only beef raised on the pastures of Minamiashigara, as well as carefully selected seasonal offerings, including duck, lamb and local fish. The artistic presentation adds to the experience and makes a meal at the Seiyo Zendokoro a healing feast for the soul enjoyed in a tranquil atmosphere reminiscent of an intimate winery cave.