5 Stars Hotels in Oita Prefecture, Japan

Last time I booked a Western-style room this time I booked a Japanese-style room. Also, the glass used is cloudy due to aging deterioration, so it's time to replace it with a stone! ?? I booked Chinese food this time and I was expecting it because the Japanese food was delicious last time, but unfortunately Chinese food was not so good. There was no. If the interval is too wide, you will feel full and your food will not progress. I will never use Chinese food ２ from the next time. Breakfast is rich and delicious. Bath The open-air bath is comfortable, but I want you to put a good shampoo in the men's bath! The correspondence of the hotel staff was very good as last time.

Overall, I felt the hotel was very nicely done with great local touches while still keeping an international atmosphere. I also wanted to point out the great flexibility of the hotel, allowing me to change my meal reservations from 3 dinners at Elements (I was on a package deal) to one at Elements and combining the remaining two meals at Elements to a dinner at Atelier. This allowed me to not have to dine at the same restaurant as well as opening up a slot for me to explore a local restaurant. However, there were two things that I'd like to point out that the hotel can improve upon. The first is the staffing at the club lounge (and in general) is not enough. There were many moments where I was left to wait, to the point where using standard facilities (like the check-in counter, or breakfast at Elements) would have been a more positive experience. Breakfast on 12/21 was where the understaffing really showed, where it took over an hour to complete breakfast; many guests left in the middle of their meal since service was horribly slow. However, the second point us what I would really want the hotel to work on - CoVID countermeasures. Largely, two things I'd like to point out. (1) Temperature screening us inconsistent. I was checked when I first arrived, but never anytime afterwards (or should I say, the thermometer station was unmanned). (2) During my meal at Atelier, my wife and I noticed that the staff (He was Italian, I think his name is Marco?) preparing the dishes (in the open kitchen) prepping a sauce, tasting it with the same spoon which was quickly rinsed it under the faucet and returned into the mixing bowl. I pointed this out to one of the servers (Japanese male, responsible for serving and explaining the dishes). This is where I felt the hotel can improve on - in detail, three things. (i) The Japanese server proceeded to quietly scold the staff in front of me, I felt that was not a great experience both for myself and the staff. (ii) Nothing was cleared. After the scolding (and then the staff responding back that he did not put the spoon back in) none of the utensils were changed and no follow up. I guess there is no trust in what a customer points out. And finally (iii) I felt that this is at the fault of the hotel for not putting in proper operation guidelines.A person putting together a meal will need to taste it, to make sure it's good. If the hotel were to put in operational guidelines to ensure tasting can be done while still making it very obvious that it is hygienic, I would not have to be writing this email. Needless to say, our dinner experience was ruined that night. I actually shared the above comment with IHG Guest Relations (on 25 Dec), which the agent was extremely prompt on getting back to me and assured that I would get a response back from the hotel about it within 48 hours. Unfortunately, the hotel never contacted me. I then asked guest relations again (on 5 Jan) to follow up with th

The minute you walk in, you relinquish your shoes. Everywhere is tatami and so we walk in our socks or indoor shoes, an immediate plus and relaxing moment. Our room was called The Annex. It is apart from the hotel. The Annex is Japanese with tatami and western beds, very comfortable. When we approached the front door, the views off the private garden were gorgeously dramatic mountain cliffs and there are views of other mountains and the stream from the other side of The Annex as well. Spacious and open and extremely comfortable. While many rooms come with a private dining room in the restaurant, the private eating room associated with the Annex also has another private garden with views of the mountains. A small note: All liquids in the frig are complimentary, nice touch! The service was excellent, well trained. The food was delicious even though we have many dietary limits - like no meat, pork, heavy oils. They accommodated our restrictions with delicious, fresh fish and vegetables and fruit. The onsens, even though public access as well, were clean and designed beautifully. We've been to many ryokans this year, mainly in Kyushu since we live here. This onsen had the most beautiful facilities - and the views were drop dead gorgeous. My jaw literally dropped when I saw the view from the onsen with the lounge chairs in the steaming water - and what an amazing onsen that was!!! After much thought, the only downside is the outdoor tub in the Annex, which is really not an onsen since it used chlorinated water and the two of us had to squeeze in. Having said that, we already booked our next stay in the spring and cannot wait to return.

Yufuin, who wanted to stay before. Renewed with the total design of etsuji Mitooka who worked on the luxury sightseeing train. It is an inn, but it has a chair and bed, simple but nice design, and it was perfect for us who did not like people coming in and out of the room. The meal was more comfortable and good than the room meal because it was served in another room. The dishes were also devised and beautiful and delicious. When I asked the young female staff, I was impressed by the answer to everything except the dishes. We couldn't leave food, so we were full of pots, because we had a lot of pots. The inn had a lot of dinner and breakfast, so the inn continued for two days was a little bit painful when it was old. The bath was a family, and there was a large open-air bath and I was able to relax. It was conveniently located to walk around Lake Jinpu and Yuno Tsubo Kaido Road, and it was fun to enjoy shopping and enjoy it. I would like to stay when I visit Yufuin someday.

During our trip, we had a desire for a wild experience like camping, but we also wanted a touch of comfort. After some research, we came across a newly opened resort called Grand Verde Resort, inaugurated in July 2022. The accommodations resembled individual rooms or houses resembling a camp setup, but with the added convenience of a private bathroom. One of the highlights was the opportunity to enjoy a BBQ dinner right next to our room, followed by a bonfire service in the evening. The resort also provided a public bath and sauna room with picturesque views of the beautiful grassland surroundings. Additionally, there was a small farm where guests could feed the sheep, adding to the overall charm of the environment.

We were a bit hesitant ourselves about this ryokan - we've been spoiled in staying at some of the very top ryokans throughout the country, and while Amane Resort Gahama is highly rated and understood this property to be kid-friendly, we weren't sure if it would meet our own high bar. Thankfully, our concerns were completely unfounded. It deftly balances the needs for discerning adults while at the same time doing a wonderful job catering to the needs of young families. This was part of a multi-generation trip, with four families (two of them with two young children each) and four total rooms as part of our booking. While Amane Resort Gahama (and its sister property, Amane Resort Seikai) is located along a bustling street in a nondescript area of Beppu (and next to KFC as well as Nitori, a large home furniture store), once we stepped inside we were ushered into a different world. Namely, the panoramic view of the ocean gave the ryokan an air of tranquility. We booked four rooms - all in the tower (there are separate Villas on site, but we wanted the view.) All of the rooms were Japanese-Western style with a generous 90 square meters of space. Two of the rooms were on the third floor, one was on the fifth floor, and one was a ”special room” on the top floor (10F.) Of the four, I'd say that the fifth floor room was my preference, in that it allowed unobstructed views (the Villa rooftops were visible when peering out of the balcony of the 3F rooms) that were not too far off from the 10F room, and it had a bedroom that was separate from the living room, whereas the 10F special room was an open, junior suite style. Somehow, it also seemed that the top floor room was a bit tighter in space, despite the specifications. All rooms offered both indoor and outdoor Onsen (hot springs) baths, and that's what we were after. Of course, the children wanted to enjoy the larger communal baths. Unfortunately, it's located in Seikai, meaning you'd either have to walk outdoors for 5 minutes (through the Nitori parking lot) or take a complimentary shuttle - a bit of a hassle, yes, although we wound up bouncing between both properties for some of our meals (more on that later.) Gahama catered nicely to families with young children. They offered child-sized slippers as well as Yukata and Samue robes that were small enough to even fit a 2-year old. Our meals (for 11 total people) on both nights were served in a private room. And they offered very nice children's meals for both breakfast and dinner - they loved all of the food offerings at this property. At the same time, this ryokan would be equally suitable for adult couples... service is polished and attentive, while both the kaiseki dinner meal and French dinner course (the latter is at Amane Resort Seikai) were sophisticated and beautifully presented. And that's one of the benefits of either of the Amane ryokans - the multiple dining options allowed us to enjoy a diversity of top-notch servings. In the morning, w

Last time I booked a Western-style room this time I booked a Japanese-style room. Also, the glass used is cloudy due to aging deterioration, so it's time to replace it with a stone! ?? I booked Chinese food this time and I was expecting it because the Japanese food was delicious last time, but unfortunately Chinese food was not so good. There was no. If the interval is too wide, you will feel full and your food will not progress. I will never use Chinese food ２ from the next time. Breakfast is rich and delicious. Bath The open-air bath is comfortable, but I want you to put a good shampoo in the men's bath! The correspondence of the hotel staff was very good as last time.

Last time I booked a Western-style room this time I booked a Japanese-style room. Also, the glass used is cloudy due to aging deterioration, so it's time to replace it with a stone! ?? I booked Chinese food this time and I was expecting it because the Japanese food was delicious last time, but unfortunately Chinese food was not so good. There was no. If the interval is too wide, you will feel full and your food will not progress. I will never use Chinese food ２ from the next time. Breakfast is rich and delicious. Bath The open-air bath is comfortable, but I want you to put a good shampoo in the men's bath! The correspondence of the hotel staff was very good as last time.

Overall, I felt the hotel was very nicely done with great local touches while still keeping an international atmosphere. I also wanted to point out the great flexibility of the hotel, allowing me to change my meal reservations from 3 dinners at Elements (I was on a package deal) to one at Elements and combining the remaining two meals at Elements to a dinner at Atelier. This allowed me to not have to dine at the same restaurant as well as opening up a slot for me to explore a local restaurant. However, there were two things that I'd like to point out that the hotel can improve upon. The first is the staffing at the club lounge (and in general) is not enough. There were many moments where I was left to wait, to the point where using standard facilities (like the check-in counter, or breakfast at Elements) would have been a more positive experience. Breakfast on 12/21 was where the understaffing really showed, where it took over an hour to complete breakfast; many guests left in the middle of their meal since service was horribly slow. However, the second point us what I would really want the hotel to work on - CoVID countermeasures. Largely, two things I'd like to point out. (1) Temperature screening us inconsistent. I was checked when I first arrived, but never anytime afterwards (or should I say, the thermometer station was unmanned). (2) During my meal at Atelier, my wife and I noticed that the staff (He was Italian, I think his name is Marco?) preparing the dishes (in the open kitchen) prepping a sauce, tasting it with the same spoon which was quickly rinsed it under the faucet and returned into the mixing bowl. I pointed this out to one of the servers (Japanese male, responsible for serving and explaining the dishes). This is where I felt the hotel can improve on - in detail, three things. (i) The Japanese server proceeded to quietly scold the staff in front of me, I felt that was not a great experience both for myself and the staff. (ii) Nothing was cleared. After the scolding (and then the staff responding back that he did not put the spoon back in) none of the utensils were changed and no follow up. I guess there is no trust in what a customer points out. And finally (iii) I felt that this is at the fault of the hotel for not putting in proper operation guidelines.A person putting together a meal will need to taste it, to make sure it's good. If the hotel were to put in operational guidelines to ensure tasting can be done while still making it very obvious that it is hygienic, I would not have to be writing this email. Needless to say, our dinner experience was ruined that night. I actually shared the above comment with IHG Guest Relations (on 25 Dec), which the agent was extremely prompt on getting back to me and assured that I would get a response back from the hotel about it within 48 hours. Unfortunately, the hotel never contacted me. I then asked guest relations again (on 5 Jan) to follow up with th

During our trip, we had a desire for a wild experience like camping, but we also wanted a touch of comfort. After some research, we came across a newly opened resort called Grand Verde Resort, inaugurated in July 2022. The accommodations resembled individual rooms or houses resembling a camp setup, but with the added convenience of a private bathroom. One of the highlights was the opportunity to enjoy a BBQ dinner right next to our room, followed by a bonfire service in the evening. The resort also provided a public bath and sauna room with picturesque views of the beautiful grassland surroundings. Additionally, there was a small farm where guests could feed the sheep, adding to the overall charm of the environment.

We were a bit hesitant ourselves about this ryokan - we've been spoiled in staying at some of the very top ryokans throughout the country, and while Amane Resort Gahama is highly rated and understood this property to be kid-friendly, we weren't sure if it would meet our own high bar. Thankfully, our concerns were completely unfounded. It deftly balances the needs for discerning adults while at the same time doing a wonderful job catering to the needs of young families. This was part of a multi-generation trip, with four families (two of them with two young children each) and four total rooms as part of our booking. While Amane Resort Gahama (and its sister property, Amane Resort Seikai) is located along a bustling street in a nondescript area of Beppu (and next to KFC as well as Nitori, a large home furniture store), once we stepped inside we were ushered into a different world. Namely, the panoramic view of the ocean gave the ryokan an air of tranquility. We booked four rooms - all in the tower (there are separate Villas on site, but we wanted the view.) All of the rooms were Japanese-Western style with a generous 90 square meters of space. Two of the rooms were on the third floor, one was on the fifth floor, and one was a ”special room” on the top floor (10F.) Of the four, I'd say that the fifth floor room was my preference, in that it allowed unobstructed views (the Villa rooftops were visible when peering out of the balcony of the 3F rooms) that were not too far off from the 10F room, and it had a bedroom that was separate from the living room, whereas the 10F special room was an open, junior suite style. Somehow, it also seemed that the top floor room was a bit tighter in space, despite the specifications. All rooms offered both indoor and outdoor Onsen (hot springs) baths, and that's what we were after. Of course, the children wanted to enjoy the larger communal baths. Unfortunately, it's located in Seikai, meaning you'd either have to walk outdoors for 5 minutes (through the Nitori parking lot) or take a complimentary shuttle - a bit of a hassle, yes, although we wound up bouncing between both properties for some of our meals (more on that later.) Gahama catered nicely to families with young children. They offered child-sized slippers as well as Yukata and Samue robes that were small enough to even fit a 2-year old. Our meals (for 11 total people) on both nights were served in a private room. And they offered very nice children's meals for both breakfast and dinner - they loved all of the food offerings at this property. At the same time, this ryokan would be equally suitable for adult couples... service is polished and attentive, while both the kaiseki dinner meal and French dinner course (the latter is at Amane Resort Seikai) were sophisticated and beautifully presented. And that's one of the benefits of either of the Amane ryokans - the multiple dining options allowed us to enjoy a diversity of top-notch servings. In the morning, w