Homestays in Oita Prefecture, Japan

## Yufuin Sansuikan - A North Kyushu Trip We took a bus from Beppu to Yufuin. The JR station is conveniently located directly across the street from the Beppu Hatto Hotel. From there, you can walk through the JR station's waiting area to bus stop #1. Bus #36 takes you directly to Yufuin. The fare is 1100 JPY; you take a numbered ticket when you board and pay upon exiting. Buses are frequent, and the journey takes approximately an hour. Upon arrival, the hotel is an easy 10-minute walk using Google Maps. For an alternative, the renowned Yufuin no Mori train also runs from Beppu to Yufuin, though advance reservations are highly recommended if you wish to experience it. Standard check-in time at Japanese hotels is 3 PM. Guests can drop off their luggage first and then explore Yufuin. Yufuin Sansuikan boasted the largest room among the four hotels we stayed at during this trip, though its decor was also the most dated. Online, I saw prices for the hotel exceeding 4,000 RMB per night during Chinese New Year, which is incredibly poor value for money. Honestly, even at the price we paid, I found it a bit overpriced. Due to North Kyushu's proximity to Korea, there's a significant presence of Korean tourists, particularly noticeable in Yufuin. Overall, my impression was that North Kyushu primarily attracts Korean, *********, Hong Kong, and Shanghainese visitors. The hotel's public onsens are located on the first and second floors; there are no private baths. The women's bath rotates, being on the second floor in the evening and the first floor in the morning. The first-floor onsen is slightly larger than the second, and both feature outdoor rotenburo (open-air baths). Complimentary refreshments are available from 3 PM until 10 AM the following day, including a selection of beverages, ice cream, snacks, tea, and coffee. Beer and other alcoholic drinks are also offered in the evenings. In summary, Yufuin Sansuikan is generally an average option. It could be considered if you need a place to stay for one night in Yufuin.

Very nice well kept traditional ryokan. If you are expecting modern do not stay here. Hotels like these are older and have been around for many years but are well maintained. I love sleeping on tatami - I slept for 10 hours! Unfortunately I felt a bit dumbfounded when the dinner included is just ramen. On the trip.com photos there are two photos of meals and I assumed one was dinner and the other breakfast. Maybe this use to be the case but trip/ the hotel should specify better what is being served. Especially in small towns there aren’t many dinner options - there is an Aeon (supermarket) a short walk of course if you’d like a bento dinner instead. Also no wifi in the room. As an international traveler I had to up my esim data for the day. They don’t advertise wifi in the room - they have it in the lobby so it wouldn’t be hard to get an extender to the rooms. The onsen was nice however I found the outside onsen made a lot of noise- I’ve been to many onsen and this was the first that ever made noise from the filter so it wasn’t as relaxing as it could have been. Overall decent stay but probably wouldn’t go back

Dinner and breakfast : all food was cold because half of the food (about 4-5 small dishes and main) was placed at my table before i went to the restaurant. The servant pushed me to eat faster as the second half (the rest 4-6 small dishes) was put on table when i just started the first half. Quite disappointing. Supposed dessert shd be served after meal, The servant even placed it when i still had 4-5 dishes not finished. Annoying. Hot spring : opening hour was acceptable but there was no view to the beautiful scene at all. Quite disappointing too. The bamboo screen was too enclosed, making me just looking the few plants there. When comparing with Naha, there’s only one type of hot spring and was too traditional. Room : it’s not large as expected. Location: not far from JR/bus station but away from main street to one and only one spot - the lake Conclusion : too expensive when considering the bad dining experience . Not very recommended

This hotel is perfectly located right in the heart of Beppu's Hells, with attractions literally on its doorstep. All five Hells (Jigoku) are within a 3-5 minute walk, which is incredibly convenient! While the hotel's exterior is unassuming, its interior is a hidden gem. The Japanese garden in the common areas is beautiful. Our room was spacious with a great view, allowing us to see the steam rising from the Hells. Plus, having a private onsen in the room meant we could soak to our heart's content! We even had the large public bath all to ourselves during our visit. The Teppanyaki set meal we booked was a good experience, though we wished there was a little more meat. We specifically requested Japanese-style breakfast when booking, but for some reason, we were given Western-style instead. When we inquired, the staff informed us that it couldn't be changed. On a very positive note, it was our wedding anniversary trip, and the hotel thoughtfully prepared a small gift and took commemorative photos for us – a very nice touch! Aside from these minor issues, everything else was fantastic. The only real downside was the hotel's shuttle service to the station. While they offer it, the last departure is strictly before 11 AM. If you miss it, you have to take a taxi. It feels a bit inconvenient to offer a service with such a limited timeframe. For instance, we visited the Hells in the morning and ended up leaving the hotel after 11 AM, so we had to take a taxi to the JR station. An improvement here would be much appreciated! Overall, my husband, who was visiting Japan for the first time, said it was an excellent Japanese onsen hotel experience. He gives it a big thumbs up!

The hotel is incredibly clean, and the rooms are beautifully traditional Japanese-style. Unfortunately, many hotels in Japan nowadays no longer retain traditional room styles, which I find very regrettable. Japan should strive to preserve its cultural heritage rather than blindly renovating everything into a 'nightclub style'. A hotel in Japan should authentically represent Japan, preferably offering traditional tatami rooms. What's more, the price is quite reasonable.

Exquisite accommodation - service, food and onsen. The room size is very spacious, with separate living room and bedroom. Onsen environment was fantastic, with choice for both shared with other Ryokan guests and for private use (1st come 1st serve basis). My family was very delighted with all the breakfasts and dinners, and each meal is always a surprise to our palate without disappointment. However, on the 2nd day we were ushered into a room that was next to their service pantry. It was noisy and the spotlight in that dining room was too hot despite the cold weather. This was the only area that marred the enjoyment. There was happy hour in the evening, and complimentary self-service bar was enjoyed by all guests. Baien is framed by a beautiful scenery but you would need a car as the location is not too near town area. Great base to venture to other areas of interest and return to each day for zen relaxation.

Nice hotel. Room is very spacious and we enjoyed the outdoor onsen facilities. We only tried the breakfast & the food was good. Was very disappointed that our paid kaiseki dinner was cancelled due to our late arrival. We tried contacting the hotel in advance via trip apps to inform that we will be late ( we lost gps signal & got lost driving on the way to yufuin) but did not receive any response. When we were near the hotel, received a message from hotel that our dinner was cancelled. Tried speaking to hotel but to no avail, they also refuse our request to take the dinner on another day.

An absolutely fantastic onsen ryokan with a superb, prime beachfront location. It was the most affordable onsen ryokan I booked for this trip, yet it turned out to be the most delightful surprise. The tall gentleman at the front desk provided absolutely outstanding service! He was so warm and friendly, and his sincerity truly shone through. Much appreciated! Definitely make sure to reserve the private open-air onsen on the 6th floor. Soaking in the onsen while watching the sunset is such a blissful experience. The room we booked also came with its own private onsen. It offers incredible value for money. All the staff members were incredibly polite, and the breakfast was delicious too! I absolutely adore Beppu city!

I was looking for a place with good value for money and accessibility in Kyoto because I was attracted to ryokans! It is a place near Kirin Lake, so it is close to Yufuin Street. The location is perfect! It was about 10-15 minutes walk from the bus terminal and Yufuin Station. I was alone, but I went there cheaply because there was a special price. There seemed to be many families, and I didn't make a reservation, so I used it at 16:30, which is ambiguous about using the private bath. I was originally staying in Yufuin for 2 nights, and it was the last day, so I went right at check-in time and spent the day at the accommodation. I enjoyed the private bath and the large bath, and it was so great! It was December 9/10, but it wasn't cold to wash outside (it could be the heat of the hot spring, but it varies from person to person.) You can enjoy the private bath in the morning, but I finished the morning with the large bath! The kaiseki and breakfast were great! I also thought it would be better if I brought my parents. I don't know if the staff is Korean, but there was someone who could speak Korean, so I had a very comfortable trip!! You should definitely visit.

I didn't have high expectations for the kaiseki course meal, so it was okay. The room was spacious, clean, and warm. The open-air bath, family bath, and hot spring were really nice. It's a bit too far to walk from Yufuin Station, so I recommend taking a taxi. The staff were friendly, and the person who served the food spoke Korean well, which was nice. There was also a Korean staff member at check-out, so it was convenient.