Abba Resorts Izu - Zagyosoh

We stayed here mid March with friends for one night in two adjoining private villas with open-air bath. The experience was amazing. For sure one of the best ryokan we ever stayed at! The villa was spacious, immaculately clean and the outside terrace with private open-air bath was amazing. Bathroom-amenities were high quality and the provided yakata gave an extra touch to it all. An added bonus was our dinner at the onsite French restaurant. The chefs capabilities completely blew us away. The flavours, the presentation and the overall friendliness were a treat. Like we told the chef: the French only wish they could cook like this. In our opinion, this is a six star hotel.

Abba Resorts is probably the most satisfied hotel I ever stay in Japan. From the time I was picked up by the driver (car service provided by the hotel), the check in, the facility, the room, the dining place and the chef (Ido San). My wife and I were so satisfied... what is better than the lovely open air Onsen in our room's garden. This is especially delightful to have the bath in the morning by hearing the bird singing. We had kaiseki dinner for both nights we stayed there. I have already arranged in advance with the hotel that my wife does not take raw food...but forgot to mention that she can't take lobster either. The hotel prepared a delightful (good looking and good tasting) lobster for her. After learning that she can't eat it, they automatically prepared another dish for her (I ended up eating the lobster in addition to my own). They learned it and prepared a perfect dinner for us the 2nd night. The atmosphere of the hotel, the garden, the koi pond, the building structure and much more were amazing. We would love to come back here again!

We stayed at the resort for one night in a Standard room with a private open-air bath. It was poor value for money and not worth the room rate of JPY 133,100 (approximately USD 900, including dinner and breakfast). The experience was neither luxurious nor special compared to other onsen hotels and inns we have stayed at across Japan. Pros - Complimentary pick-up and drop-off from Izu Kogen station with a comfortable van - Arrangement of sightseeing taxi to explore Jogasaki Coast, Kadowaki suspension bridge and Mount Omuro before check-in - Large variety of indoor and outdoor onsen - Complimentary minibar - Flexible meal times - Delicious, traditional kaiseki dinner and breakfast - Free ice cream vending machine - Late check-out - Onigiri as send-off gift - Quality bathroom amenities including Bulgari toiletries and Marvis toothpaste Cons - While fairly clean and well maintained, the room wasn't traditional but simply dated - The room was dark, dingy and felt claustrophobic as it had a low ceiling and was located on the basement level with its small terrace and private open-air bath enclosed by a tall wooden fence for privacy and tall trees right beyond - The onsen water in the private open-air bath smelled odd, as if there was chlorine in it (which should definitely not be the case for a natural hot spring) - A large, dead insect (in the best case a cicada or worst case a cockroach) that we noticed right after check-in near the main staircase was not removed during the entire stay - The grounds were not well maintained as tons of fallen leaves were left in gardens and in outdoor onsen