Originally Posted by Nagasaki Joe

We stayed here again for one night in August using an IHG credit card FNA + 38,000 points + $120 in cash. The points-only amount was 98,000 for a standard room on a Friday night, which I find very high, and the cash-only amount was $654.87 (89,652 yen) after taxes and fees. As a Platinum member, we were upgraded to a King Bed Classic Top Floor room with nice Beppu City, bay, and mountain views. Our last stay was during the winter, so I was really looking forward to staying during the summer and using the outdoor pool.

Room
The room was a spacious 68 sqm and the bathroom is huge. However, since we used the onsen facility both days, we had no need for our room’s bath and shower, so for most people, they probably go unused.

Dining
We ate dinner on the terrace at Elements overlooking Beppu and the bay. We were told to reserve our table ahead of time but to my surprise there was only one other table occupied on the terrace during dinner time. Everyone else was comfortably eating inside with air conditioning, even though the outside temperature was not too hot. Alfresco dining is not as popular in Japan as in the US or Europe. We ordered pork and seafood dishes as the main course which is complimented by the indoor buffet. However, we were surprised that we were not also given an a la carte menu, which we had been before. Considering the price of our meal, we were a little disappointed with the main course dishes and think a la carte may have been the better option. Still, we very much enjoyed the alfresco dining with the wonderful view.

Since breakfast was not included in our room fee and eating it would have taken an hour out of our time, we decided to forego it and focus instead on using the onsen, pool, and gym before the early 11:00 am check-out time of this resort.

Dinner time view from Element's terrace

Onsen
The men’s and women’s onsen are not the same, one has a dry sauna and cold bath and the other has a steam sauna with no cold bath, but both have a variety of indoor and outdoor hot baths. I much prefer the onsen on the right side when facing the onsen entrances, since it has a cold bath which I really need after a hot bath and sauna. Although our stay was on a Friday/Saturday, the men’s side was not crowded at all, in fact, I had the entire onsen to myself for about an hour on Saturday morning and at busy times there were at most three or four other people there with me at the same time.

Infinity Pool
The pool is great with 12 reclining poolside chairs, but you’ve got to get there by 9:00 am when the pool opens to stand a chance of snagging a chair. The view from the pool and chairs is expansive and outstanding and makes it more worthwhile. Next to the pool is a warm jacuzzi bath. Since August is summer vacation for school children, many kids were accompanying their parents and the pool was full of kids but not overly crowded. In Japan, kids rule, so they have the run of the pool and any adult who wants to swim laps will likely not be able to unless they wait until before the pool closes at 8:00 pm when everything quiets down. Overall, it’s a very pleasant space and I would guess that this is the only (or one of the very few) onsen in Beppu with a swimming pool.

Fitness Gym
After the pool, I changed into my training gear and headed to the gym to use the treadmill. When I walked in, an aerobics class was underway with about five participants and an instructor barking out orders in an incredibly shrill and grating voice that made it uncomfortable to even be in the same room. What’s nice about the gym is that it faces the pool and has a wonderful view of Beppu and the bay, which can all be seen from the treadmills. It’s open from 5:00 am to 12:00 midnight

Aqua
This is the lounge area just outside the onsen entrance and next to the pool. Although you can relax in this lounge most of the day, the beverage (champagne) service (or bar) is only open during a six-hour window from around 11:30 am but I never saw anyone working behind the bar during the many times I passed by, even during times they were supposed to be there. When I was there, the stereo was playing and the TV was silent.

Club Lounge
The club lounge is accessible to guests staying in certain rooms. We did not reserve a room with access, which I don’t regret given that the lounge is only open from 10:00 am to 5:30 pm and has a rather limited F&B offering from what I’ve heard. I’d still like to try it sometime, but I feel no urgency to do so. With so much to do on-site, I really wonder how much time I’d spend there.

Service
When we first stayed, the hotel had only been open a few months and the staff appeared noticeably tense and anxious but this time (two-and-a-half years later) the staff was much more relaxed and natural which made for a more comfortable stay.

Overall
I enjoyed this stay more than our first due to the much more relaxed staff and atmosphere, and because it was summer, we could access all the facilities and even spend time on our room’s balcony. This stay also made me realize how much this onsen resort reminds me of the Ritz-Carlton Nikko but with a nicer onsen with more extensive bathing facilities and an outdoor pool (the RC Nikko has no pool). Another thing I like about the ANA IC Beppu is that it combines Western comfort (my preference) with Japanese aesthetics and design. If this were a traditional onsen ryokan, I’d have to sleep on a futon, which I’ve grown tired of because I find them hard and uncomfortable. Plus, it has facilities almost never found at ryokan such as a pool and gym.

A one-night stay is probably too short to really enjoy all the activities and facilities, so a two- to three-night stay is ideal. Still, we were able to use the onsen extensively on both days, but check-out time is at 11:00 am, which is a little early for a resort and makes your check-out morning a little rushed. Since this is an Amex FHR hotel, an FHR booking would be best to get the early check-in and late 4:00 pm check-out, so you are not rushed. That is my plan for next time.