Thanks for the review and photos. I was curious about this property, so it was nice to get an insider’s view of their stay. Overall, its furnishings look bit more modern than Amane Seikai where we stayed, and with a slightly nicer and higher view (albeit only two-stories higher).
Originally Posted by
KI-NRT
Also, while the other rooms offered both an indoor and open-air Onsen, the Special room had an indoor Onsen and an outdoor, non-Onsen jacuzzi. I enjoy jacuzzis as much as the next person, but that's not what we came for, and I see this as a big demerit on Amane's part.
Like you, I’m a bit puzzled by the non-onsen jacuzzi, it would seem like an easy matter for the hotel to connect it to the onsen water supply. After all, there is a jacuzzi in the communal bathing area.
Originally Posted by
KI-NRT
We had all of our meals in a private room (with the exception of the buffet breakfast at Seikai.) Meals were of very high quality - not Ishiharaso or Asaba quality, but it was still very satisfying. Both the kaiseki and French offerings took advantage of the bounty from Oita's waters as well as the high-quality fruits and vegetables, many of which are grown on very productive volcanic soil. They served lobster sashimi as well as steamed local abalone, both of which were caught not far from Beppu and were both absolutely amazing.
I’m glad to hear and see that you had a good dinner experience. There are, I think, four or five restaurants between the two hotels, but we were not so fortunate with our choice of Kunitake, which was located in Gahama Terrace overlooking the pool. I must admit, your Kaiseki meal looks really good.
Originally Posted by
KI-NRT
Which Amane resort to choose? It's really a toss-up. If you intend to frequent the communal Onsens, then Seikai is the obvious choice. Aesthetically, they are somewhat similar, although Gahama is a bit newer, has slightly less rooms and has a more airy, Japanese-modern aesthetic compared to the Bali-esque interior of Seikai.
You mentioned the communal bath in Amane Seikai, there was one on the 1st or 2nd floor (which was closed for renovation when we were there) and another on 8th floor. I don’t know if you visited them, but we found the 8th-floor bath to be on the small side. On the plus side, it did have a nice view with a small balcony and there was a separate jacuzzi, which I assumed had natural onsen water in it too. If the communal onsen on the lower floor is similar, I’d say those baths are nothing special (except for the view on the 8th floor), so we found the in-room bath (which also has an ocean view) to be our best option.