Suginoi Hotel Beppu Review: Is This Onsen Hotel Worth It?
Last Updated on November 10, 2025 by Kay
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Suginoi Hotel, located in Beppu, is one of the most famous accommodations in Japan, but does it live up to its hype?
I’ve lived in Japan for almost two decades and have stayed at my fair share of excellent hotels, so I didn’t think much when my husband told me that he wanted to spend a night at Suginoi Hotel when we visited Beppu as a family. I did absolutely no research beforehand; I just trusted his decision (since he’s a picky Japanese national).
Long story short, I ended up being more than satisfied with his decision, so much so that I ended up telling all my friends and family about our stay, and now I’ll be telling you. In this completely honest review, I’ll explain why Suginoi Hotel is among the best (maybe THE best) hotels I have ever stayed at in Japan.
Our Stay at Suginoi Hotel in Beppu
Our family of three spent one night at Suginoi Hotel (杉乃井ホテル) when we visited Beppu in March, when the weather was cool enough at night that we could enjoy onsen but warm enough to not feel too cold when exploring the city during the day.
We went there by car and arrived a little before 5 PM, which in retrospect was a bad idea because that left us less time to enjoy everything the hotel has to offer! There are also several parking lots, and the ones closest to the hotel fill up fast, so we had to walk a few minutes to get there.
This is a good time to point out that Suginoi Hotel is massive and has several wings. The HOSHI KAN (Hoshi, or Star, Wing) is the newest at the hotel, which is pictured above and where we were staying.
While my husband checked in, my daughter and I took in the lobby, which was incredibly beautiful. I especially loved this outdoor sitting area overlooking the city, but it was a little too chilly at the time to enjoy.
Check-in was smooth and efficient, although I do wonder if it would have taken longer had we arrived earlier.
Room Review
We booked the HOSHI KAN Standard Room with Ocean View, not only because it was new but also since it was closest to all the facilities we wanted to enjoy at the hotel.
The entire room was spacious and pristine, which wasn’t a surprise since we stayed about two months after the Hoshi Wing opened.
The entrance had a small safe, a folding suitcase stand, as well as space to hang our coats.
They had yukata ready for us as well.
Here’s what the sink area looked like, stocked with plenty of towels, lotions, and more. To the left is the shower and to the right is the toilet.
Having lived in Japan for many years, I am incredibly picky about toilets and need them to be in a separate room, and thankfully, Suginoi Hotel offered that. And best of all, the Toto washlet toilet was the exact same toilet model as we have in our home!
There was no bathtub in our room, only a standing shower, but that was perfectly fine since we were planning on using the communal onsen. (We never ended up using the shower.)
The room came with three twin beds, as well as a sofa bed, which was perfect since we were a family of three. (We had hoped our daughter, age five at the time, would sleep on one of the beds by herself, but alas, she insisted on sharing a twin with her father.)
There was also a kettle as well as two bottles of complimentary water.
In the drawer beneath the kettle, there were glasses, tea and coffee, and an ice bucket.
The view from the room of Beppu city and the ocean was spectacular!
Like all hotels in Japan, we were given free toothbrushes, and our daughter received a children’s one, too.
They even had children’s slippers ready for her to use outside of the hotel. (Although these came off her feet easily and we ended up switching to her sneakers.)
Onsen
After we placed our luggage away, we changed into our yukata and headed to the onsen, which are located in a building called Suginoi Palace. There’s a passage that connects the Hoshi Kan to Suginoi Palace, so you won’t have to walk outside on the street in your yukata, thankfully!
This is the most outdoors you’ll get while getting there, and it took about five minutes total.
The first thing you’ll see at Suginoi Palace is a huge entertainment center and souvenir shop. There are lots of rides for kids and arcade games, which my daughter really wanted to play. However, we wanted to take a dip in the onsen before dinner.
There are two different onsen areas at Suginoi Palace. One is a traditional onsen where you have to strip down, while the other is an onsen where you can wear a bathing suit, which is called Aqua Garden. Since you can wear bathing suits here, it’s great for enjoying with your entire family or a group of friends.
You can rent bathing suits for 440 yen to 1100 yen, which is what we did because my husband and I completely forgot about this area!
There are also swimsuits for sale at the Sora Kan (Sky Wing), which I’ll introduce later.
Of course, you can bring your own swimsuit, which is what I recommend because sizing can be tricky. We changed into our swimsuits in the changing area at the Grand Open-Air Onsen (大展望露天風呂棚湯) a floor down. (There are lots of signs, so don’t worry, you’ll find it easily!)
You don’t have to bring towels, though, those are all provided for you. Note that there is no space to place bags or anything else you don’t want getting wet at Aqua Garden.
Aqua Garden is entirely outdoors, similar to a rotenburo (open-air onsen), and overlooks the city and Beppu Bay. The onsen water is nice and warm, unsurprisingly, so although it was chilly out, we didn’t feel too cold. There are various baths here, such as a floating bath with high salt concentrations to help you relax, and massage jets.
At night, they have a free water and light show called AQUA DREAMS, which runs four times a day and lasts about ten minutes. You don’t have to enter the pool to see it, or leave the pool if you’re already inside, which is great.
To be completely honest, the show wasn’t exactly spectacular, so if it’s super cold outside, I recommend skipping it.
After the pool, we headed to the more traditional onsen (大展望露天風呂棚湯) to strip off our swimsuits and wash up. These are separated by gender, and you cannot wear bathing suits inside.
This onsen has various baths, most with the same views of Beppu city and the bay as AQUA GARDEN. There is a massive three-tiered onsen, as well as some small ones that fit about one person (or a parent and small child). My daughter liked those the best since they reminded her of giant bowls.
When we were nice and clean, we changed into our underwear (and a tank top for me), put on our yukata, and went to have dinner.
Dinner Buffet
By the time we were done, it was 8 PM, and we had to wait a little to get seated at the buffet at World Dining Ceada Palace. This wasn’t a problem, though, since the hotel had free cotton candy for kids that they could spin themselves using chopsticks! Needless to say, our daughter was very content.
When it was our time to be seated, I was overwhelmed (in a good way). The buffet area is one of the most spectacular I have ever been to! It is huge, so big that it needs a map!
As you can see from the map, there are various stations where you can get different cuisines (Western, Chinese, Japanese), as well as steak, appetizers, nibbles, and dessert. Everything tasted pretty good, especially the sashimi, steak, and local Oita food like toriten (chicken battered and fried tempura-style).
Let’s not forget about Suginoi’s signature pudding, either, which was delicious! (Make sure to get that if you go!) And yes, those are bowls of macaroons on the top, which my daughter devoured.
I was also really surprised by the alcohol station because everything is all-you-can-drink! Yup, there’s no extra fee for alcoholic beverages, which include draft beer, wine, as well as local Kyushu sake and shochu.
This can be a dangerous thing if you’re traveling with someone who might accidentally have too much. Thankfully, there is a time limit on how long you can stay at the buffet, so we didn’t encounter anyone overly drunk.
There’s an aquarium, too, at the alcohol station, which my daughter enjoyed looking at.
If you have a baby, they offer free baby food, as well as children’s cutlery.
Entertainment
When we were done eating, we headed to the Sora Kan (Sky Wing) to enjoy the facilities. We were sadly too late to enjoy the bowling alley, which also has a little play area for young kids.
They also have fortune telling here (for a fee, and in Japanese, of course), a nailist (no gel), a caricature artist, and Doctor Fish, where tiny fish eat the dead skin off your feet.
They were all closed when we went at almost 10 PM, so we headed back to the arcade in Suginoi Palace and let our daughter play some games before calling it a day.
Overall, we slept very comfortably in the room. The pillows were perfectly soft and the beds were cozy.
In the morning, we woke up at 6 AM so we could enjoy the sunrise from the onsen. It was absolutely worth waking up early for, and I wish I could have shared a photo but phones are not allowed inside.
Afterwards, we visited the arcade again and took some Beppu-themed purikura (sticker pictures) to commemorate our stay before having breakfast.
Breakfast Buffet
The breakfast buffet was also at World Dining Ceada Palace. It was almost as impressive as the dinner one, although there was a little less selection and no alcohol.
My daughter loved the fruit sandwiches, while I was a fan of the pastry and little burgers. (I know, not exactly healthy but hey, when I’m on vacation I am going to enjoy myself and eat what I want!)
When we were done eating, we sadly checked out before 9 AM since we had a busy day ahead of us in Beppu.
Wrap-up: Is Suginoi Hotel Worth It?
We only spent one night at Suginoi Hotel in Beppu, but I wish we had stayed longer! Everything, from the food to the facilities, and of course the room, was absolutely excellent. It was worth every yen. My family had an amazing time here, and my daughter talks about wanting to go back all the time!
However, I don’t think I would recommend this hotel to solo travelers. There are lots of families and groups staying here, which might make it feel awkward, especially at the dinner and breakfast buffets.
The location is also a little far from the heart of the city if you’re taking public transportation, although you can get to downtown Beppu in about 30 minutes by bus (10 minutes by car).
I am honestly looking forward to staying again at Suginoi Hotel. In fact, I would travel to Beppu just to stay there, it was that good. In summer (July to September) they have an indoor waterpark as well, which looks like lots of fun, especially for kids.
🏨 Find out more about Suginoi Hotel and check availability here
If you’re curious about what to do in Beppu, read this article.