How to Choose Where to Stay in Beppu: The Eight Beppu Onsen Areas and a Quick Comparison of 15 Hot Spring Hotels
Beppu, in Oita Prefecture, ranks first in Japan for both onsen output and variety of spring types, and the city is dotted with eight hot spring areas known as the “Beppu Hatto” (Eight Springs of Beppu). Choosing where to stay in Beppu really means choosing an area: for the best convenience without renting a car, stay around Beppu Station and Kitahama; for unbeatable sea views and a resort feel, pick the stretch from Kitahama to Shoninhama; and for the most distinctive spring types and the sight of steam rising from residential rooftops, stay in Kannawa or Myoban. The price range is wide, from budget business hotels near the station to top-end one-night-two-meals inns with sea views in every room. Note that most Beppu inns do not publish rates on their official sites, and prices are quoted in real time by each booking engine by date, so this article marks prices only for the few where an official announced price could be found; for the rest, please go by the quote on the day you search.
Three principles help when choosing a Beppu hot spring hotel. First, decide whether you have a rental car; without one, do not stay up on the hill at Kannonji or Myoban. Second, confirm the place really has an onsen bath on site, since quite a few Beppu lodgings have no baths of their own. Third, if you want local ingredients such as Bungo beef and seki-aji (Seki horse mackerel), choose a one-night-two-meals plan when booking, as adding meals on the spot is usually already full. Below, a table first gives a quick comparison of the 15 Beppu lodgings recommended here.
| Hotel | Officially announced price | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| Hoshino Resorts KAI Beppu | From ¥26,430 per person (one night, two meals) | Sea-view rooms throughout and a panoramic open-air bath |
| Shiosai no Yado Harumi | Rates not published on official site | Private sea-view open-air bath in every room |
| ANA InterContinental Beppu Resort & Spa | Rates not published on official site | Indoor and outdoor onsen and private baths |
| Sanso Shinwaen | Rates not published on official site | Famous blue-green spring and private baths |
| Beppu Onsen Suginoi Hotel | Rates not published on official site | Five-tier terraced open-air bath “Tanayu” |
| Beppu Onsen Hotel Shiragiku | From ¥23,265 per person (one night, two meals) | Open-air rooftop bath |
| Seaside Hotel Mimatsu Oe-tei | Rates not published on official site | Sea-facing open-air bath looking onto Beppu Bay |
| Kamenoi Hotel Beppu | Official price not obtained | Japanese-Western family rooms and a large bath |
| Oyado Nono Beppu | Rates not published on official site | 7 free private baths |
| AMANEK Beppu YULA-RE | From ¥16,226 per room (room only) | Rooftop infinity onsen pool |
| GRAND BASE Beppu Ekihigashi | Rates not published on official site | Apartment rooms with kitchen and washing machine |
| HAJIMARI Beppu | From ¥17,300 per room (2 guests) | Design-minded lounge space and simple rooms |
| Beppu Onsen Showaen | From ¥17,600 per person (room only, before tax) | Private baths you can reserve exclusively |
| TomaReno Beppu-Kitahama | Airbnb booking only | Whole-floor apartment rooms and family space |
| Hana Beppu | Rates not published on official site | Source-spring baths and traditional Japanese-style rooms |
Upscale Beppu Stays: 4 Picks with Sea-View Open-Air Baths and Top One-Night-Two-Meals Plans
The inns in this section focus on sea views from every room and private open-air baths; among them, KAI Beppu’s official site announces one night with two meals from ¥26,430 per person (2 guests, 1 room, tax included), and the other three do not publish rates on their official sites.
Beppu Stay Pick: Hoshino Resorts KAI Beppu (星野リゾート 界 別府)
KAI Beppu is a hot spring inn launched by Hoshino Resorts in Kitahama, Beppu; its rooms use “picture-frame windows” to frame the view of Beppu Bay and add touches of Oita’s traditional crafts. All 70 rooms face the sea, and in the early morning you can watch the sunrise over Beppu Bay while soaking, in your room or in the foot bath inside the inn, making it one of the most consistently high-quality choices among Beppu lodgings.
- Rate: one night with two meals from ¥26,430 per person (2 guests, 1 room, including tax and service charge, announced on the Hoshino Resorts official site)
- Access: about a 12-minute walk from JR Beppu Station
- Highlights: sea-view rooms throughout, panoramic open-air bath, rooms accented with Oita traditional crafts
Dinner is kaiseki featuring Oita local ingredients, with seki-aji and Bungo beef as common stars. If you want to arrange one night with two meals, book a plan that includes meals directly and reserve two to three months ahead, as peak-season weekends are almost fully booked.
Beppu Stay Pick: Shiosai no Yado Harumi (潮騒の宿 晴海)
Harumi is the most representative upscale sea-view onsen inn along Beppu Bay, located around Shoninhama. Its biggest feature is that all 46 rooms have a private open-air bath fed directly by the source spring, with a view level with Beppu Bay while you soak and no need to share a bath with other guests, a level of privacy that is top among Beppu hot spring hotels.
- Rate: rates are not published on the official site; they are quoted in real time by the booking engine by date, so go by the day you search
- Access: about a 10-minute walk from JR Beppu-Daigaku Station
- Highlights: sea-view open-air baths in every room, infinity-view large bath, sea-view restaurant on site
Guests are mainly couples and honeymooners, the inn is quiet, and it does not focus on facilities for children. If you travel with preschool children, Suginoi or Kamenoi Hotel will be much more comfortable.
Beppu Stay Pick: ANA InterContinental Beppu Resort & Spa (ANAインターコンチネンタル別府リゾート＆スパ)
ANA InterContinental Beppu is a rare international chain resort hotel in Beppu, set halfway up the slope at Kannonji Onsen, where the room balcony overlooks the whole of Beppu Bay and the city’s night view. Besides indoor and outdoor onsen baths, it has a spa and private baths, and its facilities are the closest to international chain standards among Beppu hot spring hotels.
- Rate: rates are not published on the official site; they are quoted in real time by the booking engine by date, so go by the day you search
- Access: about a 10-minute drive from JR Beppu Station, with a shuttle bus provided by the hotel
- Highlights: indoor and outdoor natural onsen baths, private baths, spa and gym
Because it is up on the hill, dinner and late-night snacks almost all have to be had in the hotel, which suits guests who plan to spend the whole evening at the hotel. If you want to explore the shopping area in front of Beppu Station, check the shuttle’s last departure time first.
Kannawa Stay Pick: Sanso Shinwaen (山荘 神和苑)
Sanso Shinwaen sits on the hillside of Kannawa Onsen and is a rare purely Japanese-style upscale inn in Beppu. Its garden holds a noh stage registered as a tangible cultural property, and it is best known for a famous spring of blue-green color whose hue changes with light and weather. The inn has several private baths.
- Rate: rates are not published on the official site; they are quoted in real time by the booking engine by date, so go by the day you search
- Access: about a 5-minute walk from the Kamenoi Bus “Kannawa” stop
- Highlights: blue-green famous-spring open-air bath, private baths, Japanese garden and noh stage
The Kannawa area has the densest concentration of steam scenery in Beppu, and if you want to combine a Hells tour with the jigoku-mushi (hell steaming) experience, staying in Kannawa gives the smoothest route.
Mid-Range Beppu Stays: Which 4 Hot Spring Hotels Offer the Best Value?
This section is the group with the widest choice among Beppu hot spring hotels; among them, Hotel Shiragiku’s official site announces one night with two meals from ¥23,265 per person (2 guests, 1 room, tax included), and the other three do not publish rates on their official sites.
Beppu Stay Pick: Beppu Onsen Suginoi Hotel (別府温泉 杉乃井ホテル)
Suginoi is less a hotel than a hot spring entertainment complex. Its signature terraced viewing open-air bath “Tanayu” has five tiers and looks down over Beppu Bay with an unobstructed view; on the other side, the panoramic open-air bath “Sanke-no-yu” looks out to the Kuju mountain range. The hotel also has an outdoor onsen where you enter in swimwear, “The Aqua Garden,” equipped with mud masks and a salt sauna.
- Rate: rates are not published on the official site; they are quoted in real time by the booking engine by date, so go by the day you search
- Access: about a 10-minute drive from JR Beppu Station, with a free shuttle bus provided by the hotel
- Highlights: five-tier terraced open-air bath “Tanayu,” 山恵之湯 panoramic bath, swimwear-entry outdoor onsen The Aqua Garden, large buffet
The buffet and Tanayu both have queues in peak season, so book a dining slot right after check-in. Families with children hardly need to go out, and a whole day inside the hotel is never boring.
Beppu Stay Pick: Beppu Onsen Hotel Shiragiku (別府温泉 ホテル白菊)
Shiragiku is a long-established onsen hotel in front of Beppu Station, within walking distance of Takegawara Onsen and the Kitahama shopping area. The open-air bath on the top floor has an open view and is a bath many locals also return to. In recent years, what it is most often mentioned for on Japanese social media is actually its desserts: the hotel has authentic sweets made by a dedicated pastry chef, available at afternoon tea and buffet times.
- Rate: one night with two meals from ¥23,265 per person (2 guests, 1 room, tax included, announced on the hotel’s official site)
- Access: about a 7-minute walk from JR Beppu Station
- Highlights: open-air rooftop bath, authentic dessert bar, creative kaiseki with Bungo beef and seki-aji
Room types are divided into Japanese-style and Western-style rooms, and Japanese-style rooms are mostly larger, suited to groups of three or more. If you want the creative kaiseki, be sure to choose a plan with dinner when booking.
Beppu Stay Pick: Seaside Hotel Mimatsu Oe-tei (シーサイドホテル美松 大江亭)
Mimatsu Oe-tei sits on the Kitahama coastline of Beppu and is a long-established sea-view onsen inn. The open-air bath faces Beppu Bay, and in good weather you can watch the horizon while soaking. When Japanese netizens discuss touring the Beppu Hatto, they also often list this as a bath worth a special trip.
- Rate: rates are not published on the official site; they are quoted in real time by the booking engine by date, so go by the day you search
- Access: about a 12-minute walk from JR Beppu Station
- Highlights: sea-facing open-air bath, sea-view rooms, Japanese-Western buffet breakfast
Because it is right on the coast, rooms come in sea-view and city-view types with little price difference, so remember to request the sea side when booking. You can walk to the Kitahama shopping area and Beppu Tower, with plenty of dinner choices.
Beppu Stay Pick: Kamenoi Hotel Beppu (亀の井ホテル 別府)
Kamenoi Hotel is a 17-story high-rise hotel with varied room types, from single rooms and twin rooms to large rooms with 6 beds in one room and baby-friendly rooms. It has a natural onsen large bath on site, which guests can use for free.
- Rate: the official site could not be reached during this check period, so no officially announced price was obtained; please go by the quote on the official site on the day you search
- Access: about a 5-minute walk from JR Beppu Station
- Highlights: natural onsen large bath, Japanese-Western family rooms, one-night-two-meals plans
It is in Chuo-machi, Beppu, about a 5-minute walk from JR Beppu Station, convenient without a rental car, and guests can use the car park for free. For those traveling with elders or children who want lodging with a large bath, this is a good-value option.
Budget Beppu Stays: 4 Good-Value Lodgings Within Walking Distance of Beppu Station
Budget lodgings in Beppu still let you soak in hot springs, which is the biggest difference from most Japanese cities. The four below are all within walking distance of Beppu Station and suit independent travelers without a rental car.
Beppu Stay Pick: Beppu Hatto Onsen Oyado Nono Beppu (御宿 野乃 別府)
Nono Beppu is a Japanese-style upscale brand under Dormy Inn, which opened in October 2023. You take off your shoes as soon as you enter the lobby, and the whole building is laid with tatami, which is quiet and pleasant to walk on. The top floor has a natural onsen large bath and sauna, plus 7 individual/family private baths that are free to use, first come first served with no reservation, which means budget rates still get you a private bath.
- Rate: rates are not published on the official site; they are quoted in real time by the booking engine by date, so go by the day you search
- Access: about a 1-minute walk from JR Beppu Station
- Highlights: top-floor natural onsen large bath and sauna, 7 free private baths, free late-night ramen and post-bath ice cream
Because it is right beside the station, dragging luggage is effortless, making it the first choice for travelers without a rental car. The 7 private baths include 5 open-air types and 2 indoor types, all natural hot spring, used first come first served with no reservation.
Beppu Stay Pick: AMANEK Beppu YULA-RE (HOTEL AMANEK Beppu YULA-re)
AMANEK Beppu YULA-RE has a modern design style and is loved by young travelers and solo travelers. Its biggest selling point is the rooftop infinity onsen pool and panoramic jacuzzi, which together overlook Beppu city and the distant sea, making it the most photogenic of Beppu lodgings.
- Rate: room only from ¥16,226 per room (2 guests, 1 room, including tax and fees, quoted by the hotel’s official booking engine)
- Access: about a 3-minute walk from JR Beppu Station
- Highlights: rooftop infinity onsen pool, panoramic jacuzzi, large bath and sauna
Swimwear is required in the pool area, so bring your own or rent on site. Rooms are on the compact side and suit two people or fewer; for a group of four, book Nono or an apartment-type lodging instead.
Beppu Stay Pick: GRAND BASE Beppu Ekihigashi (GRAND BASE 別府駅東)
GRAND BASE Beppu Ekihigashi is apartment-style lodging with a kitchen and washing machine in the room, suited to travelers staying three nights or more or wanting to cook for themselves. It is right around the east exit of Beppu Station, and stepping outside puts you in the area with the densest restaurants and supermarkets, so shopping is very convenient.
- Rate: rates are not published on the official site; they are quoted in real time by the booking engine by date, so go by the day you search
- Access: about a 5-minute walk from JR Beppu Station
- Highlights: apartment rooms with kitchen and washing machine, family four-person rooms, self check-in with no front-desk wait
Note that apartment-type lodgings mostly have no onsen large bath, so you need to arrange public baths separately. Public baths in Beppu city mostly charge ¥300 or less, which pairs very economically with the lodging.
Beppu Stay Pick: HAJIMARI Beppu
HAJIMARI Beppu is a small design lodging in central Beppu with rates in the lowest band of Beppu accommodation, simple and clean rooms, and a seating area in the common space where travelers can meet. It suits solo travelers or those who put budget first and spend almost all day out on their itinerary.
- Rate: from ¥17,300 per room (2 guests, the lowest price over the last 7 days announced by the official booking engine)
- Access: about a 13-minute walk from JR Beppu Station
- Highlights: design-minded common lounge space, simple clean rooms, near public baths in central Beppu
There is no large bath in the building, but within walking distance there are several Beppu Hatto public baths, so you can easily experience the local bathing culture. Confirm the luggage storage opening hours first.
Overall, the area around the east exit of Beppu Station has the densest cluster of budget lodgings, with convenience stores, drugstores and izakaya a few steps away, making dinner and supplies easy. If your group is large, apartment-type lodging split among everyone is often better value than booking two double rooms.
Distinctive Beppu Stays: 3 Picks of Private Baths, Apartment Type and Traditional Japanese Inn
If standard hotel rooms do not meet your needs, Beppu also has three distinctive types of lodging to consider: private-bath inns, apartment type and traditional Japanese inns, matching three needs respectively: avoiding large-bath restrictions, splitting costs among a larger group, and experiencing the atmosphere of an authentic Japanese inn.
Onsen Inn Pick: Beppu Onsen Showaen (別府温泉 昭和園)
Showaen is a traditional Japanese inn in the Kannawa Onsen area with few rooms, focusing on private baths you can reserve exclusively. Kannawa’s spring type leans toward chloride springs, which leave skin smooth and keep you warm after bathing, and it is one of the areas in the Beppu Hatto that the most people travel to specifically.
- Rate: room only from ¥17,600 per person, one night with two meals from ¥37,400 per person (both before tax, announced by the inn’s official booking engine)
- Access: about a 6-minute walk from the Kamenoi Bus “Kannawa” stop
- Highlights: private baths you can reserve exclusively, source-spring onsen baths, Japanese garden and Japanese-style rooms
Travelers with tattoos often face restrictions at large baths in Japan; choosing an inn with private baths avoids the problem entirely, which is one reason Showaen is popular.
From here you can walk to the jigoku-mushi kitchens of Kannawa, where steaming seafood and vegetables with hot spring steam is a uniquely Beppu experience; we suggest saving dinner time for it.
Night view of the entrance to Beppu Showaen (Image source: Beppu Showaen official website)
Apartment-Type Pick: TomaReno Beppu-Kitahama
TomaReno Beppu-Kitahama is in Kitahama, Beppu, and is apartment-style lodging. Rooms have a kitchen, washing machine and private bathroom, with considerably more space than a typical hotel room, best for families or friend groups of four or more splitting the lodging cost.
- Rate: booking only through Airbnb; rates are not published on the official site or any major booking platform
- Access: about a 10-minute walk from JR Beppu Station
- Highlights: whole-floor apartment rooms, kitchen and washing machine, family space for 4 or more
Kitahama is the liveliest part of central Beppu, a few minutes’ walk to Beppu Tower and Takegawara Onsen, so finding dinner at night is no problem. What families with small children appreciate most is being able to cook baby food and do laundry themselves, so they do not eat out every day.
Apartment-type lodgings are mostly self check-in, with a code or key box for the key, so before arrival check the check-in instructions and latest check-in time in your booking email.
Japanese Inn Pick: Hana Beppu (花べっぷ)
Hana Beppu is a small Japanese-style inn in central Beppu, with mostly Japanese-style rooms and a source-spring onsen bath on site. It is not large and the service is relatively personal; for those who want the atmosphere of a traditional Japanese inn without paying upscale-inn prices, it is a good compromise.
- Rate: rates are not published on the official site; they are quoted in real time by the booking engine by date, so go by the day you search
- Access: about a 10-minute walk from JR Beppu Station
- Highlights: source-spring onsen bath, traditional Japanese-style rooms, optional one-night-two-meals plan
Japanese-style inns in central Beppu generally have few rooms, and during the autumn foliage season and Japanese long holidays a room is often hard to find, so book at least two months ahead.
The shared drawback of these three distinctive stays is that they have few rooms, are hard to book in peak season, and mostly lack the rich on-site facilities of large hot spring hotels. Before booking, think clearly about whether you want “a good soak,” “a spacious stay” or “a whole day of fun inside the hotel”; choosing the wrong type is more likely to cause a misstep than choosing the wrong hotel.
What to Watch For When Staying in Beppu? Booking Timing, Selection Criteria and Pitfalls to Avoid
Before booking a Beppu hot spring hotel, understand these three things first and you can save quite a bit of money.
When to Book Beppu Accommodation: When Does Peak Season Start? How Far Ahead Is Best?
Beppu’s booking peak falls mainly in three periods: the autumn foliage season from mid-October to the end of November, Golden Week and Obon in Japan, and the Lunar New Year holiday around the Taiwan long weekend. In these periods, popular hot spring hotels such as Suginoi and KAI Beppu are often full two months ahead.
We generally suggest booking 2 to 3 months ahead; if you want a sea-view room, a room with an open-air bath, or a Saturday stay, aim for 3 to 4 months. The price difference for weekday stays (Sunday to Thursday) is often thirty to forty percent, which is well worth it if your schedule can move.
Also note that Japanese lodgings charge a separate bathing tax (about ¥150 per person per night), and some upscale inns also charge a service fee; these are usually not included in the rate shown by booking platforms, so keep cash ready at checkout.
How to Choose a Private Onsen in Beppu: In-Room Open-Air Baths and Free Private Baths
There are two ways to get a private bath in Beppu: all 46 rooms at Shiosai no Yado Harumi have a sea-view open-air bath with source-spring kakenagashi (free-flowing); Oyado Nono Beppu, which opened in October 2023, has 7 private baths (5 open-air types, 2 indoor types), used first come first served with no reservation, plus a natural onsen large bath.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: How far ahead should I book Beppu accommodation?
Generally 2 to 3 months ahead. The autumn foliage season (mid-October to end of November), Golden Week and Lunar New Year are peak seasons, and popular hot spring hotels are often full two months ahead; for sea-view rooms or rooms with an open-air bath, book 3 to 4 months ahead. If your trip falls on a Japanese three-day weekend, booking gets harder by another level, so as soon as your flights are confirmed, book a free-cancellation plan.
Q: Which area is best if I do not have a rental car?
Choose around JR Beppu Station or Kitahama. Oyado Nono Beppu is a 1-minute walk and AMANEK Beppu YULA-RE a 3-minute walk, and from the station you can take the Kamenoi Bus directly to Kannawa and the stops of the Hells tour, with no need to drive at all. The Kamenoi Bus offers a day pass, and combined with lodging in front of the station, covering the main sights such as Umi Jigoku and Chinoike Jigoku in one day is no problem.
Q: Which Beppu hotels have private baths or in-room open-air baths?
Shiosai no Yado Harumi has a private sea-view open-air bath in every room; Oyado Nono Beppu offers 7 free private baths; ANA InterContinental Beppu, Sanso Shinwaen and Beppu Onsen Showaen also all have private baths that can be reserved or booked exclusively. Most private baths require registering a time slot on site at check-in, and popular times are often snapped up, so the first thing to do after arriving is to book at the front desk.
Q: Which Beppu hotels do you recommend for families?
Top pick is Suginoi Hotel, with the five-tier terraced open-air bath “Tanayu,” the swimwear-entry outdoor onsen “The Aqua Garden” and a large buffet. For family rooms and a large bath on a lower budget, choose Kamenoi Hotel Beppu or the apartment-type TomaReno Beppu-Kitahama. Families with babies and toddlers should note that hot spring hotels up on the hill often have slopes and steps that make strollers hard to move, so staying on the flat ground in front of the station is much easier.
Q: About how much does a night in Beppu cost?
Most Beppu inns do not publish rates on their official sites, and prices are quoted in real time by each booking engine by date, so it is hard to give a stable range. The few with an officially announced price can serve as reference points: KAI Beppu one night with two meals from ¥26,430 per person, Hotel Shiragiku one night with two meals from ¥23,265 per person (both 2 guests, 1 room, tax included); HAJIMARI Beppu in front of the station from ¥17,300 per room, and AMANEK Beppu YULA-RE room only from ¥16,226 per room. Rates fluctuate with season and weekday versus weekend, and a bathing tax of about ¥150 per person per night is paid separately. The difference between a weekday and a Saturday at the same hotel is often thirty to forty percent, and if you can move your stay to Sunday through Thursday, your budget can jump up a whole tier.
Q: Can I bathe in Beppu with tattoos?
Most hotel large baths still restrict bathing with tattoos, but choosing lodging with private baths or in-room open-air baths avoids the restriction entirely, for example Sanso Shinwaen, Beppu Onsen Showaen and Shiosai no Yado Harumi. Before booking, we suggest confirming the latest rules directly with the hotel. Some public baths have looser rules than hotels, so before departure you can check the latest announcements for each public bath on the Beppu City Tourism Association website.
