ANA InterContinental Beppu Resort & Spa

Rooms and decor

ANA InterContinental Beppu Resort & Spa is a hillside resort that pulls a guest score around 9.0/10 from real reviews. It hides among Japanese pines above town, looking down at the onsen steam drifting off the city below, with a double-height lobby framing Beppu Bay through floor-to-ceiling glass. The Premier Bay View room runs 50 sq m at about $470 a night, with a 200x200 cm king, down pillows, Frette linens, and a big marble bathroom that splits the tub from a rain shower and adds a Toto Washlet. The private balcony opens onto a 180-degree bay view — reviewers call it the best they've had in Beppu. Butler service knocks to ask about unpacking, and the welcome amenity is Yufuin sake with dried persimmon.

Food and amenities

The heart of the place is the 4th-floor infinity pool — heated to 28 C year-round, with its edge lined up against the bay so the water looks like it runs out to sea. Swim at 06:30 and the sunrise over Beppu Bay turns the whole pool orange and gold while a cool sea breeze moves through. The 8th-floor onsen uses Beppu's sulphate-chloride mineral water, with one indoor bath and one open-air rotenburo facing the sea, open 06:00 to 01:00 and split by gender. An 80-minute spa treatment runs about $215 with Beppu yuzu oil. Dinner at Element teppanyaki is around $130 a head, cooked in front of you — Bungo chicken, top-grade tai, and A5 Wagyu. Breakfast buffet at Atelier is about $43 with fresh eggs Benedict and Kyushu fruit, and the Spice Lab bar pours cocktails around $18 over the same bay view.

Location and getting there

The resort sits up on the Suginoi hillside, about 4 km (10 minutes by car) from JR Beppu Station. The free Mercedes-Benz V-Class shuttle meets you at the station East Exit if you book an hour ahead; a taxi runs about $11. The trade-off is that none of Beppu's Jigoku hot-spring hells are walkable from here, so plan on the shuttle or a taxi for every trip into town. Most Western passports enter Japan visa-free for short stays.

Things to know before booking

This is the most expensive stay in Beppu — from about $400 a night, past $1,500 for the top suites. In-room onsen baths are limited to the Premier and Presidential suites; everyone else uses the shared 8th-floor onsen. The hillside setting means no Jigoku within walking distance and no water park, so families with kids may prefer the larger Suginoi resort. The infinity pool runs 06:30 to 22:00, not 24 hours. IHG Diamond members get a free upgrade and breakfast, which softens the rate considerably.

Our take

For honeymooners and luxury travelers, this is the best hotel in Beppu — IHG 5-star service, an infinity pool over Beppu Bay, a mineral-water spa, a Mercedes-Benz shuttle, and only 89 rooms. The 9.0/10 score from more than 1,800 reviews backs up the quality. The $400+ rate runs high, but the InterContinental service and that sunrise from the infinity pool make it land — a honeymoon you'll remember.