Awaji Island (also known as Awaji-shima) is an island connected with Kobe to the north via the Akashi-Kaikyō-Ōhashi bridge, and with Tokushima to the south via the Ōnaruto-kyōbridge.

Filled with lush nature and greenery, Awaji Island is a popular resort, with beautiful flowers throughout the seasons, local specialties such as Awaji Island onions, octopus, and Awaji-gyū beef, amongst a treasure trove of other gourmet foods.

With excellent access from the Kansai area, you can access Awaji Island via highway bus from Kansai International Airport, which takes three hours, and it’s recommended to visit it together with other cities like Osaka.

Formerly a series of motels, the buildings were renewed, keeping the one-garage-one-room concept, transforming into the new hotel, Awaji Island Hotel Lodge GREEN COZY.

The former garage space was renovated and turned into all-weather multipurpose spaces for each room. One of its unique traits is that it allows you to have a barbecue right in front of your room, even on a rainy day!

Bring in your own food ingredients for a barbecue, and enjoy your time in the spacious rooms

When having a barbecue at the multipurpose space, you just have to bring in your own ingredients. You can immediately start grilling up a feast once you’ve arrived, as all the equipment has already been set up!

Once you’re done, the grills and leftover trash will be cleaned by the hotel staff, too, making it incredibly convenient. The food you’ve brought in can be prepared in the shared kitchen.

All rooms come with queen-sized beds, and it’s a cozy space to relax in. The bathroom, toilet, and vanity counter are separated, allowing you to relax comfortably in the spacious room. Besides this, staff who can speak conversational English are available as well, so do visit with peace of mind.

Countermeasures against Covid-19
Cleaning, disinfection, and sterilization of facilities in the building / Disinfectant provided at the front desk and common kitchen / During check-in, all members of group will have identities verified and have their temperatures taken / Disinfected after each guest leaves / Ventilation measures in place / Staff wear masks, gargle, wash hands regularly, and monitor body temperature / Staying declined to anyone who is feeling unwell / Masks required/temperature check enforced / Limits on room service where staff have to enter guest rooms / Request to download and use the contact-tracing application, COCOA

Opened in July 2020 along the western coast of Awaji Island, is Kamome Slow Hotel, with all sixteen rooms of the hotel being oceanfront rooms.

With a name that conveys the idea of “Enjoying your time freely and slowly, like the seagulls flying into the horizon between the endless sea and sky,” the guest rooms facing the sea have no televisions but are bathed in the beautiful colors of the ocean, the sound of the waves, the songs of the birds, and the sigh of the trees in the wind, allowing you to enjoy your time peacefully with the sound of nature.

Take a step back from everyday life, and let your body and soul go into healing mode for a change and rest up.

Enjoy a hearty breakfast by the seaside with the food that the island has to offer

This Awaji Island hotel started rolling out O&B Style (Oceanfront & Breakfast Style) meals. Filled with homemade chewy Awaji-mochi pork sausages, and salads made with vegetables from Awaji Island, a breakfast basket provided only for staying guests using local produce is provided.

Besides enjoying the food in your room, you can enjoy your time at the private beach, relishing the food along the sea for a different atmosphere. You can also ride out on a tuk-tuk, and enjoy the ocean breeze in the morning while you head to the dining facility nearby for your breakfast.

Countermeasures against Covid-19
Cleaning, disinfection, and sterilization of facilities in the building / Disinfectant provided at lobbies and public spaces / Disinfected after each guest leaves / Ventilation measures in place / Staff wear masks, gargle, wash hands regularly, and monitor body temperature / Staying declined to anyone who is feeling unwell / Masks required/temperature check enforced / Limits on room service where staff have to enter rooms

Located in a great location where all guest rooms have a splendid view of the seas around Awaji Island, is Hotel New Awaji.

Its claims to fame are its special three-tiered hot spring, the Awaji-Tanada-no-Yu, the Kuniumi-no-Yu, which uses natural stones and wood to create a hot spring in the motif of island myths, and the group hotel Awaji-Yume-Senkei’s maisonette type Yuhinkaku bath, the Tenkyū-no-Shizuku.”

You can hop between these three hot springs. Making use of both Sumoto Onsen spring water sources and the hotel’s private hot spring source, you can soothe your body in two different types of high-quality spring waters.

Satisfy yourself with the great location where you can see the entire ocean with one glance, and with the fulfilling cuisine

Out of the many room types available, the one in the spotlight is the “Villa Rakuen” room, a Japanese style suite that comes with its own open-air bath. In the wide-open space filled with the warmth of a traditional ryokan, it’s a homely place where you can relax like you’re at home.

For meals, there is fresh seafood from the harbors of Awaji, surrounded on all four sides by seas, and one of the representative beef varieties of Japan, Awaji-gyū, as well as Awaji-yasai vegetables and other seasonal produce, all coming together in traditional Japanese cuisine that you can enjoy in the comfort of your own room.

Why not relax and pass your time leisurely here, where you can see beautiful views of the sea and the lovely sunrise?

Countermeasures against Covid-19
Cleaning, disinfection, and sterilization of facilities in the building / Disinfection of lobbies and public spaces / Disinfected after each guest leaves / Change of buffet-style food to set menus / Increase in spaces between restaurant tables / Temporary closure of some facilities / Ventilation measures in place / Staff wear masks, gargle, wash hands regularly, and monitor body temperature / Staying declined to anyone who is feeling unwell / Masks required/temperature check enforced / Limitations on room service where staff have to enter guest rooms / Service to check occupancy rate of public baths via smartphone

Situated in the island's southwest, is Hotel Agana, an Awaji Island resort hotel facing the Naruto Strait. Guests can pass the time leisurely, with warm service akin to the hospitality in the home of a dear friend, and there are 44 rooms available while still maintaining a large space within.

There are many variations in room types, and all of them come with balconies with ocean views, with carefully selected furnishings and fittings for an extraordinary feel. This is a place where you’ll forget about time passing by as you make yourself cozy in your second home.

Breakfast is carefully prepared to allow you to enjoy it with all five senses

When speaking of a resort hotel, one thing you absolutely must have is food. On-site are the French restaurant, Cadeau de la Mer, which means “gift from the sea” in French, which uses seafood from the surrounding seas and Awaji beef, as well as local island vegetables to create seasonal delicacies, as well as the sushi restaurant “Anaga”, either of which makes for a special treat on the last morning of your stay.

Each item on the course menu, be it Japanese-style or western-style, is carefully made to leave you wanting more, and be it the homemade bread or confitures, and even the pickles made from olives grown in their garden, ham, and bacon, these ingredients are tenderly prepared in the restaurants.

Countermeasures against Covid-19
Cleaning, disinfection, and sterilization of facilities in the building / Disinfectant available at the hotel entrance, restaurants, restrooms and other areas / Front counter and other cash registers have clear acrylic sneeze guards in place / Where there is an exchange of cash, cash trays are used in place of direct hand-to-hand contact / Confirmation of identity and temperature taking required when entering restaurants / Disinfection and changing of table cloths between customer rotations / Increase in spaces between tables and chairs /Ventilation measures in place / Limits on number of guests in elevators / Masks required/temperature check enforced / Staff required to use masks, wash their hands, disinfect, and have their temperatures taken

Blooming with colorful flowers and surrounded by blue seas, you can enjoy delicious vegetables, seafood, and meat at Awaji Island, at the many charming ryokan and hotels here.

Each of the Awaji Island hotels we have introduced has specialties in some combination of food, hot springs, and scenery. Still, one thing they all have in common is that they will allow you to forget time while passing it by leisurely. For a refreshing time, satisfy yourself at the resort island Awaji Island!

Text by: Efeel