Kannawa Yunoka — Hotel in Beppu

I stayed here for two nights while exploring Beppu and Yufuin - the ryokan is a little out of the way from the Beppu JR station, but its a pretty simple bus transfer (get off at the Kannawa stop).

Right at the entrance, you'll find a small foot bath, a common sight around the area. The ryokan itself has a pretty modern front desk area, with a lounge right next to the entrance (the owners bring out their cats for mingling and lounging every morning from 7am - 10am). Check in was simple, and the owners and other staff speak English quite well.

The rooms are a little on the dated side, but in a nice way, as they feel very spacious and quite traditional. You'll have a tatami mat covered area for sitting and sleeping, and a smaller side room with a sink for brushing/washing, as well as amenities for the hot spring (towels, yukata, etc). There are no bathrooms in individual rooms, but rather are shared with others on your floor.

The hot spring is a bit on the small side, and nothing fancy, just a wonderfully relaxing mineral bath. The men and womens' sides switch at 10pm - one side just has one large bath, while the other side has a large inner bath and two smaller outdoor baths.

The food was one of the highlights of my stay - I managed to snag a deal through Rakuten Travel that included breakfast and dinner each day, and it was extremely delicious and different each time. The food was freshly prepared and quite seasonal, and is set up for you at a specified dinner time.

I would highly recommend this place to anyone visiting Beppu - just be aware that they are cash only (I didn't read my booking closely and had to run to the nearby 7eleven...

ONSEN review: entrance ¥500, stamp at the reception where you pay, you will be given a key for your free locker (situated at the corridor before you go to the onsen area). Shampoos provided, you need to bring your own towel. Operating hours 13:00-20:00, there is parking. There is a sweet cat by the reception posing for photos 🙂 Four places with showerheads and mirror to wash up. The indoor tub is big size made of stone. The water temperature was not super hot but good enough to warm you up and stay in the water for quite some time enjoying your bath. There were 3 outdoor tubs, a small sized rock one, a medium sized which was out of order due to some problem with the pump and another medium sized one which you could sit in, this one had lukewarm water. The outdoor area was available in the men's section, the women's had only the indoor tub but they swap them depending on the time of the day. Free hair dryers in the changing room, you can't see your stuff while bathing but you have the free locker. Gensen...

I stayed in Yunoka for 1 night when I visited Beppu. The hotel is located in kannawa and it is 2 mins walk from the bus station. Some 'hell onsen' is within walking distance from the hotel, so I would say the location is very good. Service is good although I can’t speak Japanese well. Bedroom is in good size but I do expected Nakai would make up my bed during my dinner time. Public bath area is not clean and beware that the man/ woman public bath swap in the morning, I accidently walking in the woman area in the morning because it was men area the day before! Breakfast is not as good as I expected and why would I get a phone call in the early morning to remind the breakfast is ready? That is strange. I will stay in other hotel if I go to...