Sumoto City is the biggest hot spring area in Awajishima.
This is also a beautiful oceanside town which once was flourished as the castle town for Sumoto Castle.

The most famous hot spring inn in Sumoto is “Hotel New Awaji.”
This has become a symbol of the town since it opened in 1961, and it has had a lot of influence in Sumoto.

The Hotel New Awaji Group has just opened a new accommodation:“Umi-no-Hotel Shimahana, the residence villa.” This is the first time they have done something in the “vacation rental” style.
So, I visited there with a pair of models – a mother and her baby.

A vacation rental is a nice way to stay in Awajishima for a family with kids.

A “vacation rental” means renting a condominium or a whole house to enjoy vacations – so it can also be called a rental villa.

At first, guests go to the main building of “Umi-no-Hotel Shimahana,” and board a special shuttle boat heading to the “residence villa.”

This is the rental house “Granvilla.”
What a spacious design, and there is a pool next to the building…!

Another building called “Gardenvilla” was designed by a famous architect, Kenzo Tange, and has 4 guest rooms.
The beauty of the lighting and the stairwells is outstanding.

Every room has an open-air bath and kitchen, so you can feel free to enjoy your own time without worrying about other guests.
However, please note that the dinner is not included in this price.
Enjoy cooking in the kitchen or go out for a dinner at a nearby restaurant or inside of the hotel.

The choicest French cuisine made with seasonal Awajishima ingredients

If you stay at this villa more than 2 nights, why not try a French course dinner at “Restaurant Usami” on the ground floor of “Umi-no-Hotel Shimahana” on one of those nights?

From the top (left to right):
One of the hors d’oeuvre, a cheese bread with five-color seaweed
Roast Awaji-beef
Blowfish prepared in the “Aumoniere” style

The pictures on the bottom:
Simmered A4-ranked Wagyu short rib with red wine (left)
Pistachio gelato on strawberry soup (right)

The French dishes made with Awajishima ingredients are superb, and there are a lot of menu items that even 1-year-old baby can eat.

After taking a hot spring bath, just relax at your room.

After the baby is asleep, maybe it is a nice chance for you to have some drinks while enjoying the view of the garden.

In the morning, why don’t you go out and take a walk along the canal?
Also, another good option is having an open-air bath with a great view, which you can do at “Tenkyu-no-shizuku” in “AWAJI YUMESENKEI,” part of this hotel group.

The part of this building in the photo, sticking out towards the sea, is the bath “Tenkyu-no-shizuku.”
You can see the great view from there as promised, right?

Come back to the Granvilla building to have breakfast.
There are many cooking utensils, so you will enjoy preparing a nice breakfast.

Choose your favorite inn among the Hotel New Awaji Group.

The best point of choosing a hotel through the Hotel New Awaji Group is that it has various kinds of accommodation which will suit any budget, the number and type of traveling companions, or the purpose of your travel.

For example, “Umi-no-Hotel Shimahana” is a casual auberge.
Therefore, this accommodation is recommended for a stylish trip, along with another Japanese-modern style inn “Nagisa-no-Shou Hanagoyomi” which has an open terrace.

『淡路夢泉景』は3世代ファミリーや活動的なシニアにぴったりです。

“AWAJI YUMESENKEI” is the perfect inn for family of 3 generations or senior travelers.

“Amahara,” the annex villa of “YUMESENKEI,” is a high-quality and special inn.
This inn is especially suitable for people who wish to spend their own time without much interaction with the staff.

“Hotel New Awaji” has various kinds of rooms including a spacious Japanese style room for group tours, and also a luxurious “VILLA RAKUEN” which is the same quality as “Amahara.”

It has some open-air baths on the roof, and it can be rented for private use.

You can choose the best inn, considering your tour plan and traveling companions, from among the accommodations offered by the Hotel New Awaji Group. This is one of the most attractive aspects of it.

Photographs and text by Madoka Hori