We were a bit hesitant ourselves about this ryokan - we've been spoiled in staying at some of the very top ryokans throughout the country, and while Amane Resort Gahama is highly rated and understood this property to be kid-friendly, we weren't sure if it would meet our own high bar. Thankfully, our concerns were completely unfounded. It deftly balances the needs for discerning adults while at the same time doing a wonderful job catering to the needs of young families. This was part of a multi-generation trip, with four families (two of them with two young children each) and four total rooms as part of our booking. While Amane Resort Gahama (and its sister property, Amane Resort Seikai) is located along a bustling street in a nondescript area of Beppu (and next to KFC as well as Nitori, a large home furniture store), once we stepped inside we were ushered into a different world. Namely, the panoramic view of the ocean gave the ryokan an air of tranquility. We booked four rooms - all in the tower (there are separate Villas on site, but we wanted the view.) All of the rooms were Japanese-Western style with a generous 90 square meters of space. Two of the rooms were on the third floor, one was on the fifth floor, and one was a ”special room” on the top floor (10F.) Of the four, I'd say that the fifth floor room was my preference, in that it allowed unobstructed views (the Villa rooftops were visible when peering out of the balcony of the 3F rooms) that were not too far off from the 10F room, and it had a bedroom that was separate from the living room, whereas the 10F special room was an open, junior suite style. Somehow, it also seemed that the top floor room was a bit tighter in space, despite the specifications. All rooms offered both indoor and outdoor Onsen (hot springs) baths, and that's what we were after. Of course, the children wanted to enjoy the larger communal baths. Unfortunately, it's located in Seikai, meaning you'd either have to walk outdoors for 5 minutes (through the Nitori parking lot) or take a complimentary shuttle - a bit of a hassle, yes, although we wound up bouncing between both properties for some of our meals (more on that later.) Gahama catered nicely to families with young children. They offered child-sized slippers as well as Yukata and Samue robes that were small enough to even fit a 2-year old. Our meals (for 11 total people) on both nights were served in a private room. And they offered very nice children's meals for both breakfast and dinner - they loved all of the food offerings at this property. At the same time, this ryokan would be equally suitable for adult couples... service is polished and attentive, while both the kaiseki dinner meal and French dinner course (the latter is at Amane Resort Seikai) were sophisticated and beautifully presented. And that's one of the benefits of either of the Amane ryokans - the multiple dining options allowed us to enjoy a diversity of top-notch servings. In the morning, w
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