With the Go To Travel Campaign coming to an end, we decided to splurge and stay at a nicer place. Beppu is a famous resort/tourist town with a large supply of nice hotels. We were able to find a place that gave us good value for our money. We ended up going with Hotel Fugetsu Hammond which was located in the Beppu “Seven Hells” area. It was centrally located and within walking distance of Jigoku Mushi, a grocery store and five of Beppu’s “Seven Hells”.

We got to the hotel and checked in around 15:30. We were surprised with how long the check-in line was. There were only two receptionists, so the line moved slowly. Inside the lobby there was a good amount of seating and a warm sand bath for your feet.

Since the hotel was so large, they had designated dinner and breakfast times to insure the flow of guests was consistent and there wouldn’t be any overcrowding. We chose 17:00 for dinner and 7:30 for breakfast.

Right next to the check in counter was a self service yukata display. We appreciated how organized and clearly labeled everything was. They had samples hanging up, so we could check the size and fit of the yukata before choosing. As usual, men only had one pattern to choose from. Women on the other hand had a variety of colorful floral patterns to choose from. Children also had a variety to choose from. We picked out our yukata and headed upstairs via the elevators.

Hotel Fugetsu Hammond Room Review

Our room was a nice size, there were two semi-double beds with a night stand in-between. There was also a small table and chair. We appreciated how there was plenty of space for our bags. We had a terrific view of the steam vents that were spewing right outside our window. The bathtub, toilet, and sink were all located in the same room. It was a bit dated, but clean. We got settled into our room and rested up a bit.

It was around 17:00 so we headed downstairs for dinner. Due to Coronavirus prevention measures, there was hand sanitizer and disposable plastic gloves. We noticed some carts at the entrance and were wondering what they were for. We later saw some people with young children using them. The cart allowed parents to hold their children and still be able to get food. Just another one of the thoughtful services the hotel offered.

Hotel Fugetsu Hammond Dinner Buffet Review

We grabbed some plates and put them on our trays. The first thing we noticed was the sheer size and variety of foods they had to offer. The layout of the buffet was a series of open kitchens with serving stations on the perimeter. The area was very well lit and we appreciated the brief English descriptions. We enjoyed watching the chefs cook and prepare the foods in front of us. Various sized tables were set in the back and they were split in half by large dessert and drink stations.

Some of the highlights included char-grilled herb chicken, a build your own ramen bowl station with a tonkatsu broth, grilled steak, and a personal sized steamer. One of the first things we noticed right off the bat was the taste and quality of the food. The fish was fresh, the meat was tender, and the ramen broth was wonderful.

We didn’t know what to expect with the buffet when we booked the hotel. We decided to go big and pre-ordered a plate of crab legs (which costed extra). The crab was delicious, but we can say that it was definitely overkill. The quality and variety from the standard buffet was more than sufficient.

Last, but not least was dessert. They had an impressive selection of fruits, baked sweets, and ice cream to choose from. Our favorites were the lychee, mango smoothie, caramel milk ice cream, and the egg pudding. After, we finished up and took our trays to the cleaning area. We really enjoyed the buffet at Hotel Fugetsu Hammond. We would highly recommend.

Hotel Fugetsu Hammond Rooftop Bath

After dinner we headed back to our room. We changed into our yukata and went to the gender separate baths on the first floor. We washed up and took a relaxing bath.

Afterwards, we put on our bathing suits and headed up to the 8th floor. This was one of the reasons we chose Hotel Fugetsu Hammond. On the 8th floor there was an open air bath with beautiful views of Beppu city and Beppu Bay. Bathing suits are required as the bath was coed. There were two separate baths that were well lit with some string lights. Usually we are separate, so it was nice being able to enjoy the onsen together. After changing back into our yukata, an attendant took our swimsuits and put them into a dryer. After only a couple of minutes in the dryer, our swimsuits were pretty dry. We headed back to our room and called it a night.

Hotel Fugetsu Hammond Breakfast Buffet Review

We woke up the next morning feeling refreshed. We got a good night sleep and were ready to go. After packing up a bit we heading down to breakfast. Like dinner the night before, breakfast was a buffet. We grabbed some trays and perused the options. Once again we were surprised with the variety and quality of the food. They had the personalized cookers at our table, but this time they were grills. We got some uncooked pieces of marinated fish and were able to grill them ourselves. Our favorites were the French toast (which came with our choice of sauce, we liked the mango one the best), the grilled fish, and these marinated chunks of sashimi that resembled poke.

After finishing up breakfast, we headed back to our room. We finished packing and went downstairs to check out. Check out went smoothly and we were on our way by 10:00.

Final Thoughts

This was without a doubt the nicest place we’ve stayed at since coming to Japan. The hotel was quite large and had a number of thoughtful and convenient amenities. Thanks to the Go To Travel Campaign the total came out to at little over ¥10,000/person not including the ¥6,000 in travel vouchers we received. The food was absolutely incredible. It was easily the best buffet we’ve been to in Japan so far. If your looking for a place to stay in Beppu, with an excellent location, wonderful amenities, and delcious food, then we highly recommend Hotel Fugetsu Hammond in Beppu.

More to Come…

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