Family-Friendly Hotels in Kansai: City, Hot Spring & Seaside Stays

A base that keeps travel short and lets you relax at the hotel works best. Wakayama Prefecture's Nanki-Shirahama and Hyogo Prefecture's Awaji Island have many seaside resorts, and Arima Onsen is a hot spring town with a relatively short trip from Osaka Prefecture and Kobe. 93 hotels offer baby cribs for rent, and 44 have simple hot springs, which are considered gentle, so filtering by facilities and conditions makes choosing easier.

City areas such as Osaka Prefecture, Kyoto Prefecture, and Kobe have excellent rail networks, so they are easy to get around without a car. Hotels outside the cities, such as those on Awaji Island, in the Nanki area, at Kinosaki Onsen, and around Lake Biwa, give you more freedom to get around with a car, even with all the luggage a family brings. Many families use trains for city sightseeing and rent a car for hot spring or seaside stays.

Osaka Prefecture has many indoor attractions, including the Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, so it's easy to plan for rainy weather. For things to do inside the hotel, 47 hotels offer kids' programs or activities. Another option is a hotel like Hotel Okura Kobe, which has a kids' room and a pool that children in diapers can use.

98 hotels have toddler menus, and 121 accommodate allergies. If you'd like to eat without worrying about those around you, 72 serve meals in your room, and 74 have private or semi-private dining rooms. Some hotels, such as Nanki Shirahama Marriott Hotel, also let you bring baby food and will warm it for you.

For a seaside resort stay, summer in Wakayama Prefecture and on Awaji Island is popular, while spring and fall, with their mild weather, are favorites for city strolling. In winter, hot spring hotels such as those at Kinosaki Onsen and Arima Onsen are a popular choice. City areas can get very hot in summer, so if you're traveling with small children, it's a good idea to plan more time at indoor attractions or at your hotel.