12 Hoshino Resorts for Families, Compared by Baby Gear and Kids' Facilities
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A lot of families feel like they can't go too wrong just by checking out Hoshino Resorts when choosing a family hotel. In reality, though, Hoshino Resorts' brands each have a clearly defined role, and how family-friendly a given property is varies quite a bit. If you're traveling with kids, the first thing worth knowing about is RISONARE, their brand built specifically for families.
Here, we've sorted the Hoshino Resorts properties listed on Kids Stay by type, from a family-travel point of view. Click any hotel's name to jump to its detail page.
hotelOur pick
It has a year-round indoor pool, "Il Mare," so kids can play whatever the season. Childcare is available, and baby food is provided free of charge at dinner and breakfast.
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The First 5 to Consider: RISONARE
RISONARE is Hoshino Resorts' family-focused brand, and many of its properties offer kids' play areas, pools, childcare, and more. Its strength is that it holds up regardless of the weather or your child's age.
RISONARE Atami: Indoor Activities and Childcare, Rain or Shine
Hoshino Resorts RISONARE Atami is a family resort set on high ground overlooking Sagami Bay in Atami. It's built specifically for families, with a climbing wall, ball pit, kids' pool, and a childcare service. Baby food is provided free of charge at dinner and breakfast, and you can also use the 2nd Room, which is equipped with a microwave and an electric kettle for making formula. It's about 15 minutes from JR Atami Station by free shuttle bus, and within the Atami area, it's one property where you can spend a whole day without worrying about the weather.
RISONARE Yatsugatake: An Indoor Pool You Can Enjoy Year-Round
Hoshino Resorts RISONARE Yatsugatake is anchored by its year-round indoor pool, "Il Mare". There's also a hot spring called "Mokumoku-yu, " an indoor play area, a crib, baby food, and childcare, so kids can play regardless of the season. You can also enjoy a stroll down "Piiman Dori" (Green Pepper Street), a 160-meter street that recreates a Southern European mountain town, making this an easy base for exploring the Yatsugatake area.
RISONARE Nasu: Net Play Equipment and Farm Experiences
Hoshino Resorts RISONARE Nasu is an agritourism resort where kids can enjoy net play equipment and a ball pit in "POKO POKO, " an indoor facility with a ceiling about 10 meters high, along with hands-on farming experiences. Alongside childcare, it has sulfur hot springs that rise at the foot of Mount Chausu, making it a great fit for families who want to be active outdoors.
RISONARE Tomamu: Wave Pool, Snow, and a Sea of Clouds
Hoshino Resorts RISONARE Tomamu is an all-suite property where every room is at least 100 square meters. Each season brings experiences far removed from everyday life, including a wave pool called "Minamina Beach" (open only during the green season from late April to early November, and closed in winter), the Unkai (Sea of Clouds) Terrace, and snow play in winter. Baby gear here is especially thorough too, with in-room items such as a crib, diaper trash bin, toilet seat adapter, baby chair, and bottle sterilizing case, free baby food (from 5 months), and childcare that accepts babies from 5 months, which is reassuring if you're traveling with a baby.
RISONARE Kohamajima: All-Villa Living on a Yaeyama Island
Hoshino Resorts RISONARE Kohamajima is an island resort of 60 villas on Kohama Island in the Yaeyama chain. It has a beach pool, a lagoon pool, and a kids' studio, plus rentals such as a crib or baby futon, a stroller, and a baby bath, and preschoolers stay free when sharing a bed. It's a great fit for families who want to take it slow on one of the Yaeyama islands.
For a Relaxed Stay by the Sea, on a Remote Island, or in Nature
Iriomote Hotel: Thorough Baby Support on a World Natural Heritage Island
Iriomote Hotel by Hoshino Resorts is an eco-tourism resort on Iriomote Island, a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site. It offers crib rental (limited quantity) and baby food, and the restaurant has kids' bibs, cutlery, and high chairs. The beach is about 30 seconds from the hotel. Nature tours that kids can join, plus free stays for children up to age 6 sharing a bed with parents, are welcome perks for families. It's an easy property to shortlist in the Iriomote area if you're traveling with a baby.
Hoshinoya Taketomi: A Special Kind of Island Time, Lived Rather Than Toured
Hoshinoya Taketomi is an island resort with 48 detached villas scattered across the grounds. It has a year-round pool and restaurant, allows children under 12 to share a bed with parents, and lets you reserve kids' amenities in advance. Rather than a resort built around active play, it suits families with slightly older children who want to spend a quiet stretch of time "living" on the island rather than just sightseeing.
BEB5 Okinawa Seragaki: A Year-Round Pool and Kitchen Rooms for an Easygoing Stay
BEB5 Okinawa Seragaki by Hoshino Resorts is a hotel in Onna Village on the west coast of Okinawa's main island, part of BEB, Hoshino Resorts' casual brand. Every room has a kitchen and a washer-dryer, and you take your shoes off at the room entrance. The guests-only outdoor pool is open year-round, and the hotel says children who aren't yet out of diapers can swim if they wear swim diapers (none are provided, so bring your own). Children up to age 6 stay free when sharing a bed. There's no restaurant on site; instead, you eat at the 24-hour café lounge, which keeps the whole stay relaxed.
For Hot Springs or Exploring Town on Foot
Aomoriya: Nebuta-Themed Rooms and a Garden Open-Air Bath
Hoshino Resorts Aomoriya is a hot-spring hotel where themed rooms filled with Nebuta festival touches and "Ukiyu, " an open-air bath that seems to float on a pond, let you enjoy Aomori culture. Thoughtful touches for families with young children include a crib, baby bath, baby food, a diaper trash bin, late checkout, and seasonal activities such as horse-drawn carriage rides and vegetable picking.
OMO5 Kanazawa Katamachi: Experience Kanazawa Culture in the City
OMO5 Kanazawa Katamachi by Hoshino Resorts is a city-center base in Katamachi, one of Kanazawa's main downtown districts. Staff-guided neighborhood activities let you explore the city of Kanazawa on foot with your kids. Stroller rental is available too, making this a good match for a sightseeing-focused family trip.
Bandaisan Onsen Hotel: Hot Springs and Direct Slope Access Make It a Winter Standout
Bandaisan Onsen Hotel by Hoshino Resorts is a highland hot-spring hotel overlooking Lake Inawashiro. It offers plenty for the whole family to join in on, including the "Shurei no Yu" bath with a shallow area in the tub, a buffet where kids can pick Aizu local dishes themselves, and the nightly "Aibase! Odoransho" dance event. The ski area connected directly to the hotel has 33 runs, making it a base for skiing and snow play in winter. Preschoolers stay free when sharing a bed, and a crib, baby bath, and diaper trash bin are available to borrow.
Karuizawa Hotel Bleston Court: Quiet Days in a Forest Cottage
Hoshino Resorts Karuizawa Hotel Bleston Court is a cottage-style resort with 39 rooms, set in the Karuizawa forest. Preschoolers stay free when sharing a bed, and crib rental is free as well. There's a nursing room, and the hotel can provide baby food made without the seven major allergens or warm up baby food you bring yourself. There's no large public bath on site, but guests can use the neighboring Hoshino Onsen Tombo-no-Yu for free. The main dining room's French cuisine is for elementary school age and up, so if you're traveling with babies or toddlers, it's a good idea to check your meal options in advance.
Choosing a Hoshino Resorts Property for a Three-Generation Trip
For grandparents and grandchildren to both enjoy the same trip, the key is balancing rooms and meals where the grandparents can relax with play spaces where the grandkids can burn off energy. With Hoshino Resorts, it gets easier to choose if you think about these two needs separately, matching each to what a given property does best. For how to plan a three-generation trip as a whole, see our three-generation travel feature.
For Grandparents: Japanese-Style Rooms, Hot Springs, and Easy Meals
If you want the grandparents to relax, tatami rooms, hot springs, and easy meals are what make the difference.
Hoshino Resorts Aomoriya is a hot-spring hotel centered on Japanese-style rooms. The "Washitsu Azumashi" room is 43 square meters and sleeps 1 to 4 guests, and the "Azumashi Japanese-Western Room" sleeps 1 to 5, so grandparents and grandkids can comfortably share one room. Both breakfast and dinner are served at "Noresore Shokudo, " a buffet restaurant styled like an old farmhouse, and you can also enjoy "Ukiyu, " the open-air bath that seems to float on the garden pond.
Bandaisan Onsen Hotel by Hoshino Resorts stands out for its "Shurei no Yu" bath, which has a shallow area in the tub. You can lie back or sit and soak just to the waist, so grandparents and grandkids alike can enjoy the water without strain. Dinner and breakfast are an Aizu local cuisine buffet, where kids can choose freshly made soba noodles and wappa-meshi (rice steamed in a wooden box) themselves.
For Grandkids: Play Spaces and Spacious Rooms
If you want the grandkids to tire themselves out, a RISONARE with play spaces that don't depend on the weather is a strong candidate.
Hoshino Resorts RISONARE Yatsugatake centers on "Il Mare, " its year-round indoor pool. The main pool ranges from 0 to 140 cm deep, and there's also a kids' area with 7 play features.
Hoshino Resorts RISONARE Tomamu has only suites, each over 100 square meters, and rooms for 4 or more guests have separate bedrooms. Even with grandparents and grandkids adding to your headcount, there's enough space that it rarely feels cramped.
Hoshino Resorts RISONARE Nasu has net play equipment and a ball pit in "POKO POKO, " with a ceiling about 10 meters high, so kids can play even on rainy days. The Main Building Maisonette Suite is 62 square meters and sleeps 1 to 4, with a living room on the first floor and a bedroom on the second, so the adults can enjoy some time on their own after the grandkids fall asleep.
Atami, If You Want Both in One Place
Hoshino Resorts RISONARE Atami has an indoor kids' room with a ball pit and a climbing wall, plus a pool for little ones. At the same time, it offers the "Superior Japanese-Western Room" (70 square meters, 1 to 4 guests), and its hot spring is a semi-open-air bath looking out over the sea. Covering both the grandparents' wishes and the grandkids' play in a single property is what makes it an easy choice for a three-generation trip.
If the grandparents' comfort comes first, go with Aomoriya or Bandaisan Onsen Hotel; if the grandkids' play comes first, choose a RISONARE; and if you can't decide, pick Atami. Thinking along these three lines makes it easier to narrow down your options.
Using One for a Birthday Trip
Whether a celebration cake or anniversary plan is offered differs from property to property, so the surest approach is to ask the hotel directly when you book. The weather weighs on your mind most on a birthday trip whose dates can't move, but RISONARE Yatsugatake, Atami, and Nasu, with their indoor pools and indoor play spaces, make it easier to celebrate as planned even on a rainy day.
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