GLAMP ELEMENT

Shiga Prefecture's first 'Welcome Baby Inn' certification

GLAMP ELEMENT is a glamping resort inside Green Park Santo in Maibara, Shiga Prefecture. It was the first facility in Shiga Prefecture to be certified as a 'Welcome Baby Inn' by the Mikihouse Child-Rearing Research Institute, and its support for families traveling with babies ranks among the most thorough in the country.

The 'Baby Plan' with more than 20 kinds of baby items

Families traveling with a baby or small child (infant or toddler) can switch their Premium Cabin (capacity 4, about 71 sq m) to the 'Baby Plan.' The Baby Plan is limited to Premium Cabins and to a maximum of two cabins per day, so early booking is recommended. It provides baby food (manma Shiki no Rinyushoku, two meals for dinner and breakfast; offered for babies aged 5 to 11 months), a baby tableware set, a bottle sterilizer, a formula-mixing pot, a bottle sponge and baby detergent, a baby bib, a nursing cushion, hand/mouth and bottom wipes, a diaper trash can, a step stool for the washroom, a baby chair (adjustable height and footrest), a baby gate, joint mats, a baby life jacket, toys (picture books, a push walker, building blocks), a teepee tent, a baby bath and baby bath mat, bathroom toys, low-irritant body soap for children usable from infancy, a duck thermometer, and a folding toilet-training seat, among more than 20 items. A crib (including a mosquito-net crib for the terrace), powdered formula, and diapers are also available on request.

With all of this on hand, you can travel with a baby while leaving behind most of the bulky baby gear that usually weighs down family trips. A humidifier is also lent out free of charge. Children aged 0-1 are free of charge and not counted toward occupancy, and strollers may be brought in.

Meals tiered to a child's age

Both dinner and breakfast are served on your room's deck, with a concierge handling everything from preparation and cooking to cleanup. Since you eat as a family without worrying about others around you, there's no need to panic if a child gets fussy (the deck has a roof, so meals work even in rain).

Meals are tiered by age: children aged 5 to 12 get a kids' menu (a seasonal rotation such as lasagna-style gratin, mini hamburger steak, large fried shrimp, and dinosaur-shaped chicken), while children under school age aged 2 to 4 can choose an optional toddler plate (2,400 yen for each of breakfast and dinner, featuring items such as meatballs, penne cheese gratin, fried chicken, and smiley-face potatoes). Toddlers are not normally included in a set meal, so families either share an adult's or elementary schooler's meal or add the toddler plate. Allergies are handled individually if you contact the resort in advance.

Natural grass to run around on, a sandbox, and a 100-meter slide a minute's walk away

The grounds, a former golf course, are covered in natural grass, an environment where a child's fall is less likely to result in a serious injury. Activities are included in the room rate: a sandbox with sand-play items and play equipment, the 100-meter 'Dragon Slider' near the facility (free), a private canoe fitted to every accommodation unit, natural-grass putting golf, and kid-friendly Ogo Sports and Molkky. Also within the same Green Park Santo grounds is Forest Adventure Maibara, which has a zip line and a suspension bridge (discount tickets available).

All-inclusive stays and the practicalities of bathing

This is an all-inclusive stay: meals, drinks (an all-you-can-drink menu of 120+ items), activities, and the communal bath are all covered by the room rate alone. The communal bath is not on the resort grounds itself - guests use 'Bihada no Yu,' about a minute's walk away (the usage fee is included in the room rate). In-room bathing varies by cabin type: Villa and Premium Cabin units have a toilet and bath (the Villa's is a spacious jacuzzi bath), Raindrop and Twin Dome units have a toilet and shower room, and Lotus Tent and White Dome guests use the shared shower/toilet building. The Premium Cabin used for the Baby Plan has a bathroom with a washing area where you can bathe together with your child. It is heated bathwater, not an onsen. It is not stated whether children who are not yet toilet-trained may use the communal bath, so please confirm with the facility in advance.

Occupancy counts start at age 5; children aged 4 and under are not counted toward the room's capacity (though beds are limited to the counted capacity). The Villa sleeps 6, Raindrop sleeps 2, and other room types sleep 4. Raindrop, however, is limited to one co-sleeping infant/toddler. Fireworks are prohibited on the resort grounds, but hand-held fireworks are allowed on the dirt grounds of the adjoining Green Park Santo (until 10 p.m.).