Super Hotel Gotemba No.1

Two minutes by car from Gotemba IC on the Shin-Tomei, with an onsen and free breakfast

Super Hotel Gotemba No.1 is a 100-room business hotel about 2 minutes by car from Gotemba IC on the Shin-Tomei Expressway and about 10 minutes by car from JR Gotemba Station. Mount Fuji is visible from the site, and there is free parking for 70 cars, first-come, first-served, with no reservation required. It suits families who want to keep lodging costs down while using the hotel as a base for driving to attractions around Gotemba such as Gotemba Premium Outlets, Fuji Safari Park and Fuji Speedway. Its Rakuten Travel rating is 4.16 out of 5 (1,475 reviews). At every hotel in the Super Hotel chain, co-sleeping is free for children under school age.

The key point: each room holds a maximum of 2 guests, young children included

Before you consider a stay with children, you need to know the occupancy rule. Rooms here hold a maximum of 2 people, and babies and young children who co-sleep are not charged but still count toward that number. In other words, two adults plus one baby cannot share a single room. There are two practical options: a trip for one parent and one child, or, for a family of four, splitting into two rooms with one parent and one child in each. Most rooms are the Super Room (capacity 1 to 2 guests, including young children), which has a loft bed stacked above a double bed - something children enjoy much like a bunk bed. If your group does not fit, the nearby No.2 building has rooms with larger capacity and is worth considering.

The natural onsen Okumi no Yu, with men's and women's hours alternating

The hotel's natural onsen, Okumi no Yu, is a hypotonic, mildly alkaline simple onsen. It is gentle on the skin, and is said to help with joint pain and recovery from fatigue. There is a single bathing area, used by men and women in alternating time slots: men from 3 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. and from 10 p.m. to 6:30 a.m., and women from 7 p.m. to 9:45 p.m. and from 6:45 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. These times are a guide and may change. If you are traveling as a family, plan for each parent to bathe at a different time. Guest rooms have an en-suite bathroom as well, so bathing a young child in the room is another option.

A free breakfast buffet, and a welcome bar in the evening

Breakfast is a health-focused buffet with salads made from seasonal organic vegetables and a wide variety of breads, free for all staying guests. It is served from 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. Monday through Saturday, and from 6:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. on Sundays and public holidays. The lobby also runs a Welcome Bar with free alcoholic and soft drinks, and children can join in with the soft drinks. Guest rooms have a kettle, a refrigerator and a toilet with a bidet seat, and humidifiers are available to borrow. A coin laundry, bicycles to borrow and delivery service from pizza restaurants, Mos Burger and others all support longer stays and room-only stays.

Staying here with children

Check-in is from 3 p.m. to midnight, and checkout is at 10 a.m. Pajamas are two-piece sets in size S and one-size-fits-all; there are no children's sizes, so bringing pajamas for your child is the safer choice. As a cost-conscious hotel for the night before or after a day out - one night in Gotemba, then on to the safari park or the outlets - it is easy to use, as long as you understand the occupancy rule.