Kyūshū
In a word: gorgeous. Also: rambling and minimalist, with 100-year-old woodwork, a pine garden and Karatsu-yaki pottery for your in-room seafood meals. Koi…
Must-see hotels in Kyūshū
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Fukuoka
It's anyone's guess what the name means, but 'style' is indeed the byword at this sleek designer hotel. You could easily imagine yourself poolside in…
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Kyūshū
Visiting dignitaries might stay in the sumptuous, 40-room Rikyū wing, but those of more modest means can splurge on the less expensive of Hakusuikan's 164…
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Kyūshū
Deep in the gorge, this romantic riverside ryokan is worth the 1.5km trip from the town centre for peace and pampering. Seven atmospheric common baths (in…
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Beppu
In a former Meiji-period curative spa, this intimate, dark-wood ryokan makes great use of Beppu's healing waters. Rooms (some with beds, others with…
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Kyūshū
This lovely, family-run traditional ryokan is nestled among cypress and bamboo. A variety of onsen make it a lovely spot for dippers, and one of the…
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Beppu
In-room onsen with water views, gorgeous common baths, savvy contemporary design, excellent restaurants and oodles of personal service make this Beppu's…
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Kyūshū
This cheerful, busy resort is the place to stay, especially with kids in tow. English-speaking staff are welcoming, and there's a large family-friendly…
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Kyūshū
Gracious and friendly, this modern minshuku is a one-stop shop: a place to stay, a (guests-only) bar, a lunchtime cafe and a surf-rental outlet (boards…
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Kyūshū
This friendly onsen hotel boasts some excellent facilities, including mountain-view rooms (mostly Japanese style), coin laundry, and English-speaking…
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Kyūshū
Crisp, comfy and contemporary, this stylish new hotel sits behind a black-box facade. Most of its 68 rooms are Western style (twin-bed rooms are…
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Fukuoka
The 3m-tall sculpture of a cat in a diving suit standing guard outside is your first clue that this place is not like the others. Spanking-new, 164-bed,…
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Kyūshū
There's atmosphere aplenty in these dozen thatched-roof huts with Japanese rooms, sink and toilet surrounding a beautiful rotemburo. The antique-filled,…
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Nagasaki
This magnificent old-school ryokan has been in business since 1894. Offering shippoku-ryōri (Nagasaki-style kaiseki) and personalised service, Sakamoto-ya…
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Beppu
This sprawling, family-run 1930s inn has wonderfully preserved Japanese rooms and well-chosen art and furnishings evoking periods from art deco to today…
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Kyūshū
Fukudaya is a hip, stylish onsen hotel mixing Western and Japanese decor. The rooms with private rotemburo are gorgeous, with milky water and decks…
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Aoshima Fisherman's Beachside Hostel & Spa
Kyūshū
If this spanking-new, oceanfront hostel is the way things are going, that's an excellent sign. Built of Miyazaki cedar, its modern campus offers two dorms…
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Kagoshima
Just outside Tenmonkan and across from a park, this family-owned inn traces its history to 1904, though the current building has a mid-20th-century feel,…
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Nagasaki
This commendably friendly 28-bed hostel sets the standard, with bright, clean Japanese-style rooms with Western-style bedding and bathrooms, uber-helpful…
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Fukuoka
This charmingly creaky, unpretentious Taishō-era ryokan is a historic landmark, pleasantly faded and focused on a small garden with a stone lantern. All…
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Kyūshū
Unzen's jigoku make a dramatic backdrop for this eye-popping, ultra-luxe 'mountain resort', renovated in 2018 in the centre of the village. Behind the…
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Kumamoto
Pride of place goes to this upmarket hotel overlooking the castle, with professional, friendly service, a beamed lobby ceiling inspired by its namesake,…
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Kyūshū
The lobby is ageing, but the 53 well-maintained rooms (mostly Japanese style, with private facilities) are a great deal. The rotemburo (outdoor bath) is…
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ANA Holiday Inn Resort Miyazaki
Kyūshū
This shiny white, semi-cylindrical, beachfront tower with glass elevators has ocean-view rooms and onsen above the treetops (day use ¥1050). Low-season…
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Kyūshū
This towering hotel has two buildings: the west wing, and the more recently remodelled east wing (with room prices ¥2000 to ¥3000 more per person). Even…
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Fukuoka
Its rates aren't the cheapest in town and its rooms are pretty cramped, but that doesn't tell the whole story. The Dormy Inn has a natural onsen (hot…
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Kyūshū
The exquisite 2nd- and 9th-floor rotemburo of this upmarket beachfront ryokan have expansive views and a lovely relaxation garden. There's a broad range…
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Kagoshima
Clean and compact, this five-storey hostel is very convenient to the ferry docks, which is useful if you're planning a trip to Sakurajima. Separate-gender…
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Kyūshū
Cheap it isn't, but how often can you stay in a samurai house? This large (100 sq metre) former castle guard house has been renovated in Japanese…
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Kyūshū
Choose a colourful yukata (cotton kimono) at check-in to wander this giant, recently renovated resort hotel with expansive indoor and outdoor onsen. A few…
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Yufuin Country Road Youth Hostel
Kyūshū
John Denver fans will love staying here on a forested hillside overlooking the town. Especially pretty at night, this first-rate 25-bed hostel has its own…
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Fukuoka
Don't be put off by the windowless, colonnaded facade of burnt-orange stone and copper-green rebar. The lobby is as glossy as black lipstick, and the 62…
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Beppu
There's new-wave decor at this hostel, which is spread over two buildings about a two-minute walk from each other. There's an English-speaking staff, a…
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Kagoshima
At this hotel in Tenmonkan, rooms are business-hotel-size but futuristic in style and amenities, with custom-designed beds, fluffy white duvets, massage…
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Kyūshū
For the no-holds-barred Yufuin splurge, look no further. From Kinrin-ko, enter the kayabuki (thatched-roof) gate to this campus of craftsman-style wooden…
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Kyūshū
The designers of this 1935 luxury hotel clearly had a Swiss chalet in mind. A destination in itself, with lots of history on the walls, this landmark…
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Kyūshū
Opened in 2017 by a friendly former Tokyoite, this humble guesthouse across the street from Hirado's ferry port shows its Taishō-era roots in quirky…
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Kyūshū
Less than 500m from Aso Station, this lovely, rustic ryokan in a 300-year-old samurai house has modern touches and a tree-lined setting. Its 12 rooms have…
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Fukuoka
Location, location and location are reasons enough to stay here in trendy Daimyō, and this hotel gives you easy access from business-hotel-size rooms that…
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Fukuoka
The Life has a super-central location between Hakata Station and Canal City (and a soon-to-open subway stop), making this 130-bed hostel an easy base for…
