Grand Mercure Awaji Island Resort & Spa

The lobby and views felt five-star, but the dated rooms were more like three-star. They’re likely to feel crowded and noisy on public holidays, and expect to wait for things like elevators and meals. A lot of the buffet food was good and pretty typical for an all-inclusive resort, though I didn’t think the price was justified. I expected nicer rooms; APA is usually more up to date.

We were two adults with our one-year-old son. It was crowded and there were queues for everything, as other reviews mentioned. The food was decent, and my son enjoyed the kids’ corner. But the hotel’s rule about pillows left me feeling that my son wasn’t treated as a person. We chose a tatami room because it seemed more suitable for a toddler. Since we paid for two adults, I expected two futon sets. I called the front desk to ask for an extra pillowcase because there were two spare pillows in the closet. I wanted to use it to keep my son from rolling away while asleep, and an extra pillow is useful for breastfeeding. The staff member lectured me that since we booked for two adults and the toddler wasn’t paying, the tatami-room rule meant we couldn’t use an extra pillow. I explained we weren’t asking for another futon and that adults sometimes request extra pillows too. He said it wasn’t allowed at the hotel. Two minutes later, he called back and said we could have an extra pillowcase if we paid for a third person. They also don’t provide a crib. I found the rule ridiculous. Later, I went to the desk to collect a towel set for my son, and the same person kept checking whether I needed “extra towels.” I don’t know if those cost extra too. I had to point out that our room only had two sets and I wasn’t going to share mine with my son. Maybe he thought I’d used the towels as a pillowcase, which I swear I didn’t. The resort says it’s family-friendly, but I didn’t feel my son was treated like a human being. It felt like they expected him to stay invisible the whole time.

The Classic Junior Room worked well for our family of five, with two single beds and four futons, though the sofa wasn’t comfortable. My first choice of hotel couldn’t fit all of us, so finding Grand Mercure Awaji Island was a relief. Rezki, an Indonesian staff member, was especially helpful, if I got the name right. The hotel sits on a hill overlooking the sea at the southern tip of the island, with plenty of parking. It’s a short drive to the jetty for the Whirlpools Cruise to see the Naruto Whirlpool. I’d suggest doing northern stops like Nijigen no Mori theme park and Hanasajiki before heading south. The large onsen bath was a pleasure every evening after coming back. They also had good snacks and drinks at noon and in the afternoon, including draft wine, sparkling wine, and beer. Buffet bookings can be tricky in peak season, but they’ve added a QR code queue for tables to reduce waiting. It was a little confusing, and the Japanese-speaking staff did their best to explain.

The rooms were tidy, and the staff were friendly and helpful. The hotel is isolated, with no supermarket nearby, and the coffee and juice service times didn’t seem to account for how far it is from the shopping mall. Breakfast runs from 7 to 9, and the last check-in is 9:30, which felt like a short window. After we explained this, the staff brought us coffee and said they were ready to serve coffee and juice at any time.