Suzuka Circuit Hotel

When we arrived at the hotel, I realized I'd left my passport in the rental car from Kyoto. I was extremely frustrated, but Hirata at the lobby was incredibly kind and patient. He checked us in, looked after our luggage, and helped us stay calm. He then called the rental company, which only spoke Japanese, and arranged for them to mail my passport to our next hotel. He made sure it was all taken care of, speaking gently and treating us with so much warmth. I haven't had service like that at any of the other hotels I've stayed at, including five-star places. When everything is going smoothly, good service is nice, but it really matters when something goes wrong, especially just after arriving somewhere new. Highly recommend this hotel for you and your family.

The park passports are a little odd: you can get in 15min early, but the attractions open 15min later, so that head start just means waiting at the front of the line. The hotel and rooms are nice but nothing fancy, and dinner and the buffet are decent.

I love Japanese Suzuka Circuit Hotel, my favorite person, to son Terry Ray Fuller 🤗 🇯🇵 💴

We really want to come back soon. If you're visiting the Suzuka Amusement Park next door, this place is a must. Hotel guests get discounted park tickets and a special entrance, and there's an on-demand shuttle if needed, though the park is only about a 2-minute walk from the front entrance. The room was huge for a "Main Superior Room": two giant beds, a giant couch, and a long ledge that worked as a place to put our things. The bidet toilet was separate from the shower room. They even had a kiddie toothbrush, cup, and slippers for my son, plus face cleanser, toner, and lotion. We were in the "main" building. We were unsure about the buffet price, but it was worth it. There aren't food options nearby on foot or by transit unless you're willing to take a taxi. For that price, we wouldn't get this quality of buffet back home in Canada. We booked dinner from 7:30pm-10pm and breakfast from 7:00am-10am, which worked well because my 3yr old crashed from 5-7pm after a sunny day of fun. Be on time: food service ends 15min before the buffet period ends. They start cleaning up then, though you can finish what's on your plate. Staff explain this when you sit down, with a printout in several languages. There's a wide range of food for all ages: Japanese, Chinese, Italian, Indian, and Western. We had pizza, a fresh ramen station, dumplings, butter chicken, and carved steak. A chef made me risotto with parm cheese from a huge wheel. There were baby food jars and solid food packs for little ones too, plus unlimited self-serve soft drinks, coffee, tea, and juice. My favorites were the little pudding cups with a layer of congealed sugar syrup (?) on top, and the slowly braised Japanese curry with rice. The onsen is in a separate building from the main one and the other residences, but it's only about a minute from the main building's back entrance. You can walk there in your room robe and slippers, and there are lockers for clothes. Hotel guests don't need reservations, and it's open very early and very late. Bring your room key pass for entry. Once inside, use it to enter, store your shoes in a shoe locker, and take that key to the women's or men's doorway. After undressing, put your clothes and shoe locker key away, then take the wrist-chain locker key. Wash at the stations, where they have shampoo, conditioner, body soap, and more, before getting into the pools. One is steamy hot at about 40C, the other warm at 37C. After soaking, rinse again, take a towel from the changing room shelf, and use the hair dryer and face or skin care lotions at the mirror. You can take your kids with you. I saw child chairs and baby seats in the changing room. The welcome package has the rules, but as I remember it, a child of any gender can go with either parent, while kids aged 7+ must go with a same-gender parent. So a 7-year-old boy can't go with his mom. I went around 9:30pm and there were only about three other adult women, no kids. 😎 The dinner and breakfast buffets are a must. Checking out was the saddest part, and we regret not booking at least two nights. The staff were so wonderful that they even called us a taxi to Shiroko station. From there, we went back to Nagoya stn so we could take the bullet train to Tokyo. Thanks again, Suzuka hotel staff!