Azumi Setoda review: A lovingly restored family home in Japan's best hidden gem
From the cypress bathtubs to the peaceful garden, Azumi Setoda pays homage to Japanese culture
Highlights
- Fantastic location
- Sustainable approach to hospitality
- Traditional onsen
- Local ingredients highlighted in restaurant
- Embraces Japanese culture
- Friendly and approachable staff
- Beautiful garden
- Bicycle rental
Azumi Setoda Review
A lovingly restored ryokan, Azumi Setoda is a slice of rural Japanese history, perfectly placed for travellers attempting the Shimanami Kaido cycle.
Based in a 140-year-old family home with just 22 guestrooms, Azumi Setoda offers an intimate stay. Guests are greeted with a delicious orange juice or mimosa, made using the Setouchi region’s famously tasty oranges.
The restored ryokan once belonged to the Horiuchi family, influential salt barons who hired Japan’s finest craftsmen to build their home. Over 100 years later, the property’s original features shine through while the hotel’s design team have taken care that contemporary updates complement the building’s history.
Each guest room has a private outdoor area while the property also has a beautiful communal Japanese garden, an oasis of peace during the day. The rooms are classically Japanese with cypress bathtubs, screen doors and futon-style beds.
Guests are able to use the hotel’s public bathhouse, located just across the road, for a traditional onsen experience. The Horiuchi Family were known for giving generously to the local community and the hotel’s team are keen to continue their legacy by also opening the bathhouse to local residents.
Dining is a special experience at Azumi Setoda in an open-plan restaurant overlooking the garden. The show-stopping dinner menu showcases local ingredients from the Setouchi region while breakfast reverentially recreates a traditional Japanese family meal.
The Rooms
Rating: 5/5
Azumi Setoda has four types of rooms, each with its own private outdoor area, in the form of a small garden or balcony. Two-storey rooms are suitable for three guests. We checked into a Suzumi double room, on the second floor of the property.
Crafted from cedar, cypress and granite, the room is a contemporary reimagining of a traditional ryokan. Guests are provided slippers and flip-flops at the door as shoes are a strict no-no in Japanese hotels. The king-sized bed is slightly raised from the floor, with a large sofa at the foot of the bed to use during the day.
A fine dining experience with a difference, the restaurant’s menu centres on vegetables grown in the Setouchi region
A huge wardrobe and desk provide plenty of space for unpacking while the bathroom is separated from the bedroom by a sliding screen door. The bath is a highlight, a deep cypress tub by the window to create an outdoor-style bathing experience.
His and her's sinks sit in a separate area of the room while the toilet is a traditional Japanese design, bidet style with a heated seat.
Azumi Setoda’s team are passionate about sustainable hospitality and this is reflected in the large-size luxury toiletries which are refilled to avoid wastage.
The Spa
How does Azumi Setoda compare to other luxury hotels?
Rating 5/5
Azumi Setoda doesn’t have a traditional spa, but its public bathhouse offers guests a quintessential Japanese experience.
The hotel’s onsen is just across the street and it’s also open to local residents. Free of charge for guests, the onsen has an indoor hot bath, cold bath and sauna.
Guests can pick up towels at the entrance to the onsen and each hotel room has a basket to store belongings.
The onsen is split by gender and guests will find complimentary shampoo, shower gel and conditioner as well as lockers inside.
The onsen experience might seem a little daunting for Brits as it’s compulsory to be naked in the baths. If you’re feeling nervous, the onsen is open only to hotel guests between 8 and 10pm and when we went at 9:30pm, we were the only ones there.
Beautifully decorated with tiles depicting sea creatures, each of the bathhouses' rooms is slightly different. The rooms switch between men and women each day so visit on two occasions if you’d like to see both designs.
Dining and Drinking
Rating 5/5
It might sound unusual but before you head down to dinner, check the wardrobe in your room. Each guest is provided with a traditional outfit to wear down to dinner. If you’re not sure about the toe-socks, give them a go as they’re incredibly comfortable. Don’t worry - it’s not compulsory to dress for dinner - but it’s a fun way to enhance your experience.
Azumi Setoda’s restaurant uses tableware inherited from the Horiuchi family, an affectionate reminder of the property’s history. A fine dining experience with a difference, the restaurant’s menu centres on vegetables grown in the Setouchi region.
Chef Akita visits the farms to help him design dishes which celebrate each local ingredient. We loved the chef’s signature dish, which uses every part of the carrot to create a unique and tasty masterpiece. A nine-course extravaganza, make sure to arrive hungry so you can savour the black tea blancmange, a highlight of the three desserts.
Breakfast is served from 7am and is a reimagining of the type of morning meal the Horiuchi family might have enjoyed over 140 years ago. It’s a traditional Japanese breakfast so don’t be surprised to see raw fish.
The presentation makes it almost too pretty to eat but dive in for gorgeously seasoned tofu, delicate sashimi and fresh snapper. It wouldn’t be Setouchi without oranges and the huge breakfast platter features the fruit.
If you have time, book a tea party in the hotel’s traditional azumaya, or gazebo, in the garden. A special experience, guests are surrounded by nature in the wall-less room and served small homemade treats with their tea.
Amentities
- WI-FI
- Access to bathhouse
- Mini-bar
- Family-friendly
- Bike hire
- Luxury toiletries
- Outfit for dinner
- Complimentary flip flops and slippers
- Desk area in-room
- Bluetooth speaker in room
Standort
Rating 5/5
Azumi Setoda is in the heart of Setoda town, just a five-minute walk from incredible views of the Seto inland sea. It’s ideally located for tourists cycling the Shimanaido Kaido route or exploring the region’s lemon valleys.
It’s an hour’s drive from Hiroshima Airport and an hour’s drive from Fukuyama train station, which has connections to Kyoto. Guests can also take a ferry from Mihara Port and land just five minutes from the hotel.
The hotel can arrange excursions and bike rentals for guests, and it’s also easy to explore Setoda town on foot. Azumi Setoda’s public bathhouse is just a one-minute hop across the street.
If you want to lea
Value for Money
Rates start from £459 for two people sharing one room with breakfast included while rates start from £649 for dinner included as well. Find rooms and book direct on Azumi Setoda.
Or compare rates and prices for a stay at Azumi Setoda on Booking.com or Hotels.com.
Final Verdict
Azumi Setoda is a beautiful hotel which embraces its building’s history to create a unique and special experience for guests.
The hotel’s small size, family-inspired breakfast and welcoming team invite guests to become a part of the Horiuchi household.
Azumi’s focus on local ingredients celebrates Japan’s breathtaking Setouchi region in a sustainable hospitality experience. The dining is really world-class and it’s clear how much thought has gone into each dish.
Azumi Setoda’s bathhouse is a really special amenity which offers tourists a luxurious glimpse into traditional Japanese life.
From the cypress bathtubs to the peaceful garden, Azumi Setoda pays homage to Japanese culture and it’s a real treat to stay in a building that’s been an integral part of the community for more than a century.