Azumi Setoda

一個沒有可挑剔但沒啥可驚喜的平淡奢華酒店？

We stayed for 2 short nights at this small fabulous hotel. All the communication pre check in and after check in was professional and helpful. The hotel has been most magnificently and tastefully renovated. Arriving for breakfast at the most peaceful setting was a highlight of our trip to Japan. The 10 course dinner at their restaurant was outstanding and highly recommended. The rooms were beautiful. We all had the best nights sleep and we appreciated them accommodating our 10 year olds upstairs. The cycle tour they arranged for us was amazing and the entire family loved it. Our only complaint was that our stay was too short. We enjoyed the slower pace this brought to our busy 3 week trip.

My husband and i stayed at Azumi Setoda for one night as we came to the island to do some cycling. What a high end establishment, a jewel near the riverbank of this quiet village. The quality of the workmanship and material used to renovate this family mansion is outstanding. The attention to details is second to none. We were warmly welcomed and can only highly recommend this ryokan. We had diner at a nearby restaurant called Tan Tan as recommended by the lady on reception and had a very nice dinner. Breakfast Kaiseki style, simply wonderful.

We stayed here for 2 nights after a week of Kyoto and Kurashiki. It was a wonderful contrast in its serenity and quiet. We needed a place to rest and we had a restful stay. The staff, especially Mizukami San, were kind attentive and efficient! The food at the hotel and the next door restaurant Tantan was marvellous. The sake was some of the best we have had! And my Japanese breakfast was excellent and my husband enjoyed his western breakfast! Our room was quiet with a lovely cedar bath which I used both days! And hotel is small but lovely with a gorgeous Japanese garden. I am only giving it 4/5 because the Onsen was not in the hotel! It was half a second walk, right across the street but I can see why some people would prefer a hotel Onsen. We really enjoyed our stay! Do not forget to drink the orange juice. Delicious and a good remedy after a long night of sake drinking!

We visited in April 2024 as a family as part of our cycling trip across Shimanami route from Imabari to Onomichi. The place is originally a local salt merchant’s house, which is beautifully renovated to create a space which preserves the traditional Japanese aesthetic but it’s stunning. Chef Akita prepared the French style course dinner using local ingredients, which was both exquisite and healthy. While this place is clearly targeting an upscale clientele, the wonderful thing about it is that you can just relax in the home wear provided by the hotel and go for breakfasts and dinners straight after bath. That means that cyclists don’t have to carry fancy wear and simply relax! While we primarily communicated in Japanese, staff seem proficient in English as well (and Chef Akita also proficient in French). We recommend this place very highly.

Japan seaside hotel 3 1/2 hours drive from Osaka Kansai airport. Azumi Setoda is a block from the Western edge of the Ikuchi island, in a meticulously converted house that belonged to a saltpan owner Horiuchi 140 years ago. The hotel is a tribute to Japanese craftsmenship, I loved everything, even the little wooden hooks in the bathroom. Food is fresh & locally sourced and served on Horiuchi family’s tableware. Azumi is in a neighborhood with cute shops & cafes, temples & caves, & the Ikuo Hirayama museum. The hotel is manned by a team that is used to dealing with international travelers, including the GM that used to work at Aman hotels, but I love how Azumi and the shops next door, SOIL Setoda as well as Overview coffee, are part of the town’s effort to revive the community that has been slowly hallowing out. The Azumi bathhouse, Yubune, is opened to the community, and guests from Azumi are given a map to encourage visits to the shops nearby. This was my first visit to the Setouchi region, and Azumi was the perfect ambassador.