Overview
Wake to an uninterrupted view of the Kitan Strait and Osaka Bay at Villa Rakuen, the all-suite wing of Hotel New Awaji on Awaji Island. Every suite faces the sea and includes its own open-air bath filled with natural Sumoto Onsen water.
Villa Rakuen gives you the space and privacy to spend much of your stay inside your suite. A Japanese room, comfortable bedroom, living and dining area, private terrace, and outdoor bath create a setting that feels more like a seaside residence than a standard hotel room.
From your terrace, you can watch fishing boats cross the water, see the sky change colour at sunrise, and soak whenever you choose. You also have access to the top-floor Sky Lounge Tenjo-no-Sajiki, shared hot spring baths with two different sources, a reservable rooftop bath, wellness treatments, and seasonal Awaji Island cuisine.
The suites range from 80.5 to 182.4 square metres and suit romantic stays, celebrations, family holidays, and trips shared across several generations.
Accommodation
Villa Rakuen has four distinct room areas: Asahi no Niwa, Umi no Niwa, Hoshi no Niwa, and Sora no Niwa. Every suite combines a tatami room, twin bedroom, living and dining space, wooden terrace, and private open-air Sumoto Onsen bath. Selected suites also include a private garden.
Asahi no Niwa occupies the fourth to sixth floors and focuses on sunrise views across the Kitan Strait. These suites were introduced and expanded between 2022 and 2024. The beds are placed side by side in a Hollywood twin arrangement, which works well for couples and families with young children.
Type M measures between 86 and 95 square metres and combines an eight-tatami Japanese room with a twin bedroom, living and dining space, and an ocean-facing terrace bath. Type N has a slightly more compact 82-square-metre layout with a six-tatami room. Ichibanboshi, the 121-square-metre Type O suite, adds a large garden terrace where you can sit outside and watch the morning light spread across the sea.
Umi no Niwa occupies the first floor and has Villa Rakuen’s largest suites. All five rooms measure more than 150 square metres and include a private garden, a wide wooden terrace, and an open-air hot spring bath close to the sea.
Waraku has a spacious 15-tatami Japanese room and an entrance ramp. Eiraku combines a six-tatami room with an extensive terrace and garden, while Kiraku has a ten-tatami room and a particularly wide outdoor deck. Kairaku has a barrier-free design with an entrance ramp and an open layout that makes moving around the suite easier. Souraku is the largest at more than 182 square metres, with a 13-tatami room, a generous garden terrace, and plenty of natural light.
Hoshi no Niwa occupies the fourth floor. Its suites have garden terraces with outdoor seating where you can look up at the evening sky. Juraku and Anraku measure between 151 and 161 square metres, while Seiraku and Meiraku measure between 121 and 125 square metres. Each has a ten-tatami room, twin bedroom, living and dining area, garden terrace, and private open-air bath.
Juraku, Anraku, Seiraku, and Meiraku are the smoking-room options within Villa Rakuen, although smoking is not permitted on their outdoor terraces. The remaining suite categories are non-smoking.
Sora no Niwa occupies the fifth to tenth floors and brings you closer to the open sky and distant horizon. These suites measure between 80 and 99 square metres and offer elevated sea views from the living space, terrace, and private bath.
Rakuten, Rakuzan, Rakuichi, and Rakuza sit on the ninth and tenth floors. Their design takes inspiration from a refined first-class cabin, with every main space facing the water. Other Sora no Niwa suites include ten-tatami rooms, twin bedrooms, dining tables, and wide terraces. Selected suites have entrance ramps for easier access.
Every suite includes free Wi-Fi, a coffee maker, an electric kettle, a minibar and refrigerator, air conditioning, a humidifying air purifier, a safe, a hairdryer, bathrobes, nightwear, and skincare items. The private bath is accompanied by a separate shower area, allowing you to prepare for your soak without stepping directly outside.
Dining
Awaji Island was historically known as Miketsukuni, a region that supplied food to Japan’s Imperial Court. Its surrounding seas, farming land, and mild climate continue to provide rich ingredients throughout the year.
Your main Villa Rakuen dining experience takes place at the large table inside your suite. You can enjoy a private Japanese kaiseki dinner without moving to a shared dining room, giving you time to talk, relax, and enjoy each course at your own pace.
Menus change with the seasons and bring together seafood from the waters around Awaji Island with local meat, vegetables, rice, and fruit. Spring may bring sakuradai, or cherry blossom sea bream, while summer is closely associated with Awaji hamo. Autumn brings momijidai, and winter is the season for three-year-old tiger puffer from the waters around the island.
Awaji Beef comes from Tajima cattle and is valued for its fine marbling, tenderness, and rich flavour. Local produce may include Awaji onions, lettuce, tomatoes, seasonal vegetables, strawberries, blueberries, and other island-grown fruit. Handmade Awaji somen noodles provide another connection with the island’s food traditions.
With a room-dining arrangement, you can also enjoy breakfast inside your suite. You may select either a Japanese breakfast or an American breakfast individually. When your stay includes restaurant dining instead, breakfast is served in the restaurant and may follow a buffet format.
For a change of setting, Bar & Dining Bar Awaji prepares island ingredients in an open kitchen and offers drinks and light meals into the evening. French Restaurant Seaside presents French cooking with views towards the water.
Onsen and Wellness
Villa Rakuen gives you access to two natural hot spring sources: Sumoto Onsen and Komoe Onsen. Your private suite bath uses Sumoto Onsen water, while the main bathing areas allow you to experience both sources.
Sumoto Onsen is an alkaline simple hot spring. The water reaches the baths without added water, although it is heated and managed through a circulation and filtration system. Its clear water feels smooth against the skin and provides a gentle soak at any time of day.
Komoe Onsen rises within the grounds and is a sodium chloride strong saline spring. The naturally cloudy, reddish water contains minerals connected with its coastal setting. It reaches the baths without added water, receives temperature adjustment, and flows continuously from the source.
Awaji Tanada-no-Yu takes inspiration from the terraced rice fields of Awaji Island. Baths sit across three levels, allowing you to look over the sea from different heights. You can soak in Sumoto Onsen, experience the red-toned Komoe Onsen, or enter Takesumi-no-Yu, a bath prepared with heat-treated Awaji bamboo charcoal. The bathing area also includes a sauna and cold-water bath.
Kuniumi-no-Yu draws its design from the Japanese creation story recorded in the Kojiki. Wood, stone, and natural textures shape the bathing area, where Sumoto Onsen and Komoe Onsen are offered alongside a jacuzzi and a reclining bath with a headrest that lets you look up at the sky. A sauna and cold-water bath complete the experience.
The men’s and women’s use of Awaji Tanada-no-Yu and Kuniumi-no-Yu changes between evening and morning. By visiting at different times, you can experience both bath designs during your stay.
You can also walk through the connected seaside corridor to Tenkyu-no-Shizuku at Awaji Yumesenkei. The route remains within the connected resort complex, although part of the corridor is outdoors. This additional bathing area expands your hot spring circuit with more indoor and open-air baths facing the sea.
Yumefusen sits around 50 metres above sea level at the highest bathing point in Sumoto Onsen. Seven cypress open-air baths can be reserved for private use. During the day, you can look across the sea; in the evening, you can bathe beneath the moon and stars; and in the morning, you may see the sun rise over the water. Each reserved session lasts 50 minutes.
Hinemosu-tei is a rooftop foot bath overlooking Osaka Bay and the Kitan Strait. A spacious wooden deck and garden surround the bath, giving you a comfortable place to warm your feet, talk, and enjoy the changing view.
Treatment Spa Komoe offers facial and body treatments using Swiss Cellcosmet skincare. You can also choose flower-bath treatments, reflexology, oxygen capsule sessions, and germanium bathing. Selected treatments can be enjoyed together as a couple.
At the connected Awaji Yumesenkei, ASHIYA Bankunmei combines traditional Thai pressure techniques with guided yoga-style stretching. This approach focuses on releasing stiffness while gently extending the body.
Guests with Tattoos
Hotel New Awaji has shared indoor and open-air hot spring baths, saunas, jacuzzis, and cold-water baths, so you cannot use these if you have tattoos.
You can enjoy the private Sumoto Onsen bath on your Villa Rakuen terrace. You can also reserve one of the seven Yumefusen rooftop open-air baths for a private soak.
Facilities
Sky Lounge Tenjo-no-Sajiki occupies the top floor and is reserved exclusively for Villa Rakuen stays. Large windows and an outdoor viewing area open towards the Kitan Strait, Osaka Bay, Komoe Beach, and the fishing communities along the coast.
You can settle into a chair with coffee, read a book or magazine, listen to soft background music, or step outside to feel the sea breeze. The lounge stays open from morning until midnight, making it equally inviting after breakfast, before dinner, or at the end of the evening.
Tea Lounge Seagull serves siphon-brewed coffee, tea, other drinks, and pastries prepared by the in-house pastry team. Windows facing the Kitan Strait make it a pleasant place for an afternoon break.
Night Lounge Hibiscus offers selected spirits and karaoke for private group use. Advance arrangements are required, making it better suited to celebrations or an evening shared with family and friends than a casual drop-in drink.
Shima-jiman carries products connected with Awaji Island, including onion and loquat items, seafood products, local beer, sake, sweets, coffee, and original gifts. You can browse for something to enjoy during your trip or take home after your stay.
The game corner provides classic indoor entertainment, while the children’s corner gives younger family members their own space to play. During summer, the seaside swimming pool opens with an ocean-facing main pool, a shallow area, and waterslides.
Free Wi-Fi is available throughout Villa Rakuen, the Sky Lounge, the lobby, and other main areas. A work area with desks, power connections, and internet access is also available when you need a quiet place to use your laptop.
Activities
Spend your first afternoon moving slowly between your private terrace bath, the Sky Lounge, and the foot bath. In the evening, explore Awaji Tanada-no-Yu or Kuniumi-no-Yu before returning to your suite for a private dinner.
You can fish from the pier using a simple rod and bait. The species change with the season and may include rockfish, horse mackerel, filefish, and young sea bream. When suitable, your catch may be prepared for dinner.
In summer, you can swim in the seaside pool or visit nearby Ohama Beach and the smaller Kohama Beach. The calm, shallow water around these beaches makes them popular for time by the sea.
For a deeper look at Awaji Island, visit Izanagi Jingu, a shrine closely connected with Japan’s creation mythology. You can also explore Onokorojima Shrine and other sites linked with stories recorded in the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki.
A whirlpool cruise takes you towards the Naruto Strait to see its powerful tidal currents from the water. Awaji Farm Park England Hill offers farming, animal, and craft experiences, while island orchards provide seasonal opportunities to pick strawberries, blueberries, grapes, mandarins, and other fruit.
You can also visit Yura Fishing Port, explore local food shops and cafés, or spend an unhurried day driving between coastal viewpoints and small island communities.
Additional Features
Selected suites include entrance ramps or barrier-free layouts. Kairaku provides the most accessible room design, with an open floor plan and easier movement between the Japanese room, bedroom, dining area, terrace, and private bath. Wheelchairs are available in limited numbers with advance notice.
Children’s yukata are available in several sizes, and baby food can be warmed when needed. The children’s corner, shallow swimming pool, large suites, and private dining arrangements make Villa Rakuen particularly comfortable for a family trip.
You can leave luggage before check-in, use free Wi-Fi throughout the main areas, and enjoy an extended Villa Rakuen check-out time. Every suite includes a humidifying air purifier and a private Sumoto Onsen open-air bath facing the sea.
