Onomichi Homestays

Bella Vista Spa & Marina Onomichi is a small luxury resort hotel with just 44 total rooms. This area is known for ship building; the original property served as a serviced guest house for people involved in the industry beginning in 1973. The present property was established in 2007, offering rooms with ocean views and a spa. The property grounds is quite vast - it's perched on a hill overlooking the stunning Seto Inland Sea and the Bella Vista Marina at the water's edge. There are walkways throughout that offer nice vantage points by which to appreciate the scenic beauty of this area of Japan. The outdoor terrace stretches directly from the main indoor common area and has uninhibited views of the Seto Inland Sea. In the middle of the terrace is a stretch of water that appears to flow directly into the ocean (even though the Ocean is quite a ways away) - the water is less than 10cm deep and isn't meant for swimming; it's strictly for show, and it's probably the most Instragrammable aspect of the resort. And, especially in the Summer time, you'll have the ability to enjoy the infinity pool as well as partake in numerous activities (both onsite and outside the property), such as a beach BBQ and island hopping. There's also a ribbon chapel on the property grounds that has won numerous design awards, and I'd imagine that it would serve as a wonderful venue for weddings. In the resort itself, there's a nice spa facility as well as three different restaurants serving Sushi, Kaiseki and Basque-inspired cuisine (using local ingredients and recipes.) We stayed in the Panorama Terrace Suite, which was quite large 100m² and the third from the top category room at Bella Vista. The best room is the Bella Vista Maisonette Spa Suite, but we passed on it because we generally avoid Maisonette-style layouts, while The Bella Vista is similar to the Panorama Terrace Suite, except that it has it has an open air bath with a view of the Ocean; The Bella Vista was already booked when we tried to reserve it. While our room was spacious, nicely appointed and clean, it was showing its age somewhat. It could probably benefit from a refurbishment within the next few years, especially given the room rates that they charge here. There is a dearth of power outlets as well, which is further evidence that it was built more than a decade ago. The room has a stand-alone bath tub, but it's not Onsen (natural hot springs.) In fact, there's no longer Onsen anywhere on site - supposedly, Onsen stopped flowing about 7 years ago, and that was that. It's a shame, given that there is ”Spa” in the property's name, but a Japanese Spa resort without Onsen is a bit of a misnomer if you ask me. Not their fault, but them's the facts. Dining wise, Bella Vista offers 3 options - Sushi, Kaiseki and Basque-inspired cuisine. All three of the restaurants serve dishes using the very best of local ingredients from both land and sea. We had dinner at Erretegia, the Basque-Japanese restaurant, and it w

We stayed two nights here, before and after cycling the Shimanami Kaido. The location could not be better. Arriving by train, the hotel is just across a pedestrian walkway, facing the inland sea. Most of the cycle rental places are along the waterfront or nearby. The short ferry trip to start the cycling is almost in front of the hotel. The Superior Queen room with view was comfortable with electric kettle, green tea & coffee drip bags. The view (from levels 5 & 6) was great. The rooms have a retro charm. Breakfast was included & offered western & Japanese options. Nothing fancy but perfectly adequate. The reception staff speak some English & they were happy to store our luggage while we cycled. There is a coin laundry & bike storage off the main reception area. Overall, very good value.

We really enjoyed the hotel where we stayed for two nights in a twin room. Beds were great and the room was very quiet and there is a Lawsons next door which was very suitable for breakfast. Wifi was free and fast. The only negative is that the hotel is about two kilometres from the station and although there is a limited free shuttle it was a little far out of town. A shuttle on demand would negate this obstacle. Dinner at the hotel restaurant was excellent.