Looking into Hotel New Akao

I've been researching places you can get to without a car, mostly campsites and day-trip hot springs. This time I took a little detour from that and picked a hotel.

Today I looked into “Hotel New Akao,” a resort hotel perched on the cliffs of Nishikigaura in Atami. I'm an indoor person, and I'm a paper driver who almost never drives. So the free shuttle bus from the station and the idea of spending a whole day without leaving the hotel caught my attention, and I decided to check out the official website.

The Short Version

It sits on a cliff overlooking the sea at Atami, has three large baths and an ocean pool, and apparently you can get there from Atami Station on a free shuttle bus, so it looked like an easy hotel to stay at even without a car.
As for Rakuten Mobile, the overall rating from the official tool was “C.” If you rely on a signal a lot, it might be reassuring to prepare ahead of time.

I've put the details below.

What Kind of Place Is Hotel New Akao, Standing on the Nishikigaura Cliffs?

It's a resort hotel on the cliffs of Nishikigaura, a scenic spot in Atami, Shizuoka Prefecture. It seems to consist of three facilities, the Ocean Wing, the Horizon Wing, and Spalium Nishiki, and apparently the location offers views of Hatsushima and Izu Oshima.
It's operated by Iconia Hospitality, and the top page of the official site had an announcement saying a family-oriented concept room will launch in July 2026. I didn't find any notices about closures or temporary shutdowns, at least in what I checked.

Here's the basic information I could pick up from the official site.

Check-in / check-out: Check-in is at 3:00 PM and check-out is at 10:00 AM, apparently. The front desk seems to differ depending on which building you stay in.
Rooms: There seem to be Western-style rooms, Japanese-style rooms, Japanese-Western rooms, special rooms, dog-friendly rooms, and more. I couldn't find the number of rooms on the official site.
Rates: I couldn't find any prices on the official facility introduction pages. If you're curious, it seems best to check on the booking page.
Booking: It looks like you apply through the “accommodation reservation” button on the official site. Apparently you can also inquire by phone or email. I haven't checked the detailed steps on the booking screen.
Payment: It seems VISA, MASTER, DC, JCB, AMEX, Diners, and UC cards are accepted.

Official site: Hotel New Akao

Komorin

You gaze at the sea from the top of a cliff, then head straight to the bath or the pool. If that's how you can spend your time, I think even an indoor person like me would feel like I don't need to leave the hotel.

Large Baths with Three Hot Spring Sources, and Private Baths That Caught My Eye

What stood out most to me about this hotel was how rich the bath offerings are. There are large baths fed by Atami hot spring water from three sources, and the water type is apparently sodium-calcium chloride spring water. Which baths you can use seems to change depending on the time of day, so I organized the schedule too.

Spalium Nishiki: Apparently a large bath with an infinity-design open-air bath and terraced baths. Hours are 5:00–10:00 and 14:00–24:00.
Saikai: A bath where you can enjoy the scent of cypress, it seems. Hours are 6:00–11:00 and 15:00–23:00.
Namioto: A bath where you can soak while listening to the sound of the waves, it seems. Hours are 11:00–23:00.
Private baths “Sora” and “Tsuki”: These seem to be on the 11th and 12th floors of the Horizon Wing. Usage hours are 14:30–23:15 and 6:00–7:00.

Since the three large baths have staggered hours, it seemed easy to combine them so you can keep bathing right up to the morning of check-out.

It looks like they also accept day-use bathing without an overnight stay. Prices are 2,500 yen for adults and 1,000 yen for children on weekdays, and 3,000 yen for adults and 1,500 yen for children on weekends, holidays, and certain special dates. Hours are 13:00–18:00, with last entry at 17:00. Apparently towel rental and soft drinks are included for free. The private baths seem to be 6,000 yen (tax included) for 60 minutes.

Pools and Meals All Under One Roof: A Great Fit for Indoor Types

The facilities beyond the baths also looked like enough to spend a whole day inside the hotel. Besides the “Ocean Pool” facing the sea, there seems to be an indoor pool as well. A kids' park, a game corner, karaoke, and a rooftop garden were also introduced. Not being so affected by the weather is a plus for an indoor person like me.

For meals, there seem to be places like these.

Main Dining Nishiki: A big dining hall with 496 seats in total, apparently.
Salon de Kinrin: Introduced as one of the shops inside the hotel.
Bonheur (French) and Maiogi (Japanese cuisine): It seemed like you can choose the type of cuisine.
Royal Lounge, Canned Food BAR Kankura, Lounge Abiisu, and Hana no Yosei: These seem to be places for drinks or tea time.

The fireworks festival over the sea, set against the night view of Atami, also seems to be introduced as one of the hotel's attractions.

How to Get There Without a Car, and Notes for Driving

The main option for going without a car seems to be the free shuttle bus connecting JR Atami Station and the hotel. It takes about 10 minutes, and no reservation is needed. Apparently you can just go straight to the stop. On the station side, the stop is at bays 5–8 (in front of McDonald's) in the rotary to the right after you exit the ticket gates.
On the hotel side, the stops are at the entrances of the Horizon Wing and the Ocean Wing. Apparently the bus from the Ocean Wing departs 2 minutes after the one from the Horizon Wing. The timetable is only available as an image on the official site, so I couldn't read it from the page text. If you're planning to use it, checking the timetable image on the official site seems like the safest move.

If you take a taxi, apparently you tell the driver the name of the building you're staying in (Ocean Wing or Horizon Wing) as your destination. I couldn't find the travel time. It also seems the official access page doesn't mention local buses or access from Kinomiya Station.

If you drive, it's apparently about 60 minutes from the Atsugi IC on the Tomei Expressway via the Odawara-Atsugi Road and Route 135. The route from the Numazu IC on the Tomei, or the Nagaizumi-Numazu IC on the Shin-Tomei, via the Ohba-Kannami IC on the Izu Jukan Road is about 50 minutes. The parking lot has 207 spaces and costs 1,000 yen per night (up to 24 hours after parking). Apparently parking is free if you book your stay directly through the official site. The address to enter in your car navigation seems to differ by building, so it'd be safer to check the official access page for the building you're staying in.

Rakuten Mobile Signal Conditions

This part is about the signal, which I care about as a Rakuten Mobile user. I checked this hotel's location (Atami, Shizuoka Prefecture) on October 6, 2026 using the official “my Area Connection Simulator,” and the overall rating came up as “C.”

This tool is published by Rakuten Mobile, so I'm sharing the result as-is: a “C rating.” I can't tell the reason, such as whether the cliff-top location has an effect. Still, I think it's better not to assume that “the signal will be fine.”
It might be reassuring to save maps, tickets, booking confirmation screens, and the like as screenshots before you leave. I couldn't confirm anything about the hotel's Wi-Fi on the official site, so if you're curious, it seems best to ask before booking.

The actual signal also seems to vary depending on where you are in the building, which floor you're on, and the weather. If you're curious, please check for yourself with Rakuten Mobile's official “my Area Connection Simulator.”

Komorin

I was a little surprised that the signal got a C rating. Then again, it's a hotel for relaxing with baths, pools, and good food, so it might even be a good excuse to spend some time away from my phone.

See Rakuten Mobile Details

Wrapping Up

To sum up, my impression of Hotel New Akao is that it's a hotel where you can enjoy three large baths and an ocean pool while looking out at the sea from the Nishikigaura cliffs, and that seems reachable from Atami Station by free shuttle bus.

Even without a car, apparently you can get there on a shuttle bus in about 10 minutes from the station (no reservation needed), so it felt like even a paper driver like me could plan a trip easily. They also seem to accept day-use bathing, which looks like a casual option if you want to get a feel for the place before staying. I couldn't confirm the room rates, the number of rooms, or the shuttle bus timetable in this research, so it seems best to check the official site before booking.

For Rakuten Mobile, the overall rating from the official tool was “C.” If you have plans that require a signal, it might be reassuring to prepare in advance and also check the official tool yourself.

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