Isana Resort in Ito

Our room was spacious and came with a private outdoor onsen bath. (There is also a large onsen on the ground level where parties can reserve to use by the hour.) We had a lovely view of the ocean and it was relaxing to hear the sound of the waves while soaking in our bath. The Japanese breakfast was delicious and beautifully served and consisted of fresh sashimi , grilled fish, onsen tamago and other side dishes. The staff were welcoming and professional. The only reason why I didn’t give them 5 stars was that the furnishings were rather dated.

Our stay at the Isana Resort was wonderful! The pre-arranged shuttle met us at the train station. The French-Asian fusion dinner was beautifully presented and deserves a Michelin rating. We enjoyed the private bath on our deck which overlooked the ocean, trees and the morning sunrise. The larger private onsen was reservable and so relaxing. Staff was very friendly and attentive and many spoke English. Special thanks to Hide, owner-chef who was born in Maui; Hirai, manager; and Vivian, receptionist and server who also played piano beautifully during dinner. Highly, highly recommend!

Excellent resort accommodations. Beautiful, clean, safe, outstanding service staff and 5 star food service. The in-room onsen with ocean views are unmatchable. Owner / Executive Chef the best; attention to details are superb. The rooms are immaculate; with typical authentic Japanese decor. Would definitely recommend this resort

Absolutely incredible! Don't skip the dinner it was the best meal of my life, amazing blend of French and Japanese style with delicious local ingredients.
Staff are very friendly, the onsen in the room and the larger one are amazing. Really one of the nicest stays possible, such a great place to relax and listen to the ocean. Beautiful flowers and decor throughout the hotel.

Isana Resort melds the aesthetics and flavors of traditional and modern Japan. Although you may come for the relaxing soak, you’ll be lured back — even if from afar in your mind — by meals meticulously prepared and presented in ryokan style, but exploring influences of France and flavors of the West.

The views are beautiful, the waters soothing, and the service impeccable. Isana Resort offers a restorative balm to visitors weary of work or worried about global crises.

Our large room with a lovely view of Futo Bay featured its own rotemburo, an open-air bath. Those concerned about maintaining personal space can enjoy a private soak in constantly refreshed hot water.

We couldn't pass up the chance to relax in the larger communal indoor bath, which can be reserved for private use. Hot water cascades down a waterfall into the tub, and plate glass windows look out onto the ocean.

If you rise by dawn, you can saunter down to Futo Harbor to watch fishermen unload and auction their catch. By hiking south along the Jogasaki Coast, you can explore the UNESCO GeoPark, including the Kadowaki Suspension Bridge.

At dinner, we savored a succession of flavors and textures: cold-smoked Fuji salmon on crispy toast with sardine aioli. Angel shrimp cake with tomato butter sauce that was almost too beautiful to eat, but too tempting to ignore. Sawara (Japanese Spanish mackerel) and scallop in a clam consomme. Sendai beef with ponzu sauce, mushroom-stuffed shishito pepper. Oh, and the Zaku sake!

I could have spent hours deconstructing my dinner, had I taken better notes.

The staff happily accommodated (if notified in advance) allergies and preference.

Breakfast featured more taste sensations, highlighted by the perfect soft-boiled egg in dashi (soup stock), sashimi of takabe (yellow-striped butterfish) and shiira (mahi-mahi) hauled in by Futo fishermen that morning, house-made sourdough bread — possibly the best that I, a San Francisco native, have eaten — and house-made yogurt with fruit.

If you ever need a last meal, or perhaps the first to open your eyes to a new way of eating and being, visit Isana.

I'm 25 years living in Ito-city, and naturally did know this hotel by outside looking, so that it isn't necessary to stay there for me.
The day I passed by, I met the manager of the hotel.
He was a business man long time ago. Telling me in Maui island of Hawaii, started his own biz as a pension and diving shop. Returning to Japan after years opened here.

the best of the best. Isana resort was the hotel that I surely return to stay with them for a second and so on. Outside decoration looked a bit simple but inside the room was really a fantastic view and style. Customer services here were the best, I believed that hotel staffs remember to every guests and details in requests. Private hotel could be explained to this hotel because there are only 11 rooms in this hotel, I guess so. For me, I do strongly recommend for this hotel and I hope that this hotel will keep this quality at this price and the best service like this👍👌☺️.

My wife and I stayed here for two nights. Amazing view to the sea side and best part is the private onsen. The food is great and the staff is very friendly. Will visit again!

My wife and I have been in Japan 10+ years and visiting ryokans are one of guilty pleasures. On this trip we celebrated our wedding anniversary and wife’s birthday.

We found Isana one of the best we have visited. The place has a homely somewhat Victorian feel to it. The private onsen in the room was fantastic. Spacious and clean, water temp easily adjustable, and a lovely patio with nice chairs and table next to it.

The food was the highlight. Japanese fare with a distinct French influence, each dish was a star of its own. The stuffed chicken drumstick was our favourite. Seriously, the food was better than what we experienced at luxury hotels like the Ritz, Hyatt etc.

What made our experience beyond compare though was the hospitality. We were picked up at the station and also dropped off at various stations when we ventured out by their private vehicles. They gave recommendations and tried to make our stay comfortable every moment of our two nights. A lot of the staff spoke English as well since Chef Hide and family are from Maui in Hawaii.

We were so impressed that we asked them if they had availability the next week when the water parks opened but sadly they were fully reserved.

Anthony