Gettouan vs. Yufuin Ubl Hotel: Private Outdoor Bath or Lakeside Onsen?
At Gettouan, all 18 rooms have private outdoor spring baths; Yufuin Ubl has a station shuttle and 10 special rooms with indoor spring baths.
Checked: September 27, 2026 This comparison turns on one room choice. Gettouan includes an open-air spring bath in every detached room, so you do not need to upgrade for that feature. At Ubl Hotel, most guests choose between a standard Japanese room with shared bathing and a special room with its own indoor viewing bath.
| Gettouan | Ubl Hotel | |
|---|---|---|
| Room count and setup | 18 detached villas across the main building and annex | 33 rooms: 23 standard Japanese rooms and 10 special rooms |
| Private in-room spring bath | Open-air bath in all 18 rooms | Special rooms only; the bath is indoors and listed for 24-hour use |
| Public bathing | Gender-separated indoor and outdoor baths | Two-level bathhouse with outdoor bath and sauna; sides switch by time of day |
| Location | Wooded hillside; about eight minutes from station by taxi | About six minutes on foot from Lake Kinrinko and ten minutes from Yunotsubo Street |
| Station transfer | Official access page currently says shuttle service is suspended | Free station shuttle is listed; confirm the current times with the hotel |
What the room upgrade actually buys at Ubl
Ubl’s standard Japanese room is listed at 46.44 square metres and does not include a hot-spring bath. The special rooms are listed at 59.4 square metres and have a private, source-flowing bath inside the room, with a window onto the garden or woodland. It is a substantial privacy upgrade, but the bath is not outdoors. Room assignment may be made by the inn, so check what the exact plan guarantees about room type and view.
At Gettouan, every room already has its own outdoor bath. The main building and annex still differ in layout and guest rules: the annex has six tea-room-inspired special rooms, an additional private-use bath for annex guests, and does not accept children of junior-high-school age or younger. Choose a room there for those added features, not simply to secure a private bath.
The location changes how you use the evening
Ubl is the easier fit if you want to walk to Lake Kinrinko before breakfast or head into town without arranging a taxi. Guests who enjoy larger communal baths can make the public bathhouse part of the stay; the special room’s indoor tub gives another option when you want to bathe privately.
Gettouan sits in the hills and works better as a stay planned around the inn. Once you arrive, the private bath and wooded setting make it possible to stay put. If you expect to go back and forth to the station or town, account for the taxi and the shuttle suspension when comparing the total cost.
Rain, cold weather and mobility
An outdoor bath has a different feel from an indoor one, but it is also exposed to wind and rain. Ubl’s special-room bath is indoors, which may be more practical if you do not want to step outside in cold weather. Its standard rooms, however, depend on walking to the separate bathhouse. Gettouan’s private baths are attached to each room, though its broad grounds include slopes and steps.
If someone in your party needs a step-free route or bathing support, ask about the exact room and path. Neither property’s room label alone confirms accessibility.
The Yufuin room-bath upgrade guide compares what private room baths add elsewhere in town. For the wooded property’s room-by-room choice, see the Gettouan main-building and annex guide.
Sources
- [Gettouan rooms](https://www.gettouan.com/rooms_honkan), [annex](https://www.gettouan.com/rooms_bekkan), [baths](https://www.gettouan.com/onsen), and [access](https://www.gettouan.com/access) - [Ubl Hotel facilities and access](https://yufuin.gr.jp/spot/spot-4306/), [current room categories](https://www.489pro.com/asp/489/menu.asp?fn=room&id=44000018&lan=JPN&m_menu=1&pore=1&ty=lim), and [hotel site](https://www.ublhotel.jp/) - Images: [Gettouan bath](https://ak-d.tripcdn.com/images/0581l12000swgzh4k8A89_R_339_206_R5_D.jpg), [Ubl Hotel](https://www.ublhotel.jp/img/ban_kikunan.jpg), [Ubl bath](https://ak-d.tripcdn.com/images/0583012000tbjpq4wFC22_R_339_206_R5_D.jpg)Tags: Yufuin Ubl Hotel, Gettouan, private open-air bath, Lake Kinrinko, Yufuin hotel comparison
