Benesse House Oval

We stayed for 2 nights for our 20th anniversary.
Our room was very cool, the view to the Sato Sea was unforgettable. The sunset was insane. We went for the champagne sunset session and it was spectacular.

We met most of the other couples staying at the Museum because you end up dining with them and going to the same galleries. It was mainly older, well off Americans and full on French people.

We enjoyed having access to the Museum out of hours. It felt very special.

Naoshima is such a vibe. You can do this trip in a casual, affordable way or you can go over the top like staying at Benesse House.

The shuttle bus always seemed turn up whenever we needed it, so that the trip a lot more pleasant.

Truly a unique experience; How many times can you say you stayed overnight at a museum hotel that requires you to take a tram car up to your room with sweeping views of the island? Love the fact you get to tour the Benesse Museum after it closes when it’s quiet and devoid of all the other visitors. The staff was super kind and accommodating, and things were fully taken care of. We purchased both dinner and breakfast options, and the food was superb. We luckily had great weather conditions, and the views were amazing. We only wish we stayed an extra night as we island hopped to Teshima. Absolutely worth the price!

Pros: Impressive architecture, which, for the most part, can only be accessed if you're staying here. Wonderful rooftop garden with sweeping views of the Seto Inland sea. Well worth the price of admission. Cons: Hard to book, and the oval is a bit older than the Park/Beach rooms, and not as well equipped. You need to take the funicular monorail up and down the slope. The design of the rooms means that the terraces are shared between some rooms (not as private as you would think),and you can look directly into a number of rooms from the Monorail path. All in all I would stay here again in a heartbeat.

This was an incredible once-in-a-lifetime experience. There are only 6 rooms in this extremely exclusive property which is only accessible to Hotel guests. If you have the chance, the money, and the luck to be able to find an available room here you should absolutely take the opportunity to do so. The service is incredible the food at the French restaurant is amazing and the views from the property as well as the architecture are unparalleled. You cannot access this building unless your hotel guest and you access it by a monorail that is built just for these six guest rooms. The monorail is quite incredible and the sense of arrival is amazing. The only thing that I would recommend is that they renovate the Interiors of the guest rooms every 36 months as they do appear quite dated, the furniture is scratched and in terrible condition, and there is rust throughout a lot of the property. Still this is probably one of the rarest hotels that you can stay at on the planet.

Trip down memory lane...Yuki Taoka...ya Mum loved me...Once upon a time...kintaro...1974...

Absolutely amazing - highly recommended - stunning panoramic views over the Seto Inland Sea, feel like a Bond Villan retreating to your secret lair with a private monorail up to your rooms, and jaw dropping Tadao Ando architecture with a mirror pool and skylight that forms the centre of the oval. The rooms are very nice indeed, being renovated and redecorated with new furniture about a year ago. Each room is finished with works of art by an internationally acclaimed artist. Service was excellent, as we're the restaurants. Staying within Benesse House Art Museum you get late-night access to the exhibits once the public have left too. The other museums and artworks on the island are great too - highlights are the teshima art museum, chichu museum, and James turrell's work within the naoshima art house project.

A truly special place to stay. The twin rooms are large enough, and have a terrace with a couple of chairs. The views are truly stunning looking across the sea toward Takamatsu and the many small islands in between. The building itself is another Tadao Ando building, and to stay there is pretty much the only way to see it (as with most of Naoshima, if you aren't a fan of Ando's architecture, it probably isn't the place for you). It's worth it.

Great architecture and a fabulous view. Very comfortable and luxurious rooms. The oval is built into a hill and blends in with the natural surrounding.

Simply awesome!!! the staff, facility, and location were extraordinary. And you get amazing art with it. Not cheap but worth every dollar we spent. I could spend few months there without hesitation.

The most incredible hotel, art collection and service all under one roof. Set in the most awe inspiring surroundings - one of my favourite hotels.

180 degree views of the surrounding sea. The oval garden is quite beautiful as well.

This was a once in a lifetime experience, totally worth it. After hours access to the museum and your own funicular train!

Unique architecture! Private & only accesses by private cable car! With stunning view! Love most!

Stayed in Park, took monorail up to the bar at Oval. SO FREAKING COOL. Definitely do this if you're a guest here.

We had an amazing stay here ,like no other hotel we have been to before special place

The best place in Benesse House. It was very nice place before many people visited Nao Island.

Magical place. Extremely exclusive, worth making the effort to stay there!
Relax and take it all in.

The fold out bed is not good

must stay if you have the chance!

such a serene experience