Grand Mercure Nasu Highlands Resort & Spa Review: The Ultimate Tochigi Family Hotel Guide

12/24/202512/25/2025

Planning a family trip often feels like a balancing act. You want your kids to be entertained, but you also crave a touch of luxury and relaxation for yourself. As a mom to a 5-year-old girl living in the Kanto region, I know this struggle all too well.

We recently stayed at the Grand Mercure Nasu Highlands Resort & Spa in Tochigi Prefecture, and it felt like we found the perfect compromise. Newly rebranded with stunning interiors, this hotel turned out to be a hidden gem for families. In this review, I’ll walk you through our stay in the Superior Twin Mountain View room, the incredible breakfast buffet, and the kid-friendly activities that made our trip so special.

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Pros & Cons

Grand Mercure Nasu Highlands Resort & Spa

To help busy parents make a quick decision, here is my honest breakdown of the highs and lows of our stay.

The Pros:

Stunning Interiors: Being a Grand Mercure property, the design is modern and sophisticated—a treat for parents who love aesthetics.
Play Areas: With both indoor and outdoor playgrounds, kids are entertained rain or shine.
Exceptional Buffet: High-quality food with a dedicated kids’ section, baby food, and local specialties.
Family-Friendly Onsen: The public hot spring bath is well-equipped with amenities for children.
Coin Laundry Facilities: On-site laundry machines are available—a huge plus for handling accidental spills or packing light.

The Cons:

Age Limits on Play: The indoor play area is perfect for preschoolers and kindergarteners (ages 3-6) but might be boring for older kids.
Crowds: The Onsen (hot spring) can get extremely crowded during peak hours.
Location: There are no major sightseeing spots within walking distance; having a car is essential.

Location & Access

The Grand Mercure Nasu Highlands Resort & Spa is nestled in the lush nature of the Nasu Highlands, a popular resort area north of Tokyo.

How to Get There

By Car: It takes about 15 minutes from the Nasu Interchange on the Tohoku Expressway. Since the hotel is in a quiet area, having a rental car is highly recommended. It makes hopping between popular spots like Nasu Animal Kingdom or Nasu Highland Park much easier.
By Train: If you prefer public transport, take the Tohoku Shinkansen to Nasushiobara Station. The hotel offers a free shuttle bus (reservation required), which takes about 30 to 40 minutes.

Rates Depending on the season, the hotel often offers “All-Inclusive” plans. I highly recommend this for families, as it covers drinks and snacks in the lounge, allowing you to relax without worrying about extra charges.

The Room: Superior Twin Mountain View

For this trip, we booked the “Superior Twin Mountain View” room, and it was absolutely perfect for our family needs.

Space and Scenery As the name suggests, the highlight of this room is the view. Waking up to the lush greenery of the Nasu mountains right outside our window was incredibly refreshing—a true escape from city life. The room itself is spacious, measuring about 36 square meters (approx. 387 sq. ft.). Even with our large suitcases open, there was plenty of room for my 5-year-old daughter to play without getting in the way. The renovated interior feels chic, modern, and very clean.

Bathroom Features For families traveling with young children in Japan, the bathroom setup is a dealbreaker. I was relieved to find that the Superior Twin room comes with a separate washing area (traditional Japanese style where you wash outside the tub), rather than a standard shower-tub combo. Being able to wash my daughter freely outside the bathtub made bath time stress-free, just like at home. The vanity area is also wide and user-friendly, and you can request step stools for little ones to reach the sink easily.

Comfort The beds were large and comfortable, providing a great night’s sleep for all of us. Even sharing a bed with a 5-year-old felt roomy enough. The room wear provided was cozy, helping us slip into vacation mode immediately.

Kids’ Activities: Fun Rain or Shine

One of the main reasons we chose this hotel was its reputation for being child-friendly.

Outdoor Fun Right next to the parking lot, there is a playground with equipment. It was great for letting our daughter burn off some energy before check-in or after checking out. They also have an outdoor pool that opens during the summer. We missed the season this time, but splashing around there in July or August would definitely elevate the vacation vibe.

Indoor Play Area If it rains, the indoor kids’ space is a lifesaver. It features a ball pit and a climbing wall. My 5-year-old absolutely loved it. However, I’d say the target age is strictly up to about 5 or 6 years old. Older elementary school kids might find it a bit small. Please note that while it is safe, there are no babysitting staff, so parents need to supervise their children at all times.

Breakfast Buffet: A Morning Delight

I honestly think the breakfast here is one of the best selling points. The variety of Japanese and Western dishes was impressive.

Taste of Tochigi A highlight for me was the dishes featuring Kanpyo. For those unfamiliar, Kanpyo consists of dried shavings of a calabash gourd (a type of squash). In Japan, it’s traditionally used inside sushi rolls, but here, they served it in salads and simmered dishes. It has a unique, pleasant texture and was absolutely delicious—a must-try local flavor!

Kids’ Favorites The dessert section featured a wall of colorful donuts, which naturally made my daughter’s eyes light up. There is also a dedicated “Kids Buffet” counter set at a lower height so children can serve themselves. This independence made her feel very grown-up. For parents with infants, they also provide pre-packaged weaning food (baby food), which is a huge load off your mind.

Seating Tip The restaurant has comfortable sofa seating areas. I noticed many families had these tables. If you have active toddlers or just want a more relaxed meal, I recommend contacting the hotel in advance to see if you can reserve a sofa seat. We also interacted with a friendly international staff member, adding a nice global touch to the hospitality.

Onsen (Hot Spring) & Facilities

The Grand Bath No trip to Nasu is complete without a soak in an Onsen. The hotel has a large indoor bath and an open-air rock bath (Rotenburo). The changing rooms have cribs, and inside the shower area, there are bottles of kids’ body soap and bath chairs.

Crowd Warning While the bath itself is lovely, it gets incredibly crowded before and after dinner time. At one point, the lockers were almost full. If you want a peaceful soak with your child, try to go during off-peak hours, like early morning or late afternoon.

Conclusion

The Grand Mercure Nasu Highlands Resort & Spa offered a fantastic experience for our family. My daughter is still talking about the donut wall and the ball pit. For us parents, the stylish environment meant we didn’t feel like we were sacrificing our vacation for a “kids’ hotel.”

While you definitely need a rental car to explore the surrounding area effectively, the comfort and amenities of the hotel make it a worthwhile base. If you are looking for a [Tochigi family hotel] that balances kid-friendly fun with adult-friendly style, this is the place to book.

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