Thidamoon

We stayed here for a family trip to celebrate a 60th birthday.The Room called “En” had wonderful views and beautiful furnishings, allowing us to forget everyday life and fully enjoy the relaxed pace of Amami.Above all, every meal was delicious, and we could really feel the care put into using local ingredients and pesticide-free produce—it was outstanding.

After traveling from Kakeroma Island, we happened—luckily—to stay here for one night in October, on the evening of the annual “Tane-oroshi” festival held once a year to pray for a good harvest the following year. (We were told the area in front of the hotel is where the final dance takes place.) The hotel has been open for about 20 years, yet it felt very clean. Above all, it is run by an owner with a proud history connected to Oshima Tsumugi, which has 400 years of tradition, and the staff were friendly.We chose an island-style set meal for dinner and a Japanese breakfast in the morning; both reflected thoughtful care and gentle attention to detail.There are two private baths on B1. Reservations aren’t available, but fans run constantly so it stays cool. You can go from your room in loungewear, and bath towels are provided, making it easy to use without bringing anything. (The bath on the right had a more consistently hot temperature.) As they are semi-open-air baths, you can also hear birdsong. We used them twice—at night and again in the morning.Most memorable was the view from our room: sunrise with Tate-gami-sama in sight is truly stunning. Unfortunately, our stay coincided with cloudy skies, but sitting on the balcony with coffee while watching sunrise would surely become an unforgettable scene.The bamboo-framed bed suits this tropical island atmosphere nicely, though it did creak slightly when turning over—but that’s part of its charm.I did wish there were more fragrance throughout the building (such as aromatherapy), and if I’m being picky, I also wished the pool were open through October (it seems to be open from May to September).At low tide during spring tides (“oo-shio”), you can walk across quite close to Setsuta Tate-gami-sama standing offshore at Tsuchihama Beach right in front of the hotel—a well-known power spot. To get there, take the stairs beside the pool and walk along the beach. Our relaxed morning walk took about 1 hour 30 minutes round trip.It turned out to be an even more fulfilling trip than expected. As an aside, “Tida” apparently means “sun.” “Sun and Moon” was a truly wonderful hotel; next time I’d love to stay again around May before rainy season begins. Thank you very much for taking such great care of us.