Hayama Funny House offers guests a relaxing escape along Kanagawa's Hayama coast, overlooking the Sagami Bay. Long seen as an exotic getaway destination during the warmer months, Hayama offers pristine, sandy beaches with mesmerising views – which Funny House happily delivers on.
Located further south along the Miura peninsula than nearby Zushi helps cushion Hayama from Tokyo's masses to a certain extent, promising a more laidback experience than one might expect further north. Then there's the fact that the Japanese Imperial Family owns a nearby Imperial Villa in the area for their holiday retreats – which kind of guarantees you are holidaying in the right area!
Comprising two villas and accompanying restaurant nearby Kuruwa Beach, Hayama Funny House offers a West-side- and South-side Villa facing the ocean both supporting up to 4 guests. From the moment you step inside, you feel like you're at home in your newfound paradise. The bright, airy modern architecture combines with the relaxing sound of the ocean waves and the gentle hum of the bossa nova on the audio player – all working hard to lull you into holiday mode in record time.
As you enter the lounge, a truly panoramic, uninterrupted ocean view will be revealed and capture your gaze, with your very own English-friendly butler trying their best to explain how everything works while you pick your jaw up off the floor.
Much as you may want to kick them out to enjoy your new paradise all to yourself in ultimate comfort, the butler will take care first to cater to any requests, arrange a dinner time, and tour you around the property – which starts with the View Bath area, with its oceanside jacuzzi and shower.
The View Bath also connects directly to the outside deck area, where you can find a couple of loungers to soak up the sun, waiting for the right moment to spot Mount Fuji on the horizon.
Each villa also offers ample amounts of space, not to mention a fully-stocked kitchen providing catering options to for larger groups – handy for those who want to throw a larger event.
The butler service here is designed to maximise your comfort, meaning they will quite happily take a backseat and leave you to your stay – but they can be called upon for any typical request, from taking you to a local museum, organising kayaking out in the waters, setting up your terrace barbecue, arranging just the right DVD movies for your kids, or preparing a special surprise for the other half. It's a service that starts the moment you book, but they will happily cater to your needs at any time during your stay too.
Our butler helped arrange our dinner after the sunset. The restaurant—literally seconds away from your villa—offers a modern twist on Japanese cooking, with some western and French influences going an exciting menu including teppanyaki options amongst others, with a wide range of wines and beer available – including the local Hayama craft beer variety.
For those looking to explore the area, Kuruwa Beach is just a few minutes walk away, with share bikes also available to borrow. But for everyone else, you might be mad to try to leave your villa at Hayama Funny House instead of relaxing here in ultimate comfort.
