Hotele Hot Springs w: Wakayama Prefecture, Japan

Pros: •I don't see the point in just choosing a room here. Be sure to get a superior Japanese-style room with an open air bath or even a bungalow, and definitely one with a sea view. Then you're guaranteed a complete experience. •The hotel welcomes guests barefoot or in socks on tatami mats, a very pleasant and authentic experience. •VIEWS!! Gorgeous panoramic views of the ocean. •This is a traditional ryokan, so tattoos are not allowed, BUT I was immediately given tape to cover up the tattoos on my arms, and everything was fine. •Delicious food, lots of delicious food! The breakfasts are especially amazing. •The hotel offers a lot of complimentary drinks, and the after-onsen area has free ice cream and cold water. They serve local ramen from 10-11 PM also complementary. •All the onsen are very clean and cool. Especially the male and female one, built into a cliff right on the ocean shore, has a view. By the way, they provide special clothing, so if you're shy, don't worry. •There were no stink bugs. It's important to understand that this is nature, and insects are normal. Cons: •Despite the fact that many foreigners stay here, there's almost no English navigation and the staff speaks very little English. •There are only two private onsen, and the ryokan is huge; it was easiest to get the key to the private ones in the evening. •The main dishes at the kaiseki dinner were surprisingly disappointing (dry rice and tasteless noodles), although the other dishes were very good. •The onsen are closed from 10:00 to 15:00, so there's nothing to do during these 5 hours, especially if the weather is bad 😭 •The ryokan doesn't offer food other than breakfast and dinner and don’t have a restaurant, so if it rains or a typhoon, you'll have to go outside the hotel to find food. Conclusion: If this is your first ryokan, it's probably better to choose a more tourist-oriented one. If you want to fully immerse yourself in onsen culture and be captivated by the ocean, this is a great choice ☺️

The hotel is situated at a secluded corner of Wakayama prefecture. It is much preferable to drive here rather than relying on the infrequent hotel shuttle. Public transport is otherwise non existent. There are no restaurants around the hotel. However the hotel provides delicious meals with abundant fresh seafood. The in room dining experience is superb. The hotel staff service is impeccable. The room has a spectacular sea view allowing you to see the sunset on clear days. The onsen also faces the sea which provides a relaxing experience. A downside is that the hotel does not seem to sanitize the slippers for indoor use. All hotel guests had to change to their slippers to access their indoor facilities.

A private hot spring bath is superb in the room for relaxation. Friendly front desk reception staff Victor is helpful.

Nice location (very close to JR Wakayama station in walking distance). The staff are nice and helpful. The onsen experience is good though the area is small but it is hygienic. Free snacks (ice sticks) and massager are nice to have. Room is comfortable and clean.

Very nice seaside hotel located within walking distance from train station. They plan the breakfast and dinner so meticulously that they ensure you enjoy different set meals everyday. For early birds, you’ll get a complimentary drink for dinner. Staff are friendly and approachable. It also comes with onsen and complimentary coffee and noodles.

room is so bigger & onsen is large both is clear and comfortable they have free welcome drink is very nice , as we're so enjoy for this service lobby staff is nice and english communicate is no problem we will choose this hotel again

Great location as just opposite bus station. Opposite the road within 5min walk will reach supermarket and Daiso. The room is spacious. Onsen is open from night until 10am next day. The hotel staff friendly, helpful and arrange the futon for us. You also can choose your own amenities after check in. Free coffee, tea and some juice at hotel lobby and selected floor

Overall was a good experience and nice environment, food was good. Improvement:- It will be good to have buggy service for customers regardless of time as some of us may have big and many luggages to carry by hand to the room. It will be better to have more different variety and choice of dinner food the next day,  as we were dining two days with almost same food.

Great location, great facilities. Onsen is good. Big parking lots, around 40 cars can be parked. 2 blocks away from the 7-11. A wee far away from station.

Great location of the hotel. The bus station was near, also Lawson and Family Mart were near. The hotel is quite old, but it didn’t bother me at all. It was quite clean and the room was very spacious. The view was incredible! The onsen was very good, especially the one on the second floor. You can lie in the hot water and admire the ocean. And sleeping on tatami is the best. If you are not a fan of sleeping on tatami and a hard pillow, you should choose a Western-style room.