Hotele Romantic 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 ☺️”

„Mecure, time to lift your game! It’s summer in Japan and the swimming pool is empty & closed.?? Surrounding landscaped areas not well maintained. Rooms & corridors delight you with a musty aged smell that takes time getting used to. Positives: View of surrounding coastline excellent, sunrise beautiful. Room’s good size. Buffet Breakfast decent with options Afternoon & Evening free snacks & drinks a bonus. Negs: Customer service adequate but can’t say a lot of enthusiasm. Room & corridor’s musty The place needs renovation Need car for access hotel. No pool operating in summer???”

„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”

„This is such a treat after hiking for 4 days on Kumano Kodo. We have very nice views from our room and we truly enjoyed the cave onsens by the ocean in the hotel. We also enjoyed the dinner with fresh tuna and watch filleting tuna by a chef. The breakfast was just ok.”

„Location is a bit far but is fine by driving Very large hotel and spa Superb lounge service with soft and hard liquor”

„Comfy bed, large and clean room. Have common areas like shared kitchen at the residence. The residence is located next to the main block of the hotel. You have to walk outside for ~2min to travel to the main block if you would like to enjoy the hot spring / play at the game room / exchange for new towels. Hot spring is nice, with indoor and outdoor areas. The outdoor one is with stunning sea view. There are snooker, table tennis, and other games in the game room for all guests.”

„The best resort I stayed in Japan, spacial thank you to the stuff at the front desk who had been super kind and helpful. The hot spring which overlooks the ocean is stunning, highly recommended!”

„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.”

„The hotel is about 5 min away from the station. It has a library corner which is good for those who likes to read books during the leisure time of the trip. The hotel also provides complementary free drink all days. I definitely will come back if I travel to Kii Tanabe.”