Atami Minoya Hotel

The view from our fifth-floor room looking toward Atami Port was the highlight. From the balcony we could watch Atami's night lights and ferries coming and going to Hatsushima and Izu Oshima. The room's refrigerator had a freezer compartment, which was useful for ice packs, and although the pillow was too big for me, the futon kept me warm and I slept well. I hadn't stayed in Atami for several years and was surprised by how much accommodation had become. This place was very reasonably priced. I couldn't locate the parking lot at first, but when I called, the landlady came out quickly to guide me. There isn't a hot spring here, so there's no bathing tax, though there is an accommodation tax. I noticed a sewage smell from the unit bath drain, and then smelled the same thing in the parking lot facing the port. I looked into it and found the Atami City Water Purification Management Center, a sewage treatment plant, nearby, which might explain it. There was a good air purifier in the room, so it wasn't an issue while I stayed inside.

The old building had a poor atmosphere overall, and the bathroom was a three-piece unit that felt far from clean, despite this being a hot spring resort. Small children were also really noisy. The location was excellent, and you could see the place had quality, which made the rest all the more disappointing. I had booked a Japanese-style room but was shown to a completely different room. The reservation seemed to have gone through, yet the staff appeared unsure when checking it, which left me uneasy. I was told the place was open 24 hours, so I assumed the same entrance would work late at night. The automatic door wouldn't open. I called, but the recorded message only said, "We are currently very busy," then hung up. I was able to get in through a door next to it that looked like an emergency stairwell, using my room key. No one explained this, which I found questionable. The stay was so low quality that I would never consider coming back.

The landlady was kind, and the low price was the best thing about the place. I left thinking that when traveling, you really do need to spend a certain amount. It might work for watching fireworks or for a group of guys on a student trip. I stayed one summer night and was shocked by all the flying insects. When I lifted the paper with my check-in details, there were loads underneath. At first I took them for little marks on the paper and table, then realized they were insects and felt completely disheartened. If staff knew about them and still directed me to that check-in table, that's unfortunate. You'd think someone at reception would have noticed, though there were quite a few dead ones, so maybe nobody had checked. I hoped for the best on the way to my room, but even if it was better than the front desk, it still had lots of flying insects. Such a letdown.

My son went on his graduation trip with three other boys and stayed in a Japanese-style room without meals. He told me the room was lovely and had a great view. Fuua, the hot spring facility, is within walking distance, and he said the landlady was very kind to him. Thank you. I rated the room four stars since he didn't use the bath.