Pension Prince

The annex rooms could use better sound insulation, so if noise bothers you, I'd choose one of the recently renovated rooms in the main building. Our own room was cute and cozy, though, and the food was a real highlight. We had generous portions of wagyu steak, lobster, crab, awabi, and several kinds of sashimi, almost more than we could manage, in the best way. We had a lovely stay at Pension Prince, and we're already looking forward to coming back.

Dinner was the best meal I had in Atami. There was steak, crab, raw lobster, sashimi, vegetables to grill, and plenty more, served from 6 to 8 pm. They also serve a Japanese-style breakfast from 8 to 9, with checkout at 10. The place is up near the top of a forested mountain, reached by a single bus, number 4, from Atami Station in about 20 minutes. We stayed in a Western-style room. It was average but perfectly fine, with a couch, coffee table, TV, and Wi-Fi. The lounge downstairs had lots of Japanese manga and some playing cards, and the whole place felt cozy. There's a private hot spring bath you can use when it's vacant, though all guests share it, so you might need to wait. There are also four separate relaxing baths without hot spring water, useful if the spring bath is busy. There are adorable pet cats around the property, so watch that they don't wander into the guest buildings. I'm not sure how easy it is for guests who don't speak Japanese.

The only real drawback was getting there. The route climbs along narrow mountain roads, and when I drove up around 5 pm in winter it was getting dark with no streetlights. It could be tricky for a holiday driver, so I'd recommend arriving before 5. If you're driving and give yourself enough time, it's worth the price. The staff were young, energetic, passionate, and very nice, and the service was good. Dinner was wonderful, with lobster, fresh fried fish, crab, and more, plus free-flowing beer and other drinks during the meal. The hot springs are booked by reservation, which worked well for couples or groups of friends. There are two indoor baths and one outdoor bath. For me, this was the best hot spring hotel I've stayed at in the Tokyo region.

The dinners and breakfasts were wonderful, and there were baths and karaoke too. Just be ready to carry your bags up two steep flights of stairs from the parking area to the entrance.