Umino hotel Hajime

The staff were really friendly, but the room badly needs renovating. The bathroom and shower were old, and there were dead flies in the corners and on the wall 🙃. The automatic light sensors were a nice idea when they worked. In our room, even a breeze seemed to set them off, so the lights kept switching on and off all night. It felt spooky.

We stayed two nights, from 11 to 13 Nov, and really enjoyed the Japanese set breakfasts. They served different dishes each morning. The staff were very friendly, too. We booked a sea-facing Japanese-style room on level 6, with a private onsen inside, and could watch the sunrise from the room. There’s also a public bath on level 7 with a nice sea view. Parking is available at the hotel for a daily fee. It’s a five-minute walk to 7-11, and you can walk to Youme mall for food and shopping. We used Map Code 46 406 304*11 to find the place. If you’re driving, I’d strongly recommend visiting the nearby aquarium. For the Jigoku, The Hells of Beppu (Jigoku) should be enough.

The hotel’s facilities and amenities feel a bit dated, so it’s worth booking a sea-facing room. The annex across the road seems like a bit of a waste by comparison. Even if your room doesn’t have a private onsen, there’s an open-air bath with a great ocean view that you can reserve for a fee. That could still make a stay here worthwhile.

We were looking forward to our holiday, but the place left us disappointed. Finding belongings left by previous guests made us question how carefully the room had been cleaned. The bathroom was surprisingly cramped and awkward to use, even though the room itself had space. The hotel feels dated and needs renovation. Without a sea-view room, there isn’t much pleasant to look at, and the surrounding area seems run-down. It didn’t feel up to what we’d expect from a four-star hotel, which seems like fair criticism.