Kencha Rumah - Hostel

We had small rooms, but they were clean and inexpensive. The place is lovely, out in nature, and has a great kitchen with everything needed to cook. The outside area was clean and good for a BBQ. The rental car service was excellent, and airport pickup was great. Shops are about a 10-minute walk away. The owner is very kind, from Gunma Prefecture, and single 👍👏🌸, ❤️. Best place to stay, worth the money 💰✅ Lovely music: https://youtu.be/QQcmnta_urE?si=iLVz4PNWz3VoW51V

The staff at Kencha Rumah were friendly and spoke good English. They went out of their way to make us comfortable, and shared their knowledge of the island by suggesting some really interesting places to visit. The stay made our trip to Hachijo Island memorable. Amazing people, and we'd definitely recommend staying here. Thanks again for the great memories of Hachijojima!

I was hoping to explore without worrying too much about the time, and I had a comfortable, relaxed stay. It was my first guesthouse, and the location was great: a supermarket, 100-yen shop, and restaurants are all within walking distance. I spent two nights in a twin room at the front, looking toward the parking lot. It had a mini kitchen and unit bath, and seemed clean and well cared for. I hadn't checked closely beforehand, so I panicked when I arrived and realized there were no bath towels. A staff member explained the situation, and I got some at the nearby Can Do. Face towels can be rented. The rooms are arranged around a shared central space, with seven doors that use panel keys. There were only two or three other groups, and I never bumped into them. The person next door did talk loudly on the phone, though, which was distracting. Before checkout, you need to sort your rubbish and put out the bedding, sheets, and bath mat. I had planned to use the island bus, but there weren't many buses and getting around seemed difficult. I wanted to visit several places, including the Hachijo-Fuji trailhead, so I was lucky to find a car for one day. It was a light van, easy to rent for 4,500 yen including insurance. Parking was available when I returned it, so drop-off was simple. It worked fine for getting around, and the rental included airport transport. I was relieved to be picked up and taken to the airport on my way back. Hachijojima often has bad weather in February, and it's the off-season, so many restaurants and places to stay seem to close. Google Maps might not show that, so it's best to check ahead if you're going then. Having a car makes getting around easy.

I don't think I'll stay here again. It was convenient for restaurants, supermarkets, and a 100-yen store, but there are no amenities, which would be inconvenient for a beach trip. There's only one laundry room, and it's paid. The room looked out onto a cemetery. The beds were on either side, with the bathroom and toilet in the middle, leaving a cramped and awkward U-shaped layout. It had the feel of a shared house, which might suit people who enjoy that kind of interaction while travelling. For me, the family across the hall was too much. They had small children who could open their door, an alarm went off repeatedly from 6:00 AM, and there were frequent screams and shrieks. Cooking was difficult because many pots and pans weren't induction-compatible and kept beeping, so I had to swap them out several times. I understand charging for air conditioning as an eco-conscious choice, but I was surprised the common areas were charged too, and I didn't want to pay. I ended up eating in the hot living room with my own mini fan.