Miyajima Shiro

The price felt too high for what was on offer. Check-in on a tablet was impersonal, and in direct sun or rain the screen was hard to read. The property didn’t seem well maintained, and the garden was neglected, unlike the well-kept gardens I usually see in Japan. The bed linen was poor, with lots of questionable stains. On the plus side, the atmosphere was pleasant, the kitchen and large living room were nice, and the street was very quiet. It’s convenient for hiking, with trails starting nearby. Overall, I found the value for money very average.

Itsukushima Shrine was very close, and we could visit the torii gate at night, which was great. The ferry terminal, though, was a bit far away. We stayed during Golden Week and had access to rooms on both floors, but the living room and kitchen were shared. Since we were on the first floor, having no private toilet was disappointing. Guests on the second floor occupied the shared spaces, so walking past them to use the toilet was really unpleasant. Their TV in the living room was loud and stayed on late, which was inconvenient. The place was advertised as pet-friendly, but the bed was quite high. Our dog fell off, hit its head, and had internal bleeding in its eyeball. The living room was also occupied, so eating in our room was difficult and we ended up standing by the sink. I wish there’d been at least a table. I understand Golden Week made the rate higher, but with all this, it felt overpriced.

The inn itself is lovely, and a staff member responded quickly when we emailed about using the parking lot, then came over to unlock it. We stayed with our dog. We’d wanted to call on arrival to ask about parking, but didn’t like that all inquiries had to go through email. Most restaurants in Miyajima close early, so booking dinner when you reserve the inn seems sensible. We found a nearby sushi restaurant and had dinner there.

This felt like poor value and took away from our visit to a beautiful island. Check-in is through an outdoor tablet and a poorly optimized website. The tablet was broken during my visit, and the site kept crashing, so checking in was very difficult. There was no staff around, and for this price I expected better service. The way they ration coffee and tea pods also felt like obvious cost-cutting: there was one per person, except there were fewer tea pods than expected. The futons were like the ones in capsule hotels costing five times less, and I had back pain. The bathroom and toilet are shared among three rooms. It’s hard to find food in Lille after 4 p.m., so try to check in early in case you run into the same check-in problems. I’d avoid this place; it preys on tourists who don’t know better.