Ibusuki Kaijyo Hotel

The tatami room was a nice experience, but even I, and I'm not very old, found it hard to get up from the floor bed. I'd worry about older guests having the same trouble. The bathroom looked ancient, though everything worked. There wasn't a kettle, but they supplied hot water in a thermos jug. We enjoyed the traditional room and its lovely sea view, as well as the well-presented set dinner. The sand onsen was a real treat for me as a foreigner. Staff gave very good service, and little extras like free ice cream after an onsen visit were much appreciated. It's a nice three-star hotel, so don't expect four-star facilities.

We rented the two small electric bikes and had a fun afternoon with them. The downstairs bar is open 8p-12a, and it's well worth visiting. The bartender was a pleasure, and we had a great time there. The biggest inconvenience was the long gap in services: after 9a there's no coffee or food, and the restaurant, cafe, shop, and even the on-site onsen stay closed until 3p. Nearby places in this sleepy area are only open sporadically, which made those five hours especially awkward. Staff were very friendly and polite. Our tatami ocean-view room was spacious and comfortable, but the sleeping pads were very thin and the pillows felt like rocks. We were glad we'd brought travel pillows. Also, the on-site onsen is not tattoo-friendly, something the website doesn't mention. My husband could use the beautiful facility, but I couldn't. There are tattoo-friendly onsens 5-7 minutes away on foot, but knowing the policy in advance would have changed where we stayed.

The food was fantastic, and the service was wonderful. The hot spring was amazing too. Don't miss the sandy-jacuzzi.

The hotel is old, but the room was enormous, the hot water worked well, and the staff were very helpful. For the price, I really appreciated it. It's not close to the station, though the location was perfectly fine for me.