B&B Yuigahama

I’m sorry to leave such a negative review, but our room smelled awful. I have no idea where it came from, and it made us avoid spending much time in there. We were also right by a busy road, so traffic noise was a bother. The air conditioning was old and difficult to operate, which was rough in the unbearable summer heat. Service was terrible, too. We were charged 200¥ per towel, and couldn’t even pay for the overpriced laundry wash because staff were rarely around and hard to reach. For a two-night stay that wasn’t cheap, we expected better. Being told to use self check-in after 4pm meant sending passport photos and a form, then waiting for staff to contact us and confirm. That felt very unprofessional. The location was the bright spot: the beach was barely a 10-minute walk away, Family Mart was right next door, and Yuigahama Station was two minutes away.

The location and price were decent for Kamakura. B&B Yuigahama is on Yuigahama-dori, a few minutes from the Enoden line station. There are luxury resorts and cheap dorm hostels around, but not many mid-range business-style options. I’m sorry to leave a bad review for a small independent hotel, but I hope this helps them improve for future travelers. My week there was spoiled by the way the place was run. Check-in was confusing: first I was told I’d need to self-check in because I’d arrive after hours, then told staff would be there until 22:00. I got in at 20:30 and nobody was there. I had no room number or key. When I called, a Japanese staff member with poor English told me I needed to fill out a form and email a passport photo to get a key. I was left waiting in the break room, and they should have explained that requirement well ahead of time. The rules and communication also became a problem at the end of my stay. On my last morning I checked out early and left my bags in the break room, after giving them a heads-up. I’d seen other guests do the same. Later they asked if the bags were mine, then messaged in the afternoon insisting I pick them up by 15:00. That was unnecessary and unprofessional. When I mentioned in a message that I’d include the towel issue in my review, their tone turned hostile. After four days I asked to change my face and body towels, and was told there was a charge. They said towels usually aren’t included with room and board, but had given them to me because I was staying a week. That seems absurd. The dark brown sheets also seemed to me like an effort to hide dirt, and I found long female hairs on them three times. The bed was a thin foam mattress with little cushioning over a wooden frame. There were two beds, so I stacked them to get tolerable support. The tatami was plastic and dark brown too, and I questioned how hygienic it was to walk barefoot on it. The window faced busy Yuigahama-dori, so bring earplugs if noise bothers you. The blackout curtain was decent.

A nice option if you're traveling solo, with the Enoden nearby and a neighborhood that's easy to explore on foot. :-)

A good place to stay.