Yutorelo Bandai Atami

I enjoyed wandering around the onsen town and taking in the local natural scenery. The hotel was nice, and the onsen was amazing.

The baths were a big reason I chose Bandai Atami Onsen, and the thick alkaline simple spring water lived up to what I expected. It felt smooth on the skin, with a temperature that made long soaks comfortable. The bathing area is medium-sized, with about 10 washing stations, though I imagine it gets cramped when busy. There are just indoor and outdoor baths, no private ones, and the facility rotates access for men and women. Bathing hours run from midnight to midnight, then start again at 5:30 a.m. The lobby has coffee, plus a 500 yen tasting of six local sake varieties for 30 minutes. Both felt like good value and were a welcome touch. Near the large bath there are two massage chairs, two facial steamers, and free vinegar and mint water. The standard twin room, with a toilet but no bath, was plain and functional. Nothing special, but reasonably priced. I liked the kettle in the refrigerator. The room key uses a cylinder lock. For two adults with two meals, we paid about 30,000 yen on the middle day of a three-day weekend. Weekdays seem cheaper. Some parts of the inn look a little dated, but it's maintained well and felt comfortable. Dinner and breakfast were set meals. I picked the cheapest plan, with pork steak as the main dish. It was fine, but not memorable, and the portions were on the small side. People who care a lot about food may be disappointed by both the quality and amount, though for the price I found it acceptable. A few parts of the stay felt geared toward efficiency. Check-in and check-out happen by tablet, and staff contact is minimal, which felt streamlined but lacked the warm face-to-face feel I'd expect at a hot spring inn in a tourist area. Yukata are self-serve at the front desk, drinks in the dining room are ordered by phone, and rice and miso soup are self-serve too. I found that inconvenient, though I can see it coming down to personal preference. QR code payment on site and online card payment were both smooth. There is only one elevator, and it is small, fitting around four adults. It can mean a wait around meals or check-out. Since we went on a long weekend, there were lots of families with children, and the corridors and large bath were busy. For a quieter soak, the time of year matters. This place puts spring quality and price first. It's worth considering if you want to enjoy the hot springs for a reasonable amount, though not if you're after luxury or quiet.

We had urgent business in Koriyama and needed a night for our family of four. We chose this inn because it cost less than the business hotel in front of Koriyama Station. The lobby and bath were very clean, there were plenty of amenities, and we could pick cute yukata ourselves. It was exactly what we needed and felt like very good value, though the price wasn't listed. Prices are high, but I hope they can keep them this way forever.

I relaxed in the lounge while waiting for my family, using one of the two free massage chairs and enjoying the two face steamers. They had four drinks: water, apple cider vinegar water, lemon water, and herbal water. The apple cider vinegar one smelled nice and was popular, so it ran out quickly. The day-trip bath was a good place to unwind at a reasonable price. Its alkaline simple spring water feels a little slippery, and left my skin feeling smooth. There are only two baths, indoor and open-air, so it may not satisfy someone hoping for lots of options.