Kurayoshi City Hotel

The 1200 yen breakfast wasn’t worth it for me. There was very little variety and the food tasted preheated, especially when there are much better options at that price. I stayed in the annex; the room was clean and had okay space. The spacious men’s public bath was clean too.

I spent five nights here on a business trip during a busy season, when it wasn’t easy for foreigners to find a room. My hosts booked it for me. The bed, bathroom, breakfast, and other basics were fine, even good. Without the smoke, I’d have rated it 4/5. But I’ve never stayed somewhere so soaked in cigarette smoke and lingering odors. The walls and ceilings were yellowed, as if they’d absorbed decades of smoke. I had to keep the window wide open in the room to avoid feeling ill, and still got whiffs of it. I left the window open while I was out, but the cleaning staff closed it each time. Even the clothes in my closed suitcase started smelling like cigarettes. I’m heading straight to a coin laundry after checkout to wash everything I own, and hope the smell comes out.

The staff were so friendly and went out of their way to help. It’s the best place I’ve stayed, and I’ll definitely come back 😃

A nice, affordable place, and there’s even an onsen. The elevator was oddly very hot. On the short ride to or from the closest convenience store, I’d be sweating even though I’d been inside less than a minute. Maybe it was just a temporary issue.