Matsue Ekimae Universal Hotel

It’s only about 100m from Matsue Station, and breakfast and dinner are included. The staff clean the rooms every day. The single rooms are small, but if you’re watching your budget, they’re adequate.

The included breakfast and dinner are a nice bonus, and the price is good. It's an old hotel that works well for business trips, though I wouldn't choose it for a family stay.

The meals being included was helpful, and the hotel sits right by the station's back exit. We only learned where our group would be staying after the booking was confirmed, though. The place felt unsettlingly dim as soon as I walked in. I knew the facilities were old, but the whole stay became a struggle to feel comfortable, especially at bedtime. My room was in rough shape: lace curtains hanging partly open, pieces of the curtain rail on the floor, a long tear in the fabric, and two big sofas with odd stains. There were cobwebs on the walls and dust clumps on the floor, so I wouldn't touch the slippers. In the bathroom I found loose hairs in the toilet and tub, and lots more on the sink beside the cups. I didn't use those either. The fridge was basically a cooling box, its knob broken and its chilled shelf frozen over. Some people in my group enjoyed the food as a bit of a training camp experience. For me it was lukewarm instant curry and ready-made croquettes, so the fact that it was free didn't make much of an impression. I never asked about the rooms because the mood didn't invite it, but from what others said, mine may have been much worse than theirs. Getting a car in and out of the hotel's parking takes quite a while. Nearby coin parking costs about the same, so I'd use a ground-level lot instead. I'm still interested in Matsue, and next time I'll find somewhere else to stay.

I had plenty of room as a solo guest, and the low rate includes tasty breakfast and dinner. Being right by the station is handy, too. The one problem was the heat: in midwinter, even with the thermostat turned all the way up and the fan at full blast, the room stayed chilly. Maybe the room was simply too large, or perhaps the air conditioning just isn't very effective.