Matsushima Hotel Waraku

The location is a real plus: the fishing market, Matsushima islands, temples, and places to eat are all walkable. The station is about five minutes away for trains to Sendai, and the nearest convenience store takes around 5-7 minutes on foot. It’s a lovely area, and the hotel has a nice view and a private onsen. The price was very fair. We were five people in a room listed for 5-7. We’re all tall Americans, and while it wasn’t uncomfortable, we barely fit in the sleeping area with all our futons side by side. We had to put our luggage in a cupboard that seemed intended to sleep two more people, so I’d be wary of bringing six or seven people with bags. There’s no washing machine either. The nearest coin laundry is about a mile away, though it’s a nice walk in the daytime. The room had a fridge, kettle, TV, AC, and fresh clothes provided daily to wear after showering. It was cleaned each day, and we had to leave the keys at reception around 10:00 AM so the cleaner could come in. The staff were super polite and friendly, usually just one person at the desk, and they did their best to speak English and help however they could. There’s a private onsen, a beautiful view, and a very good location for the price. I’d recommend it for groups of five or fewer.

The room had an odd smell, but this was a really cheap hotel with a nice onsen. It’s right by all the good places in the area.

A budget-friendly hotel with a private onsen, and it’s close to the sea too.

We booked a room-only stay at Waraku for three of us on Saturday, December 17, 2022, since we wanted to spend the day eating seafood around Matsushima. The Japanese-Western room had eight tatami mats plus twin beds. Through Yahoo! Travel, the price was 9,966 yen with the prefectural resident discount, down from 18,449 yen, so we kept lodging costs low and had more to spend at local restaurants. The 45-minute private bath was especially useful for our family. At a large public bath, I usually have to handle my child's hair, body, drying, and clothes by myself. Here we could bathe together and my husband and I could split those jobs as usual. The staff were lovely with our child, and gave us children's slippers and body sponges right at check-in. Each room had its own air conditioner instead of one building-wide system, so we could set it to suit how warm or cool we felt. We could also go out until midnight after checking in, which made it easy to explore Matsushima. It turned out to be a great hotel. If you don't need a buffet plan, I'd recommend Waraku.