Recea Minamichita

The morning view and the sound of the waves were lovely, even though this is an older hotel. I stayed without meals. Tron's Hot Spring made me sweat more than I expected, and I found it good for easing fatigue. Just make sure the doors to the rooms are locked securely.

The food felt like what you'd get at a minshuku, and the portions were disappointing. There wasn't much rice in the kamameshi, so men might find it insufficient. Breakfast rice came in an individual pot instead of an ohitsu, but there was very little of it and no seconds. Drinks were expensive too. I thought about buying some from the vending machine on the first floor, but was told no, so I ended up ordering a weak highball and 300 ml of sake. The bathhouse's Tron's Hot Spring is tucked away at the back of the large bath, so some people may not notice it. The building does feel old, but the tatami in the room seemed new, and I had no complaints about the room itself. I did wonder why there was no tanzen provided in winter. I hadn't asked at the front desk, so I don't know whether one might have been available.

The hot spring was so pleasantly lukewarm that I went in four times. I found Toron no Yu while looking for a place for the Osaka Kira weekend and booked, even though the low price and bad reviews had me a little concerned. The reception was friendly, the room was roomy, and while the building is old, it was clean. I was very happy with it. Dinner was a generous portion. I wonder how much the people who said it was small usually eat. Some reviews called the alcohol expensive, but to me the prices seemed quite reasonable for a hotel: 450 yen for a chuhai is about what many places charge, and the 300 ml sake was 800 yen and tasted good. I'll definitely come back.

We were four, including two elementary school kids, and paid 12,800 yen for a room only. The price felt about right. If they'd charged 20,000 or 30,000 yen, I'd have been furious. I booked after seeing the bad comments, partly for the fun of it, and spent the stay feeling like I was doing an undercover inspection. The room was somewhat spacious. The Japanese-style and Japanese-Western rooms seemed the same size, with only the dividing line arranged differently. The freezer compartment in the fridge was completely blocked with frost, piled up like crazy. There was a dead stag beetle on the balcony, just its head. Why? The balcony window was extremely stiff, and they changed our room. There seemed to be plenty of empty rooms. There was no Wi-Fi. I asked the hotel staff to update the travel site listing, but I doubt they'll do it, so be aware. The staff were poor at dealing with guests and need to relearn hospitality. They didn't even answer when I greeted them. Can't they manage a greeting? The bath was lukewarm. They make excuses about how that's good for sweating, but it just didn't feel comfortable to sit in. The passage to the open-air bath was dark, and my wife was uneasy. The open-air bath was a tub looking out onto what was just a backyard. Apparently you can call someone over, according to a smelly old guy I happened to ride the elevator with. This was at night.