Irokan Ryokan

The food was plentiful, and the staff were very polite and gave us detailed tips about the area. I hope the Minami Izu longitudinal road opens soon, since it would make getting around easier. We came as a family of three. The building is old, with signs of repairs and renovation, and the insulation isn’t great. In winter the room gets dry, so hanging a few wet bath towels in front of the air conditioner helps. The in-room bath has genuine spring water straight from the source, and being able to use it around the clock was great. The large bath is a bit small, and the sauna was closed during our visit. The drink servers shut at 9 PM, which was disappointing. I usually arrive late after finishing work, so I wish they stayed open all night. I took off a star because the reservation details on the website and the actual site weren’t properly connected, so we couldn’t use hometown tax vouchers, though they made an exception this time. The late checkout until 10:30 also hadn’t been communicated, and I had to ask, “Aren’t you still not leaving?”

We stayed in a pet-friendly room, and it was clean, which is a real plus since Japanese-style hot spring inns that allow pets are hard to find. The hot spring was lovely, too. The food was excellent in both quality and quantity. The gentleman serving us kindly talked to our dog, and the rest of the staff were just as good. Minami Izu is a bit of a trek, but I’ll definitely stay again. If you need somewhere that welcomes pets, give it a look.

The variety, portions, ingredients, and taste of the dishes really stood out. The landlady and staff treated us better than anywhere else we’ve stayed, and the “raw hot spring” was wonderful too. They keep a close eye on the temperature of both the indoor and outdoor baths, so you can really feel the spring water flowing as it comes from the source. Its minerals seemed to warm me right through and ease my fatigue. We came for New Year’s with our family of five and three dogs. It was a lovely family trip, and we made some great memories. We were touched when the staff kept waving until our car was out of sight.

With a car, this is a hot spring inn worth considering. The welcome was especially warm, and there’s plenty of spring water flowing straight from the source, so you can really enjoy the baths. We were four adults on December 27th. Total score: 38/50. Cleanliness 4, guest room 4, breakfast 4, dinner 5, public bath 4, open-air bath 4, service 5, amenities 3, location 2, futon 4. The dinner had fresh dishes, including sakura shrimp sashimi, and that alone makes the inn worth recommending.