Akanean

The breakfast waitress spoke so gently to my grandson that he ate happily without getting fussy. Dinner service had been just as attentive, and the woman who welcomed us was lovely. Since the inn has only three detached buildings, we hardly crossed paths with other guests. The dining rooms were separate, and our bath was a semi-open-air one inside the building, so it felt easy to relax there with our young grandson even during the COVID-19 pandemic. I hadn't booked him a bed or meals, but they still prepared a cute jinbei, white rice, simmered fish, and other things for him. They even sent us off with dorayaki from a long-established maker of Japan's three most famous manju, which made me feel a little guilty about writing this as a request rather than a complaint. Given the age of the facility, I was close to completely satisfied, and I may stay here again. I did want to flag a few things. I couldn't find the Akanan Wi-Fi password in the arrival instructions or the room guide, and only got online after asking a dinner waiter. The hot spring water was around body temperature, but I was told to use the bathroom control panel to keep it warm or it would cool too much for bathing. Even set to the lowest temperature, 37 degrees, it felt like 42-43, too hot for an adult, so my grandson never got to try the hot spring. The washroom shower also took several minutes to produce hot water when we visited in late April. I wondered how that would be in winter. After I turned out the lights, I noticed the dehumidifier beside the air conditioner. Its noise and wall vibrations kept me awake all night. I found the TV and air conditioner remotes, but not the dehumidifier remote. Meanwhile, the humidifier near the TV kept running, so the room was being humidified and dehumidified at once and I couldn't sleep. The inn apparently keeps that remote to prevent accidental use, though it knew the unit had malfunctioned several times before. After I posted this on Rakuten Travel, its reservation center and customer support contacted the inn; I was told the inn then contacted the manufacturer. If I'd just accepted the problem, would it have stayed that way? If I fell asleep driving the next day from lack of sleep and had an accident, would they be responsible? Their website calls this “an inn offering the finest food, baths, and sleep,” but which inn are they talking about? I wanted to give a perfect score, but took off a star for these issues.

The room was roomy and warm, and the large in-room bath had water straight from the hot spring. The kids were thrilled with the good selection of DVDs, and they also had baby wipes, diaper holders, and baby soap. Food was delicious too. Toothbrushes and razors looked a little cheap, but they worked fine. Everything else was perfect, and for the price it felt like a great deal. In Hakone or Izu, this would cost more than 100,000 yen. I'm impressed, thank you.

The room had a full-body massage chair, which was lovely after a soak in the hot springs. Meals came right to the room, and we really enjoyed the food, especially the mozzarella and tomato chawanmushi, morokoshi tofu, and the country-style miso soup at breakfast. With only three groups accepted at this quiet ryotei, the hospitality felt especially attentive, and the ingredients were carefully chosen with a creative touch. The room was spacious and nice, though it felt a bit dated and could use renovation. Toothpaste and razors also seemed rather cheap. Getting there in a large vehicle takes care, since the road is narrow, and the parking area is limited.

The in-room bath, meals, and massage machine all helped me unwind, and I was very satisfied. Food was delicious, drinks were served, and having everything brought to the room was easy. The waitresses kept a comfortable distance, too. Inside, the room was very clean and there were no bugs. Outside was another story. The area is full of nature, and there were an unbelievable number of bugs around the parking spot. The ground was grass and gravel rather than concrete, with bugs hopping around. I wanted to cry. I came here as a treat for myself, so that part was rough.