Nanki-Shirahama Marriott Hotel

I visited in late November 2025 and really recommend this hotel. It's right by Shirarahama beach in a quiet town, and there's free parking. The hotel has its own hot springs on the top floor, overlooking the beach. The price felt like a four-star hotel, while the rooms and service were five-star. Trang was so sweet and helpful at check-in, and gave us information about restaurants and sights around Shirahama.

The beach is only a few minutes away, sheltered by a reef and breakwater, and was still warm for swimming in October. The water gets deep quite quickly. There are foot showers and a pleasant footbath as you leave the beach. The climb back up to the hotel is steep, so with heavy bags a taxi is probably best. From the station, take the bus to Shirahama Beach, which costs 400¥. Buses run frequently around the area; you can pay cash, get a local travel ticket at the station bus office, or use an IC card and top it up there. Our room was large, faced the garden, and had a Japanese-style bathroom with a tub. It was well equipped except for USB ports, and the tea and coffee were good. The open-air baths on the top floor were excellent, and we went every day. We used the private bath so we could bathe together, which is also a good option if you find naked bathing uncomfortable. Sunset is a lovely time to sit in the bath and watch the sun go down over the Pacific. I'm not sure I'd have liked a room with its own bath, as those involve a lot of steam. On our last day the breakfast buffet had plenty of choice and very good quality. It wasn't more expensive than usual for this type of hotel. We went to local cafes the other days, though coffee and toast were quite hard to find in town. The area is easy to explore on foot or by bike, and an electric bike helps with the hills. The roads aren't busy, and there's an electric bike rental rack at the hotel. In Japan, it seems you can just secure the bike with a wheel lock. At home I have to use a hardened steel U-lock and chain.

The room had a great sea view, but we were upset by the poor, inflexible management. We paid a lot to stay, yet dinner was just a small, very cold bowl of stale sashimi don rice. We were told we couldn't choose a dinner plan because staff said we'd already selected one, though we hadn't. I spent at least a week trying to contact Marriot for the correct email address so I could ask about dinner. The staff couldn't find it, and my messages kept coming back with delivery failure. At the restaurant, I wore the hotel-provided clothes, as is allowed at some Japanese onsen hotels, but was told to change again. The restaurant was very casual, with only one other table occupied, so that seemed odd. It took me another 19-15 minutes to get back after changing.

Our first trip to Japan, coming from Australia, was a fantastic experience at the Marriott. The rooms were very clean, service was excellent, and the staff were lovely. Most of the front desk team spoke English.