Grand Hotel Seifuso

There are two places in Omuta called "Seifuso," and I booked the wrong one. I only use a hotel to sleep, so that part wasn't an issue, but the bathroom was too shabby to overlook. The enamel was covered in cracks, and the shower pressure was so low I couldn't use it. There is a large public bath, though it's alternated between men and women.

We chose this place because it was open during the long holiday period, when almost all hotels that take families of three or more were closed. There were other families staying too, and it's quite close to Greenland, so it seems a good option if you're going there. The rate was very reasonable for a somewhat old, small hotel, and felt like good value. The room had a gap under the door, so when the kids got noisy, the sound carried into the next room. There was a large public bath, though it wasn't all that big, and the women's bath seemed smaller still. I'm not sure whether the baths were rotated between men and women. The official website lists Japanese-style rooms with bathrooms as smoking rooms, but they actually had non-smoking Japanese-style rooms with bathrooms, which was a big help. There are a few parking spaces in front and more up the hill, not too far away.

The room had a shower and toilet, and there's also a large public bath. The water was perfectly hot, and I came out feeling wonderfully warm. I was surprised to find an electric kettle, refrigerator, large TV, desktop PC, and printer in the room. It was my first time seeing a room with a desktop PC. Maybe it had been set up for teleworking or digital nomads. The Wi-Fi was 4.0, and the carpet in the room looked fairly new and clean. The outside and the red hallway carpet have a worn-in Showa-era look, which I personally like. It's conveniently near Omuta Station, with plenty of parking. Omuta doesn't have many places to stay, but I think this one's worth considering.

The only thing I'd quibble with is that the mirror is in the unit bath, where you can't plug in the hairdryer, so you can't see yourself while drying your hair. Otherwise I was very satisfied. The staff were friendly and polite, and the price was reasonable, better than I expected. The outside is old, but inside it's been renovated and is clean. It had everything I needed: TV, hairdryer, toothbrush, razor, towels, yukata, hangers, fridge, unit bath, and free parking. I didn't find anything inconvenient. If you're looking for a place in Omuta, I think this is the best value.