Hoshino Resorts KAI Tsugaru

The shared onsen had everything we needed before and after bathing, and the food at both breakfast and dinner was absolutely delicious. Our room felt luxurious and comfortable, with tasteful design, a very comfortable bed and a huge lounge area. The hotel itself looks chic and classy, and the service was attentive and polite. It blew me away. Give it a try!

Dinner and breakfast were excellent, and the restaurant staff were very good. But in my experience, westerners weren’t as welcome here as Japanese guests. We got very little useful information about our stay, and some details the staff gave us about the facilities and amenities were wrong. Our room was clean, but it was missing seating and other items shown on the hotel website. The staff’s indifferent attitude left the atmosphere strained, so we decided not to use the onsen or go to the Shamisen performance. Thankfully, we didn’t have this kind of unwelcome experience elsewhere in Japan.

The garden grounds are carefully kept and have a peaceful, zen feel. In the evening, the onsen bath overlooking the still rock pond is especially striking. Our room had enough space for four, and there’s a bookstore along with a samisen concert after dinner. This is one of the most modern, luxurious ryokan we’ve stayed at. The kaiseki dinner and breakfast were skillfully prepared and elevated.

The hotel felt noisy and far from high end during our stay. There were many guests from Taiwan and mainland China that night, and some were loud and rude in the restaurant and hot spring areas. The activity spaces were occupied, so we couldn’t try the paper crafts or thread art. The place also seemed dated and plain compared with other properties in the “Kai” group. Our room’s bathroom was very old, and the hot spring area was small. At check-in, staff couldn’t communicate in English, so much of the information wasn’t explained. No one introduced the room, either. They just led us to the door. When we arrived, staff watched us from a distance instead of helping with our luggage. We had to pull our suitcases to the entrance and load them onto the cart ourselves while they looked on. Inside, nobody even offered a basic smile or greeting. If this is meant to be a luxury hotel, it wasn’t worth the visit for us. I wouldn’t recommend staying here.