Livemax Resort Shiretoko Seafront

I loved seeing seagulls from the window in the morning, and the hotel is right by the sea. The food was tasty, and the staff were welcoming and did their best despite limited English. But the toilet smell was awful and affected my whole stay, while wind whistling through the leaky window kept disturbing us at night. After 10 p.m. there was no one at the front desk, so I wasn't sure about leaving my shoes at the entrance. The room problems overshadowed the good food and service.

The view across the sea toward the Russian Islands is breathtaking, and Rausu Port is only a five-minute drive away, which makes this a handy place to stay if you're going whale watching. The hotel is clean, with spacious rooms and good meals. The receptionists were friendly and welcoming too.

The food and public bath were acceptable, but they didn't make up for the other shortcomings. My room had no view, and the kitchen area felt unnecessary since I came for a ryokan stay, not a vacation rental. The booking site showed no pictures of the interior, so I arrived expecting a traditional Japanese onsen ryokan and found an ordinary hotel with an English name and little of that atmosphere. Service felt average too. Check-in came with no detailed explanation of the facilities, the reception was nothing special, and we had to carry our own luggage to the room. At night the front desk was unstaffed after a certain hour, and guests needing help had to call a mobile number, unlike the 24-hour service I've seen at most Japanese ryokan. The environment and service didn't meet traditional ryokan standards, and the price felt poor value. Compared with an authentic Japanese onsen ryokan, I think it would need to be at least 20% cheaper to be reasonable. If you're after a true onsen ryokan experience, this may not be the right choice.

It's a hotel by the sea, with rooms facing the water as well as Japanese-style rooms with mattresses on the floor and Western-style rooms with regular beds. We want to thank Mr. Sherfa Dawa and the reception staff. His suggestions helped us, and thanks to him our stay was pleasant. He speaks good English and has a lovely smile.