Auberge Homachi Mikuniminato

We spent two nights in Bishamon with both breakfast and dinner included. Our room was a very spacious two-storey townhouse, and having a washer-dryer in the unit was a lifesaver in the Japanese summer. There were plenty of amenities, though I was disappointed the bathtub wasn't made of cypress wood, even though it looked that way in the photo. The service felt a little lacking in some ways. Nobody offered a drink, tea, sweets, or a snack at check-in, which I'd consider standard at a high-end ryokan. Checkout was handled with one quick phone call from the room. Staff spoke good English and worked efficiently, but the stay didn't feel luxurious.

There's not much happening in town, which makes it a good spot to switch off and do nothing. For excursions, having a car is best. The hotel itself has lovely, diffused-style accommodation, with rooms balancing modern comforts and traditional Japanese design. The French restaurant is nice, and a few dinner dishes were genuinely exceptional. Breakfast, with eggs in a thick red wine sauce, felt too rich for 7am. Dinner service also seemed stiff, with opera playing through the speakers and suited staff walking around rigidly. A more relaxed dining atmosphere would've suited the experience better.

The old streets were a pleasure to explore, with lots of history and interesting places to see, including traditional houses and small museums. The renovated machiya gave the stay a lovely blend of traditional character and modern comfort, and made it easy to relax. Dinner was a real standout. The dishes used local ingredients, looked beautiful, and tasted even better. The beef and fish were especially memorable, and the staff were very friendly and made the experience feel special. It was such a great visit, and I can't wait to return. If you want somewhere to unwind and take in some history, I'd recommend it.

I paid $590 for dinner and breakfast, and my rating is 5/5. The hotel is made up of nine separate houses around town, all meticulously restored and recently opened. They use upcycled machiyas that bring a nostalgic feel to this once-busy coastal merchant town, a quieter alternative to touristy Kyoto. I drove there, but the train ride from Kyoto station is only 90 minutes. My townhouse was Konoji, built in the early Showa period. It was a lovely, spacious two-storey home, more private house than hotel room, with books and a laundry machine. At 1163 square feet, it had two bedrooms and was right by downtown, tucked behind the hotel's French restaurant. The house has been meticulously rebuilt and looks completely new, apart from the wooden beam roof in the ground-floor living room. The other townhouses, each in its own building, looked more authentically old. I loved hearing the town's colorful historical stories. The hotel is a short walk from the once-bustling, still-shimmering Kuzuryu River. Most staff spoke English well, especially the person who checked me in. The town is a quiet, under-the-radar seaside place to explore, with a splendid bank from the 1920s, cute shops and restaurants, and other historic machiyas, several of which have become unique hotel accommodations. The hotel serves delicious upscale French food made with local ingredients, and it's one of Michelin star chef Tateru Yoshino's restaurants.