Hotel Seaside Shimabara

We were visiting my wife's relatives and had a great view of the bay. Our balcony had its own Hot tub, looking out over the sunrise and the islands in the bay. The breakfast buffet was delicious, with a good mix of regional dishes and western favorites.

The emergency exit was locked! We'd stayed here for years without worrying about the exits, until today, when we tried the emergency stairs from our third-floor room to the ground floor. The ground-floor door was locked. We went back up to the second floor, where that door was locked too. The third-floor door opened, so we ended up right where we started. In a fire, we could be trapped or burned to a crisp! When I complained at reception, they said they wanted to prevent unauthorized access to the hotel. So they'd rather burn their guests? This is also a violation of legal rules!

The common areas feel a bit worn and my first impression was that the hotel was quite dated. The rooms, though, were surprisingly nice, with comfortable beds, and the service was excellent.

I visited in the winter of 2020 for the famous onsen, using a ticket that lets you visit three different onsens in three different towns. I didn't actually stay at the hotel. The onsen was superb, with a panoramic view over the busy port and a seaside outlook facing east. You can watch the sun rise, but not the sun set. There's also a special cold bath where you can enjoy the naturally carbonated onsen.