New Royal Hotel Shimanto

The location may look convenient because the hotel is near a shopping street, but I didn’t find the nearby shops or restaurants especially interesting. It’s also quite a distance from the nearest station. There are very few taxis there and bus service is limited, so getting here without your own car can be difficult. The hotel does offer free bicycle rentals, and drivers of electric vehicles can use the charging stations. There’s an onsen on the seventh floor, though only the large communal bath uses the onsen water, and it may not be available at all hours. This is a prestigious luxury hotel that once hosted the Emperor of Japan.

We’re visiting from Australia and cycling around Japan, and stayed here twice over the past week. The public bath was clean and quiet, and the staff were great. They even arranged safe indoor parking for our bikes. There are bars and restaurants nearby, too. It’s a great hotel, and I highly recommend it.

The room was clean and the location convenient, but the stay wasn’t pleasant. It took over three hours for the air conditioning to start working, and the Wi-Fi was so unstable it was completely unreliable. The onsen bath was open for very limited hours. One more thing: the hotel is run by APA Hotel Group, whose owners are notorious for xenophobic and militaristic views.

I’m sure it’s a nice hotel, and the inside looked really good. I was there to check out the Montbell shop, though. It mostly had clothes, and I’d expected more ocean recreation gear given how close it is to the ocean. For a Montbell shop, I’d give it two stars. The selection was very limited.