Shimoda Kaihin Hotel

It feels really homey here, and for the price I thought it was a steal. The place is spacious and the views are beautiful. It’s an old ryokan, but staying there made me feel like I could be part of the town. Staff were always smiling and super accommodating, and the translation devices helped since I don’t speak Japanese fluently. There’s a very small arcade, a karaoke room, and coin laundry with a dryer. They also lend out a limited number of bicycles for free. I rode one to a lovely nearby beach, though you can drive there too and there are several parking lots. Breakfast and dinner were included. I did run into a few spiders and a lizard, but I still loved my stay. Haha.

The rooms are roomy, the neighbors were quiet, and the beaches aren’t too far away. It’s also a pretty manageable walk to the station, about 15m. For the price, this is a really good value if you’re planning to stay at Kaihin hotel.

The buffet food was a real highlight, with lots of Japanese dishes to try at both breakfast and dinner. The staff were kind, and they brought an air purifier to our room. The views were lovely too. That said, the hotel is old and the rooms smelled strongly because smoking is allowed in them. We hadn’t realized that when booking, so I was disappointed. The rooms are spacious if you don’t mind the smell or aren’t sensitive to it. The building could use a lot more cleaning or a proper renovation.

The worst part was feeling that my privacy had been invaded when a little boy was allowed into the women's public bathroom. I raised it at the front desk, and the staff member told me that this was normal in Japan. If that’s the case, the hotel should explain this custom to foreign visitors on its website so I could have known before booking. The rooms, which cost $200 a night, were incredibly old, and I didn’t like the restaurant food either.