New WestPeninsula Hotel

The cypress bath was spacious and comfortable, with a view of the ocean. There’s no large public bath, but two private baths can be reserved at check-in. The building sits on a hill by the sea, so the windows look out onto beautiful views. There aren’t many rooms, but they’re very large and open. That also means the heating takes a while to warm them up. My room had a jetted bath and a modern tub with a waterfall shower. Floor heating and air conditioning kept the room warm, but the bathroom stayed so cold I worried about heat shock. We ate breakfast and dinner at the second-floor restaurant, and both meals were delicious, made with local ingredients. There’s no souvenir shop, though billiards and table tennis are free to use.

We booked a room with a jacuzzi for my wife's birthday, and also tried the private cypress bath. It was very spacious, easily big enough for 5-6 people. Our room’s jacuzzi was large too, so we could really relax in it. The food at both dinner and breakfast was delicious, and we were very satisfied. We stayed for the first time on a Friday in December. The inn is on a hill on the Uchibo side, at the tip of the Boso Peninsula. We arrived after dark and didn’t notice the location, but the next morning the view from our room impressed us. The staff were very friendly, and I think it’s a great inn.

The location is good, though the property seems to have been a corporate resort before and isn’t especially user-friendly. The bath is called a hot spring, but it’s only available by private reservation, and the strong chlorine smell made me itchy. People say the food is good, but, well... I noticed the place was understaffed and things weren’t running smoothly. I can see that other accommodations hire foreign workers; it can’t be run with Japanese staff alone. It’s a sad reality. The company seems to be Hong Kong-owned, and there are no unnecessary amenities, so bring your own.

The staff were really kind and helpful. There was just the two of us, and the room was so big it almost felt like too much space.