Hotel Wellness Houkiji

The rooms were clean, and the staff were really nice.

We stayed on a Friday night during spring break in April 2019, on a plan with breakfast, after booking that day through Rakuten Travel. The facilities are quite old, though some areas have been renovated. The rooms on the second floor were all under construction that day. We stayed on the third floor and could see Daisen from our window. The hotel is at the eastern end of the Kaike Onsen area. The bath was spacious and comfortable, though the outdoor bath was on the lukewarm side. The facilities’ age is understandable. Breakfast starts at 7 and is buffet style, with a modest selection that felt about right for the price. The service was pleasant.

We stayed here while sightseeing in Kaike. The Japanese-style room was clean, and the futons were fresh, even though some of the facilities felt dated. I liked the baths, including the high- and low-temperature saunas and the open-air bath, but there was an unpleasant odor that may have been sewage. It kept us from relaxing, so I took off one star. Dinner left us full, with duck hot pot, tempura, salmon carpaccio, and more. The kamameshi was especially tasty. My elderly parents said they could relax too, so we can overlook the small inconveniences. Thanks for the hospitality. We’d stay again if we get the chance. The Wi-Fi was perfect, by the way, and videos and games worked without any trouble.

We booked through Jalan. The plan description said there was no bath, but when I checked with the front desk, they said every room has either a unit bath or a shower. Ours had a shower, and it was clean and very nice. Some lights in the room were dim, so it felt a little dark when we were having drinks at night, but overall the room was clean and I was satisfied. Dinner was a kaiseki meal at the restaurant and tasted very good. The part-time server didn’t explain much about when to eat the hot pot or rice, and didn’t ask about drinks. A full-time employee stopped by now and then to explain the timing, and we were served the aperitif and soup properly. Other than that slight service issue at dinner, I was happy with the hotel and would like to come back.