Hotels With Breakfast in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan

Katsuura is a very peaceful, quiet seaside town. The hotel's location is a bit awkward; it's about a ten-minute walk from Nachi-Katsuura Station. Taking a taxi doesn't feel worth it, and buses seem infrequent. Walking with luggage is a bit strenuous. The streets were so quiet that all we could hear was the sound of our suitcases being dragged, adding a touch of 'noise' to this small town, announcing to the residents: guests have arrived. The hotel is located at one end of the town, a five-minute walk from the marine torii gate. The hotel rooms are very spacious, featuring tatami mats, and you need to make your own bed. The room faces the sea with no one opposite. Opening the curtains and lying on the tatami is very relaxing. The hotel's hot spring isn't large, with both indoor and open-air baths, and it wasn't overly crowded. Overall, the service was good. Both breakfast and dinner felt quite ordinary. The restaurant across from the hotel (pictured in image three) was excellent; the owners are young, enthusiastic, and speak a little Chinese. There are also several other good restaurants in town.

The hotel is conveniently located just 100 meters from the train station, and the Kansai Airport limousine bus stops right downstairs. There's a large shopping mall directly below the hotel, with plenty of dining options nearby. There was a minor issue with my reserved room, but Trip.com handled it excellently. Overall, it's a very good hotel.

I've been wanting to visit Shirahama for almost 10 years, so I picked this onsen resort, rumored to be among Asia's top 11. For Japanese onsen hotels, all-inclusive is a must! However, my overall experience was just so-so, probably because I've stayed at so many Japanese onsen hotels before. It definitely boasts an unbeatable sea view; I booked a garden view room, and when I tried to upgrade to a sea view at check-in, the front desk attendant said none were available. Yet, when I entered my room, I could still see the ocean! The sea view here isn't as breathtaking as in Izu. From Shirahama Station, there's no shuttle, so we had to take a taxi, which was about 2500 yen. The most impressive part of the hot springs here is the co-ed open-air ocean view bath – the scenery is truly incredible! The food was only decent, incomparable to what we experienced at Kusatsu Onsen, Yamato no Sato in Izu, Lake Kawaguchiko at Mount Fuji, or even Gero Onsen. The staff weren't particularly enthusiastic either. There were a lot of Chinese tourists, some from Hong Kong and Macau, but very few Japanese tourists, mostly elderly ones. This onsen hotel seems to be a popular spot hyped up by Chinese travelers! If you're only visiting Kansai, Shirahama is definitely worth a trip. But if you're going to other parts of Japan, it might not be worth making a special journey for.

Wakayama Castle is right at your doorstep, and it's super convenient to catch the Tama Densha (train). The location is fantastic. There's a Don Quijote about a 700m walk away, which is great for shopping. The room was clean and tidy. This was my second stay, and I'll definitely choose this place again next time I visit.

I was very satisfied with this hotel. The front desk staff's English wasn't great, but communication was no problem. They were very attentive in explaining the onsen opening hours and even helped me book a two-day bus trip from the hotel to Kii-Katsuura JR station. The hotel lobby provides yukatas (light cotton robes) in different styles and sizes; outer garments and obi (sashes) are in your room. The moment I opened the door, it felt wonderful. This time I booked a traditional tatami room with a bathroom, facing the sea, on a high floor. The view was fantastic. Remarkably, the tatami room had no unpleasant odors. There are two onsen: one outdoor and one indoor (but there's also an outdoor onsen). Soaking in it once a day was very comfortable. During the Spring Festival, it wasn't crowded; tourists and locals were about equal. I booked a one-night, two-meal package. The front desk lets you choose your dining time. My first dinner was scheduled for 8 pm, but when I arrived, they didn't check, and there weren't many people dining. The food was just average, nothing particularly amazing.

The hotel is situated at a secluded corner of Wakayama prefecture. It is much preferable to drive here rather than relying on the infrequent hotel shuttle. Public transport is otherwise non existent. There are no restaurants around the hotel. However the hotel provides delicious meals with abundant fresh seafood. The in room dining experience is superb. The hotel staff service is impeccable. The room has a spectacular sea view allowing you to see the sunset on clear days. The onsen also faces the sea which provides a relaxing experience. A downside is that the hotel does not seem to sanitize the slippers for indoor use. All hotel guests had to change to their slippers to access their indoor facilities.

We arrived in Kii-Katsuura by express train from Shirahama in just under 2 hours in the morning. After getting off the train, we stored our luggage at the station (¥800/locker) and immediately took a sightseeing bus to Nachisan (¥630). We visited the grand waterfall, had a bowl of udon noodles by the street (¥600), and then hiked up to visit the Three-Storied Pagoda. After descending, we took the bus back to the JR station. Dragging our luggage, we walked for 7 minutes to catch the hotel's boat to the island (boats depart every 20 minutes after 3:10 PM). Check-in at the hotel was done via machine. We stayed at the Sankan building. On the way, we walked past the cave onsen with our luggage and took the elevator straight up to the 32nd floor, where we had a panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean. After all the hiking, we changed, grabbed our towels, and enjoyed the cave onsen♨️. Before our 6 PM dinner reservation, we rushed to the Noroshibashi Tunnel on the 33rd floor to catch the sunset. Dinner was a semi-buffet with a wide variety of delicious options😋. The next morning, we put on all our clothes at 5:30 AM to capture the sunrise. After breakfast and a short rest, we took the large escalator downstairs, stored our luggage (free of charge), and at 9:20 AM, we took the boat back to the pier. We checked out the fish market and then headed to the bus stop. A new day of travel had begun…

The shuttle bus from Ikidanabe JR Station was at around 2pm. If you missed it, you can only take a taxi there, which costs about 1700JP. The beach behind the hotel is very beautiful, and you can see the sunset. I booked a one-night stay with two meals. The dinner was pretty good, and the quality was higher than that of several hotels behind the Kumano Kodo! There was also dandan noodles for supper in the evening. Personally, I feel that except for the inconvenient transportation, I am satisfied with the hotel in other aspects! The shuttle bus was delivered to Ikidanabe Station at 10am in the morning. We felt it was a bit late, so we asked the front desk to call a taxi to the station. Other areas are good!

The hotel facilities are a bit dated, but well-maintained. The white sand beach right outside is absolutely beautiful, and I heard the sand was actually imported from Australia! The half-board (dinner and breakfast) was decent, nothing spectacular but no complaints either.

Right next to the station, which is very convenient. There's a supermarket, pharmacy, and plenty of dining options downstairs. The price is reasonable, and breakfast is pretty good too. Getting here from Osaka by car is quite easy. It's just that Wakayama as a whole doesn't have much to offer in terms of attractions.