Minamiizu Shimogamo Tropical Botanical Garden Hotels

"I love everything about the hotel. My favourite is the view of the ocean from my balcony. The buffet breakfast was sumptuous with varieties. Even though there's a free shuttle bus to and from Kawazu Station, we couldn't use it on arrival because it stopped operating rather early. As we flew in from Asahikawa in Sapporo, by the time we reached Imaihama Kaigan Station, it was nearly 8pm. As there's no more taxis in service, we had to walk to the hotel with our luggage with limited lightings. Fortunately, the moon was bright that night. And there's no eateries and convenience stores nearby."

"As the "hanare" part of "hanareya" suggests, this location is quite far from what you might consider urban Japan, and as such is a good place for some relaxing quiet time. The ryokan room I had was very spacious despite being the smallest type, especially for one person. There was the genkan (entrance area), a big room for eating, a big room for sleeping, a corridor with chairs/tables and a safety deposit box, a closet with a yukata, a toilet, a separate bathroom sink area, one small indoor onsen and one small outdoor onsen. I ordered the half-board option, and requested to have my meals in my room. The way that worked was they'd deliver the trays to the entrance where I'd pick them up, then once I was done eating I'd call the front desk and they'd come and take back the trays. Food was nice. Not much to do outside at night, I just walked to the MaxValu supermarket and back as a night stroll. If you're coming to Kawazu for the cherry blossoms, maybe come towards the middle/end of the Kawazu Cherry Blossom Festival dates. I went basically the day before the festival started (not intentionally, timing just happened to be a near miss), and whilst this year the sakura were slower to bloom than usual due to the cold, I don't think you'll see much on festival day 1, just the occasional single bloom here or there. It's inconvenient to get to (need car), but I'd recommend also checking out the Izu Orange Centre in the area and trying the orange juice there."

"Great view!"

"Flash hotel with an incredible view! Each place has got a bath tub on the balcony. The rooms are newly renovated and as everyone says they have an open bar and they allow you to take drinks upstairs, didn’t eat at restaurant. Everything closes nearby at 2:30 so I suggest you bite the expensive bullet and get the meal plan. Location is great inbetween dogashima and zojima. Definitely geared for Japanese couples. Public was clean and also had a nice view. It’s one of those places you would recommend to people but I’d probably not go back. Why? Just not cozy and it’s a bit expensive! The rooms are done up by a designer with ikea like furniture and our big room has 7 elevation changes. You will bust a shin getting into your bed:). The balcony is small so the small tub is the balcony There are other places on the island to get a more quaint feel. It’s basically like going to your friends house who collects beautiful modern furniture and just wishing for a comfy couch to look a the view. It’s great for the modern Japanese couple looking to impress! "

"It’s a lovely hotel on a beautiful beach. The breakfast buffet is very delicious and the ocean view from the onsen was magnificent. The staff is incredibly friendly."

"Excellent place to explore Shimoda area."

"The customer service from the staff was the best part of the hotel- they were more than attentive and polite. The ocean views are wonderful and the complimentary massage chairs were relaxing."

"The hot springs were really good. The hotel itself seemed a little dated. The restaurant was only available if you reserved in advance. The other restaurant/bar was closed. "

"Absolutely loved our stay here! We booked a room with a private onsen and included the dinner and breakfast meal plan. The views were incredible, the food amazing and the staff was very helpful pointing out the laundry facilities and a pedestrian walking path nearby. They even gave us sparklers to light on the beach for our last night. Hope to stay again!"