Hotels With Bar in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan

A clean and relatively modern hotel sitting on top of a hill with a spectacular view of the harbour. There is an indoor/outdoor onsen on the ground floor and free alcohol and snacks from 3 to 5 pm every afternoon! Great value for money, and a great place to relax and ease back into civilisation if you’ve just come out of the mountains after doing the Kumano Kodo.

I was in Osaka for the weekend and decided to take a spontaneous trip to Wakayama and Shirahama. To my surprise, hotel prices in Shirahama had significantly increased, and some were even fully booked. I figured it might be due to Halloween. The Shirahama Marriott is one of the few international chain hotels in Wakayama, located right next to the famous Shirarahama Beach. The price wasn't too outrageous, so I quickly booked a package that included dinner and breakfast (one night, two meals). Overall, it offered decent value for money. We arrived in Shirahama quite late. It was less than a 10-minute taxi ride from the JR station. Check-in was quick, and they acknowledged my Marriott membership, but unfortunately, there were no benefits offered, which felt a bit stingy 😅. I booked a basic city view room. It was indeed a rare spacious room for Japan and quite clean. However, we were given the lowest floor with no view to speak of, and there was a slight, odd smell in the room. While it wasn't a major issue, it did detract a bit from the experience. The dinner included in the package was a Japanese Kaiseki meal, which was excellent. Each dish was served with a strong sense of ceremony, and although the portions were small, the presentation, plating, and taste were all superb. There weren't many guests in the evening; only 2-3 tables were occupied in the large restaurant, making for a quiet and enjoyable meal. But I wondered, if the hotel was full, where did all the other guests eat? 😂 Breakfast was a Western-style buffet with a good selection, including some Japanese dishes. The taste was average, but it was perfectly fine for a filling meal. The hotel's top floor features a public onsen bathhouse and private onsen rooms. I visited both in the morning and evening. There weren't many guests. The onsen had both indoor and outdoor pools, which were very pleasant for soaking in the early autumn weather, as it wasn't too cold outside. From both the onsen and the adjacent relaxation area, you could see the beautiful Shirarahama Beach in the distance. I went up early the next morning to watch the sunrise. The sunrise itself was good, but the morning glow was absolutely stunning. Under the dazzling fiery clouds, the sea was tinged red, gently lapping against the pure white sand. It's only a 3-4 minute walk from the Marriott to the beach. The beach is beautiful, not very long, with a perfect bay shape, and the sand is incredibly white and fine. It's so clean that it almost feels unreal. A stroll along the beach is nice; Engetsu Island isn't far and is worth seeing. Along the coast, there are several free public foot onsen, and the historic Sakinoyu Outdoor Onsen is just a short walk further.

The room is very big, with great views and is very quiet. It is located close to Shirahama Station and the seafood market. The bus to the door is a 10-minute walk. The road is a bit dark at night. It is very convenient to take the bus to the beach and the Three Broken Walls, but the waiting time is too long. There are not many places to eat around. There is a pretty good ramen restaurant near the bus station. I suggest you either go back to the hotel after eating or book dinner at the hotel. The hotel actually has a shuttle bus that can take you to Shirahama Station. You just need to make an appointment with the front desk in advance, which is great. It's a bit inconvenient that you can't take a shower in the house, you can only go to the hot spring, but the hot spring is open from 6 to 9 in the morning. If you get up late, you may not be able to take a shower. We didn't dare to try it. A full meal for two people at the seafood market only costs 300 RMB. To go to Nachi Taisha Shrine and Kumano Kodo, you have to calculate the bus and Kuroshio Current time. It is still worthwhile to go there and back in one day. It is much more convenient than Kii-Katsuura. I stayed here for four days and three nights. I went to different places every day and came back to soak in hot springs to relieve fatigue. It is very cost-effective. By the way, Conan fans will feel very good.

Summary: 1. Airport transfer to Shirahama needs to be booked in advance via email. 2. The hotel is excellent and newly renovated. The hot springs are fantastic. 3. Transportation is inconvenient, but there's a shuttle service to Shirarahama Beach. 4. It's about a 15-20 minute walk downhill to a convenience store. The distance isn't actually that far.

Facility : Hotel provide open hot spring to every host and private hot spring with very reasonable price. Both have good view, clean facility and clear instruction Service : All staff are helpful and polite. Welcome message everywhere. Food : tasty and fresh dishes to let you taste Japan everyday. In addition, they introduce to you different sake with very good price. Lastly, staff will introduce to you different dishes so as to understand Japan more.

Location: About a 15-minute taxi ride from Shirahama Station, and there's also a bus that stops right at the entrance. The overall design is quite modern, and the ocean view far exceeded my expectations. The Pacific Ocean views from both the common areas and the rooms are very chill and expansive. Facilities: The room size is significantly larger than hotels of similar price in big cities, making for a very comfortable stay. Dining: A convenience store is just a 5-minute walk away. Right next door is a popular ramen shop; although it's mostly frequented by Chinese tourists, the taste is genuinely good and perfect for dinner. In the morning, I bought bread and coffee from the lobby and took it to the terrace to enjoy while soaking my feet and gazing at the sea – utterly delightful. This is a fantastic ocean-view hotel for a vacation, and I would definitely come back given the chance!

I stayed in both the main building and the annex, and the annex offers significantly better value for money than the main building. All facilities are shared, and I highly recommend the hot spring. I spent the first night in the main building and the second in the annex. Before arriving, I saw pictures with a Syrian-style aesthetic and mentally prepared myself for something run-down. However, I actually found the annex, with its Japanese-style design, to be superior to the main building and more suitable for younger guests. The only drawback was the overly rigid front desk staff. After checking out of the main building, I seamlessly processed my check-in for the annex, but still had to wait until 3 PM to get the keys. Also, on the night of my check-in, I could hear a group of Korean girls chattering loudly on the public balcony downstairs from my room on the second floor; they kept talking until past midnight.

The location is still very good, the room is too small... The space planning is very compact and there is everything that should be there. The price is really cheap, so the overall price is very high, it is a good choice for us to stay for one night. The scenery of Kumano Ancient Road is really good

I picked the flatest upper and lower bed room because it was just a short sleep. We arrived at the hotel at 11:30 in the evening and the service staff were very friendly to arrange the room for us. Although the room has only one table and one upper and lower beds, the bathroom and toilet are also shared outside the room. But it is also clean. The next morning, our daughter checked out late because of the bed, but the staff was also friendly and asked us to take it slow. Next time I have the opportunity to meet again, I will choose a room with a sea view.

There is no elevator, the heavy luggage is a bit snackable, the room is not small, the suitcase is open casually, but there is a Chinese herbal smell, I don't know why hhh, the owner's grandmother is very kind, specially prepared a note with Chinese tips, and will recommend the gourmet shop. I don't know why I feel that there are not many markets that open. The location is really convenient, a few hundred meters from the station, and the other is the fishing port. Our next stop is Bird Feather, booked Chaolu Pavilion, so I didn't book the Pudao Hotel here, saving a little. This city is really small, if it is to go to Kumano Ancient Road, it is more than enough. If this is the terminal, if you want to turn back to Osaka, you can also book Puma, it is not so convenient to catch the trip. Another good thing is that laundry and drying here is free. Although a washing machine is not very easy to use and drying is not very sufficient, the bathroom is very pleasantly surprised. There is a drying system that can be used well. Leave the store fully self-service, store your luggage and lock it yourself. There is a specialty store at the nearby station, you can buy black brown sugar, black sugar ice cream, and you can also pay for luggage storage.