SEN.RETREAT CHIKATSUYU Reviews

It was out of our expectation. It is a standalone apartment that has everything you need. It is better to register all the guest’s information online via the email. That will make your check-in more convenient. We were impressed with the backyard. We planned to have dinner there. Unfortunately, it was cold and raining. We definitely wanna stay there again. It’s at a very great location, close to the shopping center, and the bus stop of Kumano hiking, just in a few mins walk. Even you don’t do hiking, it is also good for a bunch of friends for a retreat.

Will definitely come back with family and friends. Everything's well prepared with balance of privacy and nice view. Indoor and outdoor spaces are so well planes. Very healing!

I was about to give bad reviews due to some poor check-in experience, but everything after check in is so good that compensates this journey. First, the check-in process that brings me with bad experience: it is self-served and there is no any staff. By rights you should receive an instruction email with check-in PIN in advance, which I heard from other guests. However, I didn’t receive anything but Trip’s confirmation letter and I was unable to check in. And my sim card in Japan is just an internet card unable to make phone calls, which means I have no way to contact the hotel directly. My partner and I were desperately locked out of the hotel in the evening, after 7h hiking, with no other available hotel in the mountain. After waiting for over 1 hour, other guests helped us to enter the admin room where there is an ipad to call the hotel (why not make it available to guests without checking in?), and with the help of Trip’s agency, we finally checked in successfully. Then here is the staying experience: so good that makes me almost forgive the poor check-in experience. Each room is a spacious individual house and ours has a garden for BBQ. The food is also self-served, with the cooking stuffs and ingredients in the fridge. It was unexpected that you need to cook yourself (I don’t think it was listed on room info when I booked it), but it’s not bad that Wagyu, chicken, and vegetables are served. The rooms are big and cozy, and you can do the laundry after hiking. Everything is good about the hotel itself, just be aware of the self-checkin process and make sure you get the instructions before that.

We booked with a Mountain View but they changed our room to next to the highway. It is literally next to the road. Every car driving by shook the bed and made big sound. We had almost no sleep the whole night. It is the worst experience I ever had. For price USD 173 per night it is a ripoff. Don’t book this place if you ever have other options

Amazing stay. Everything was perfect. The location is great, very close to the center of Cikatsuyu. We bought grocery from the supermarket right across the street, and had a great diner meal in the room. The room's facilities exceeded expectations. You won't be regret booking this place.

A great place if you’re open to cooking some food yourself. Yes, the dinner options are basically non-existent, but that really doesn’t matter if you’re open minded and willing to do something yourself. My partner and I walked for 8 hours and were exhausted when we arrived, but we still decided to get some food from the shop across the road (very nearby!!) and cook. It ended up being a lovely way to end the day which also surprised us. We sat atop our container-home and looked to the mountains as we ate our food. The room has everything you need other than knives and maybe more options for plates, but it’s doable. Everything is compact but that’s part of the charm, and it’s really quite incredible how they organise the entire room. The only issues we encountered were the lack of knives (only one chef’s knife, no normal knives for spreading butter etc), and the plates, but no other issues. The lack of staff to talk to face to face can be a bit of a shock to people, but it’s all about your own attitude to trying it out, as this isn’t a hotel where you can get anything you want just by asking. You can ask, but it’s all done via a couple of iPads. Just be prepared and keep an open mind. If you do that, this might be one of the most comfortable and personal stays you’ll have.

Great facilities and equipment

The room was far beyond my expectations. I knew it was a container hotel, but I was worried about the facilities, warmth, and sound insulation before I came. I found that I was overthinking. The indoor and outdoor environment facilities were very good. The air conditioner was very warm, the washing machine was very smart, and the bathroom was very clean. Checking in on the management office computer was also very smooth. Prepared a sukiyaki pot dinner and a small bread breakfast for the next day, as well as freshly ground coffee. Because of continuous hiking, I felt hungry, so I replenished a lot of goods at the supermarket opposite.

The room is right next to an intersection, very convenient, and there is a supermarket opposite. It is a good place to stay for Kumano Kodo. The room is clean and spacious, and dinner is Sukiyaki.

Great, with all the facilities. The location is also great, right next to the bus station and opposite the supermarket, which is convenient for food on the second day. The dry cleaning machine especially solved the problem of sweat after a day of hiking.

A super pleasant surprise hotel! Although it is a container transformation, it really exceeded expectations! First of all, the location is very good, just near Prince Lu, and the bus station is about 3 minutes away. Secondly, the room facilities are also very complete. There are two single beds and a double bed in the room, as well as a garden terrace, projector, washing machine and dryer, oven, microwave, bread machine, hand-brewed coffee, yoga mat, breakfast and dinner are included when booking, and ingredients are prepared in the refrigerator. You can cook hot pot, breakfast and toast by yourself. Pots, pans, and seasonings are also prepared, as well as drinks, beer, and ice cream! You can also take a bath after hiking! It should be noted that the hotel is unattended. You must check in in advance as required when you receive the confirmation email, and then check in formally through Skype at the front desk when you arrive at the hotel. The process takes about 3 minutes.

The hotel is on the roadside, opposite the convenience store in the Jinlu Prince parking lot. It is no problem to spend a night on foot. However, this hotel is called self-service check-in, and you have to keep sending emails to register. When you arrive, you have to do it remotely, which is troublesome and cumbersome. It is better to do it manually.

The room is about 600-700 meters away from the Kumano Kodo. It has a striking container apartment design, but the facilities and ingredients inside are very surprising. Although it is a simple breakfast and dinner, the quantity is sufficient and a variety of drinks are provided. There is a large supermarket opposite. If you want to buy your own food, you can borrow the cooking utensils in the room. I like the bread and coffee for breakfast very much. The only shortcoming is that the check-in is a bit troublesome. The door opening password and check-in password for the check-in management building that I should have received were not provided (I don’t know if the service provider did not provide it or Ctrip missed it). I can only keep calling the customer service to solve it. Fortunately, the customer service English level is ok, the communication is convenient, and the processing is efficient.

1. This check-in is really troublesome! If there is no jogging brother passing by to help, it is really difficult to handle. In the end, I video-called the front desk and helped to check in remotely. 2. It is too close to the roadside. Several large trucks passed by in the middle of the night and woke me up directly. 3. The room is very clean and small but complete. 4. It is about 5-8 minutes walk from the Art Museum Station. There is a supermarket opposite, but there is nothing to eat when I go there at 4 o'clock.