ATAMI SEKAIE — Hotel in Atami

We loved our stay at the Atami Sekaie having been thoroughly impressed by the fantastic, innovative dining, wonderful attention to detail in the rooms, great service and beautiful ocean views. Our stay at the Atami Sekaie was among the most memorable among dozens of premium and luxury hotel experiences over the past decade.||||The Atami Sekaie is a western-style mid-size hotel with beautiful sea views. You really get a feel for the view the moment you enter the lobby where there is an expansive picture window with panoramic views of the bay. Upon arrival, we were guided to a couple of armchairs looking out at the view where check-in was completed – very civilized! ||||Our brand new penthouse suite was located on the top floor of the new wing which just opened up in November. It included an entry hall, large living room with dining area, two terraces (one of which had a private hotspring bath), bedroom, large shower and sink area and separate toilet. The décor was modern Japanese and the detailing of the furniture, design and amenities was impressive to say the least. The materials used in the wall coverings, floors and furniture really showed an attention-to-detail which gave the suite a sense of luxury even as the aesthetic was relaxed. It was beautiful. ||||The toilet was high-tech even by Japanese standards, playing Bach’s Brandenburg concertos the moment you started your business. The main bathroom was large, including his/hers sinks, luxury amenities, a heated floor and incredible shower with fantastic water pressure that connects to the outdoor hotspring bath and terrace. The outdoor bath was really the highlight of the room, with fresh hotspring water piped up into the bath and with stunning unobstructed ocean views. ||||There really was nothing to want for in the suite, with a dining area, comfy couch and arm chairs, full bar area with expensive glassware, desk area and super soft duvets and high threadcount sheets on the bed. The suite even comes with beautiful modern style Geta (sandals) to wear. ||||If that isn’t enough, the dining at the signature teppanyaki restaurant was outstanding and revelatory. We consider ourselves fairly cosmopolitan, but we had not had a dining experience like this ever and our dinner and breakfast rank as among the most memorable meals we have ever had. This is not your typical teppanyaki concept, but something very refined and elegant. The beef we had was some of the best I ever had while every other dish was a delight and offered us something new and exciting. Breakfast too was not just your standard variations, but also served teppanyaki style with unique creations which made it a joyful experience. I cannot speak highly enough of how much we enjoyed these meals. In a week and a half long trip to Japan where we consistently ate well, this was easily the best and most exciting dining we experienced. ||||Overall, our stay at the Atami Sekaie was a wonderful surprise and a truly memorable experience. Very few hotel experiences are able to deliver such fantastic dining, a beautiful and uniquely designed room and wow-factor amenities like the private outdoor bath with ocean-view. I couldn’t recommend our...

Having just finished a 2 night stay at the superb Atami Fufu, we were transferred directly to Atami Sekaie for our 3 night stay, with great expectations as Sekaie is the sister hotel of Fufu.||||We are surprised by the difference of Sekaie. Many reception staff are artificial and perfunctory. Check-in is a lengthy process. It is also rather shocking when we are told to serve ourselves tea and coffee whilst awaiting check-in. At such an expensive hotel, we expect adequate service. We did not receive the warm welcome we felt at Fufu.||||We are in the new Annex building - Suite No 14. Again, as at Fufu, our suite looks exactly like the photos shown on their web-site. Nothing wrong there. Beds are comfortable with 2 different types of pillows available. The private onsen bath on the balcony is of course the main feature; and, the reclining chairs on the balcony are softer than many others we had come across over the years.||||The dining area is unusual in that it is divided into booths of various sizes in front of teppanyaki hot plates. Whether you are having kaiseki or teppanyaki, and whether if is breakfast or dinner, one sits right behind the teppanyaki cooktops - this takes a bit of getting used to. There is so much stainless steel around this entirely open kitchen, the feel is rather cool and stiff.||||However, the Director of Butler Services took the coolness away, by his genuine smile and his quiet but truly efficient style. We had the best and the most thoughtful service at dinner. The hotel is unusual in that it consists of a team of butlers under this director, whose duties vary from serving food and beverages to housekeeping and luggage service, etc.||||The next morning is the most disappointing. We are served breakfast by a foreign, English speaking butler. His attitude and demeanor are far from Japanese. Our party feel almost certain that he was hired more for his English skills than his competence or attitude as a butler. He was so rude and unpleasant I decided to cancel breakfast the next morning.||||I am here to experience Japanese hospitality. I am not here to speak English. If I had wanted English, I would have stayed in Australia. Hotel management should know that English is not the most important thing at a ryokan, it is the Japanese atmosphere, style and attitude that tempt us to make reservations.||||On hearing our complaint, the Director of Butler Services immediately introduces us to a Japanese butler who speaks some English. This young butler is sincere, polite and understands what we require. Without the change of butlers, we would have to endure flippancy and discomfort instead.||||I would rate this ryokan excellent if we did not have bad experiences with some of the reception staff...

Having just finished a 2 night stay at the superb Atami Fufu, we were transferred directly to Atami Sekaie for our 3 night stay, with great expectations as Sekaie is the sister hotel of Fufu.||||We are surprised by the difference of Sekaie. Many reception staff are artificial and perfunctory. Check-in is a lengthy process. It is also rather shocking when we are told to serve ourselves tea and coffee whilst awaiting check-in. At such an expensive hotel, we expect adequate service. We did not receive the warm welcome we felt at Fufu.||||We are in the new Annex building - Suite No 14. Again, as at Fufu, our suite looks exactly like the photos shown on their web-site. Nothing wrong there. Beds are comfortable with 2 different types of pillows available. The private onsen bath on the balcony is of course the main feature; and, the reclining chairs on the balcony are softer than many others we had come across over the years.||||The dining area is unusual in that it is divided into booths of various sizes in front of teppanyaki hot plates. Whether you are having kaiseki or teppanyaki, and whether if is breakfast or dinner, one sits right behind the teppanyaki cooktops - this takes a bit of getting used to. There is so much stainless steel around this entirely open kitchen, the feel is rather cool and stiff.||||However, the Director of Butler Services took the coolness away, by his genuine smile and his quiet but truly efficient style. We had the best and the most thoughtful service at dinner. The hotel is unusual in that it consists of a team of butlers under this director, whose duties vary from serving food and beverages to housekeeping and luggage service, etc.||||The next morning is the most disappointing. We are served breakfast by a foreign, English speaking butler. His attitude and demeanor are far from Japanese. Our party feel almost certain that he was hired more for his English skills than his competence or attitude as a butler. He was so rude and unpleasant I decided to cancel breakfast the next morning.||||I am here to experience Japanese hospitality. I am not here to speak English. If I had wanted English, I would have stayed in Australia. Hotel management should know that English is not the most important thing at a ryokan, it is the Japanese atmosphere, style and attitude that tempt us to make reservations.||||On hearing our complaint, the Director of Butler Services immediately introduces us to a Japanese butler who speaks some English. This young butler is sincere, polite and understands what we require. Without the change of butlers, we would have to endure flippancy and discomfort instead.||||I would rate this ryokan excellent if we did not have bad experiences with some of the reception staff...