Hoshino Resorts KAI Anjin — Hotel in Ito

This was an experience that didn’t work out for us. An expensive mistake as this is not a cheap stay. The hotel is a large (in my eyes ugly) dark grey building overlooking the sea with far reaching magnificent views. The bedroom was very large by Japanese standards with a lovely seating area to make the most of the sea views. All the usual toiletries contained in Japanese wrapping paper which guests can take home. Huge bed, wardrobe (not always a given), safe, fridge, kettle. No coffee or western tea. The ‘onsen’ on the top floor was lovely & included an outside pool as well. There was a lounge & outside seating area to relax after with free IPA beer (a little odd but all to do with the hotel theme), popsicles & 2 x Japanese soft drinks. In reception there was a lovely small lounge where you could sit & listen to music - a record player with records (all old fashioned western - nothing I knew &I’m 56), with coffee & a selection of tea leaves to make tea. Staff were lovely & friendly. Alas this is then when things didn’t quite pan out for me….. one of the joys of travelling for me is being able to chat to people in the bar, hear their at& pick up tips. I think this is a western trait & possibly alien in this culture- there was no bar & the restaurant was divided into strange little booths so you could not see or interact with other guests. Only those seated in the front booths could benefit from the sea views - the rest were dark little booths with walls made of book ends & fabric. There was no menu. There were no food choices. It was very Japanese & very fishy. Breakfast the same. I tried the first day & ate lots of rice but the second evening was (probably amazing for locals) a bonanza of fishy things starting with conger eel & then subsequently more fish (Tilefish, more eel, sushi, salmon roe, octopus, sushimi) and when I explained I didn’t actually eat fish & was there an option, was told very politely no’. We left & got very wet walking to a kind of diner down the road. I didn’t bother going down for breakfast the next day - my husband did & said, with the exception of the tiny pot of yoghurt & rice, I wouldn’t have eaten anything. So a bit of a shame - as I said, my problem. Perhaps it should be made clearer that no western food options are available- don’t know, maybe I...

This was an experience that didn’t work out for us. An expensive mistake as this is not a cheap stay. The hotel is a large (in my eyes ugly) dark grey building overlooking the sea with far reaching magnificent views. The bedroom was very large by Japanese standards with a lovely seating area to make the most of the sea views. All the usual toiletries contained in Japanese wrapping paper which guests can take home. Huge bed, wardrobe (not always a given), safe, fridge, kettle. No coffee or western tea. The ‘onsen’ on the top floor was lovely & included an outside pool as well. There was a lounge & outside seating area to relax after with free IPA beer (a little odd but all to do with the hotel theme), popsicles & 2 x Japanese soft drinks. In reception there was a lovely small lounge where you could sit & listen to music - a record player with records (all old fashioned western - nothing I knew &I’m 56), with coffee & a selection of tea leaves to make tea. Staff were lovely & friendly. Alas this is then when things didn’t quite pan out for me….. one of the joys of travelling for me is being able to chat to people in the bar, hear their at& pick up tips. I think this is a western trait & possibly alien in this culture- there was no bar & the restaurant was divided into strange little booths so you could not see or interact with other guests. Only those seated in the front booths could benefit from the sea views - the rest were dark little booths with walls made of book ends & fabric. There was no menu. There were no food choices. It was very Japanese & very fishy. Breakfast the same. I tried the first day & ate lots of rice but the second evening was (probably amazing for locals) a bonanza of fishy things starting with conger eel & then subsequently more fish (Tilefish, more eel, sushi, salmon roe, octopus, sushimi) and when I explained I didn’t actually eat fish & was there an option, was told very politely no’. We left & got very wet walking to a kind of diner down the road. I didn’t bother going down for breakfast the next day - my husband did & said, with the exception of the tiny pot of yoghurt & rice, I wouldn’t have eaten anything. So a bit of a shame - as I said, my problem. Perhaps it should be made clearer that no western food options are available- don’t know, maybe I...

The exterior was a bit business hotel like. It’s in a nice location near a historic park. We were welcomed in the parking lot by a courteous member of the staff. She guided us into the hotel and arranged a check-in about an hour early. |The lobby and Japanese garden were small, but beautiful. They seemed to really embrace the history of the area. All rooms were large, had a nice seating area, had an ocean view. There was a comfortable bed and a western style upscale bathroom that included a rain shower. The artwork and woodwork throughout the room tied in the history of the area seamlessly. My only complaint was that the lightning in the bathroom was a bit low. My wife had trouble doing her makeup in the morning. |We had an in-room check-in. It was a little dragged out but very professional and informative, and included a short presentation of tea as a welcome. |The onsen was on the 8th floor. They also offered green tea, apple cider and free beer from 3pm to 10pm in the indoor/outdoor lounge which had a beautiful ocean view. The onsen was clean, updated, and had both indoor and outdoor baths. |Dinner was served in their 2nd floor restaurant. I had a few dietary restrictions that were easily accommodated. Our server (Wan) was wonderful. She was from Hong Kong and spoke fluent Japanese and English. The food was spectacular too. |In the evening, there was a historical presentation about the area. We only caught the second half of it. It was in English and Japanese. Very well done! I wish it was available on YouTube to view later. |Breakfast was a Japanese style meal and was just as impressive. |Only negatives were the lights in the bathroom and we also found the light controls in the room to be a bit difficult to figure out. Also, the TVs only had a couple of channels. It would be nice to see more...