Akaneironoumi Arujisu — Hotel in Izu

My husband, daughter and son-in-law spent two nights at Arujisu in October 2022, after discovering it purely by chance while looking for an inn in Izu. I cannot recommend it highly enough. The inn faces Suruga Bay where one can swim in a protected area. Each room has a terrace with its own outdoor bath, and there is nothing more delightful than waking up early and soaking in the hot mineral waters before breakfast while listening to the waves. (There are also larger baths on the top floor.) Sunset views are breathtaking, as is the food - the west coast of the Izu Peninsula is full of fishing ports and guests benefit from the catch, which appears in exquisite dishes at both breakfast at dinner.||I would also recommend exploring the environs on foot. There are quiet fishing towns and easy mountain paths through lush forests hiding ancient temples.||The price for all this is comparatively low when one considers the beauty of the location, the quality of the food and the kind, caring service. It's worth the time it takes to reach Odoi - we took the Shinkansen (bullet train) from Tokyo to Mishima, then a taxi to the inn (quite reasonable for four people). There is also the option of going to Shimizu and taking the Suruga Bay ferry to Odoi, but do check that the ferry is operating at the time you need, as crossings are liable to be cancelled when the water is rough.||One final note: We had been somewhat concerned because our son-in-law has some tattoos, and tattooed people are often banned from public baths in Japan. You will have no such problem at Arujisu, possibly because tattoos are becoming more accepted in general, or possibly because of the welcoming attitude of everyone...

Good Points :||The private onsen in each room is a good idea as it is comfortable to soak in hot water and listening to the sound of pounding waves, conveniently in your own room; provided the weather is good enough for you to stay out as occasionally it could be very windy with howling sound. Of course, the public bath is more roomy and comfy with amenities, which we also made use of. ||||The room is spacious for 2 people with a sofa for you to view the sunset. Do try to check-in early as this property has good sunset view; we missed it this time as we were a bit late and the weather was not too sunny that day. || ||Meals were served in their restaurant in individual cubicle with curtain, thus serve the purpose of privacy and have a cozy feel. ||||The staff was on the lookout for our arrival and provided quick guidance on parking and we had a speedy check-in.||||Bad Points :||As I had been staying at Arujisu before, I felt that the meals were served a little bit hasty this time, but overall we had good service...

Arujisu was easy to locate for self drive. We got a very warm and attentive welcome from the reception staff (For some reasons all of them were male). As we came in the rain, some of them were prepared to shelter us with umbrella, helped us with our luggage, etc. One particular staff was allocated to serve us all through our stay, who could easily understand English and explained to us all the necessary details. ||||We got a room with onsen in balcony (suitable for couple) with a view of the seaside, which we can enjoy the beautiful sunset colour and sound of pounding waves. As we are a group of 4, we went instead to the public, open onsen on 5th floor and tried both the indoor and outdoor pool, both were very spacious as we were the only crowd at that particular moment. ||||Our two meals at Arujisu were good and with excellent presentation. We have a semi-enclosed area for our meals which was comfortable with privacy. ||||The only minor drawback was the room was a bit crowded with...