Inn Seiryuso — Hotel in Shimoda

We spent two nights here in mid-February as we wanted to see the early cherry blossoms in Minami Izu and Kawazu. It was a great choice as the weather was cold and rainy so we were able to warm up in the heated outdoor pool, saunas, and onsen after sightseeing. We got a basic tatami/futon room with in-room sink/toilet but no in room shower. We did not include meals. It was great for us as the room was large with a seating area overlooking the river and we declined cleaning so we could sleep in and relax in our room during the morning. There was a humidifier and fridge in the room. Even though we declined cleaning, they gave us a tray with fresh towels, yukata, and toiletries for our second day.

The highlight is the outdoor pool heated with onsen water, Finnish sauna, and Thermarium Roman tiled sauna/foot bath. You wear swimsuits in the pool and saunas and it’s fun to try them all out. There’s a small child’s pool swim area too. If you have a small tattoo that is covered by your swimwear you should be ok but no large tattoos. The public baths are gorgeous and one side is used by women and one by men from 2:00 pm to midnight and then it switches and you can use the other side from midnight to 11:00 am. So you can try both sides of the onsen even if only staying one night. There is also a private onsen you can reserve for 1,500 yen for 50 minutes or wait until 11:00 pm as it’s free to use from 11 pm until 7:00am the next morning if open. To reserve the private onsen during the paid times just go to the front desk and ask to reserve the (kashikiri) onsen.

The staff didn’t really speak English but it was the low season and my guess is that if we had asked for someone to help us in English they would have tried to accommodate. We used Booking.com to reserve so you can send a message asking if an English speaker is available to help at your checkin time. The staff were very kind and patient with my basic Japanese so if you only speak a little bit don’t be shy - they will try their best to understand and be happy you are trying to speak Japanese too.

We drove and parked for free at the hotel but it’s a 5 minute walk from Rendaji Station so easy access by public transit.

No wi-fi access in your room! Wi-fi only available...

We stayed in 2 diff rooms for 2 nights at Seiryuso because a room with a rotenburo (outdoor hot spring) wasn't available for our 1st night. Our room the first night was very large and overlooked the river and the woods. The rotenburo room the 2nd day was very interesting - there's a short flight of stairs down to the bathroom and the small hot spring pool bordered by a tall hedge could only be accessed by a very very small door (about 1-meter high?) from that indoor bathroom. The indoor bathroom's tub was also filled with hot spring water. If you book a room without a rotenburo, there is a family rotenburo that you can use privately. Just get the key from the reception. ||||There were many facilities at the hotel that we didn't use - the large heated pool, a Finnish sauna hut, a very new and chic spa, and a movie theatre that played movies in the afternoon.||||We used the free bikes fr the hotel to explore the small town of Rendaiji where Seiryuso is located and the larger neighbouring town of Shimoda. ||||The kaiseki dinners and elaborate breakfasts in our room were excellent.||||The staff at Seiryuso could not possibly be nicer, and the service was always flawless. There is a male member of staff who speaks excellent English. Unfortunately, I cannot remember his name. He took our reservation over the phone, explained train schedules to us, recommended restaurants and sights, and also called around train stations and restaurants to find out if they had my missing coat!||||There was free transport to the train station on our day of departure. I think there's also free pick-up but we just walked fr the Rendaiji station to the hotel...

We spent 4 nights at Inn Seiryuso in August 2016.||This ryokan although no as luxurious as Hiragiya in Kyoto, has all the charm and excellent traditional service of a real Japanese inn.||We stayed in a Japanese deluxe with private onsen n° 103 which was really gorgeous apart from (it seems) having hosted President Carter on his viti to Shimoda back in 1979!!!||The room is large with traditional tatami and a wonderful private open air rock onsen!!!||Meals area traditionally served in you room both dinner and breakfast by our room attendants (we had two who shifted) whiche were both really nice. Most personnel do not speak much English but were care after wonderful Ms. Aya, one of the managers, who took care of us from our reservation process till waving goodbye on our departure!!!!||The inn also has a fantastic pool with natural spring water, sauna an steam facilities and of course 2 wonderful onsen baths with indoor and outdoor areas which switch during the day between man and women only,||Dinners were all kaiseki and at times a bit extreme for western tastes but always beautifully presented.||The inn is located about 2 km from Shimoda which is a small town by the see with not much to see, but it was a wonderful place to relax at the end of our long tour of Japan.||In all a wonderful experience in a traditional Japanese inn and wonderful...