Hotel Ginsui — Hotel in Shirahama

Booked one night on Airbnb for $53 and wanted to stay one more night, Airbnb showed it’d only be $25 extra to extend, but the host said I couldn’t modify on the check out day and told me to rebook. Rebooking was another full $53 so I checked other platforms and found Booking.com has the same room for $33, so obviously I booked it there.

It took a while, but they eventually let me stay in the same room. All good, until checkout.

I left before 10am, dropped the key exactly as instructed. A bit later I got a message saying I hadn’t checked out, and it was entirely in Chinese.

Just to clarify: I am Chinese and I can read it. But I’d been speaking in English the whole time, and I’m traveling on a U.S. passport. So to get a warning message out of nowhere in Chinese felt like they completely ignored how I’d been communicating, and just assumed based on my background that I hadn’t followed the rules.

It’s not about the language, it’s the fact that they chose to switch just to accuse me of something, without even trying English first. That kind of snap judgment didn’t sit right with me. It came off as stereotyping, and I found it...

Clean room and bathroom but the bed is a little small for two (probably fine if your partner doesn't sleep in a star shape though!) The room has a fridge so we could buy yoghurt, rice balls and juice for breakfast in Family Mart the night before. Bathroom is average size for a Japanese hotel. Watch out for the hot water: it's scolding. ||||The location is very convenient: opposite Family Mart and one minute from the beach and bus stop. The view of Engetsu island is about a 500 metre walk heading right from the hotel.||||Things to be aware of in Shirahama: the beach will be packed during the summer but it is very quiet after 5pm and out of season. There is no shade on the beach but you can hire parasols. Even in season, a lot of the restaurants close early (one place told us last orders was 20:30!) so plan where you are going to eat during the day. Most of the onsen close at 22:00 which is very early for Japan. Shirahama does have a feeling of a place in decline: I guess the budget flights to Okinawa have slashed beach tourism...

Location:Perfect—right across from the beach. Restaurants and stores are nearby, making it very convenient.Check-in:Could be smoother. There’s no one at the front desk, and the instructions aren’t clear. The phone number displayed is confusing. I saw two other guests trying to check in who also had no idea what to get the room key.Check-out:Dropping off the key was easy, but 10 a.m. is quite early.Laundry:There’s only one machine, and it’s dirty. The filter hasn’t been cleaned, and there’s a lot of sand inside. It seems like people are using the dryer without washing their clothes first. (Right after the beach) The floor around the laundry area is also dirty.Room:It looked clean at first glance, but it’s old and I’m not sure how thoroughly it was cleaned. There were ants—and shockingly, they got into our snacks. My daughter was so freaked out that we checked out a day early.Bathroom:Standard. At least there was enough hot water. The soap and shampoo were okay.Amenities:Toothbrushes and towels were provided, but towels and sheets aren’t changed during the stay. When I asked the cleaning staff for extra towels, I was told there would be an extra charge. So if you want clean towels, you’ll need to wash them yourself—but the laundry area is dirty.Price:Cheaper than traditional ryokan, but still overpriced considering the cleanliness issues. The location is great, but in summer, the price feels excessive.Overall:If you don’t mind the lack of cleanliness, the location is excellent. But I wouldn’t recommend paying peak-season prices for this hotel. I hope they renovate the front lobby, hallways, and laundry area—and maintain the dryer...