CANDEO HOTELS Nankai Wakayama — Hotel in Wakayama

I had a very hard time rating this property. There are parts that are excellent, but other parts that will make me never stay here again.

I'm quite torn.

The staff here is the strongest point of this hotel. They are totally awesome and go out of their way to help you. Some of the best service I have seen in Asia, and I've traveled a lot.

The breakfast buffet was very hitt or miss. Some days it was very good, the food was hot, the drinks were cold.

Other days, it was terrible. Cold eggs, bacon like shoe leather. Stale bread.

They need to work on consistency in the food department. Note, I visited the buffet at the same time every day for 5 days. 50% of the time, the food was not on point.

While the hotel is located in the Wakayamashi station, it is not the main station for the city, in my opinion.

The JR Wakayama station is far more popular and has more / easier access to the surrounding area.

While this main station is only a 7 minute train ride, the train is only hourly, so you have to plan well.

The rooms are small, have no closets or draws. Be prepared to live directly out of your suitcase.

The final issue for me may not affect other people. I have a tattoo. This property boasts a public bath / onsen with breathtaking views of the river.

Their rules for tattooed people are that you can use the spa from midnight to 4am. Yes, that's right.

While I was already aware of this, to me, they should just not allow tattooed people at all.

This is essentially what this rule does. You don't get to see the view, and most people aren't staying awake till the middle of the night to use the spa.

It's nothing more than an intentional roadblock to block you from using the facility at all.

So, my final review is that personally I would not stay here again due to the room size, hit or miss breakfast, and essential barring of the spa.

It pains me to have to come to that decision as the staff were so very kind...

Location||This hotel is next to the Wakayamashi Nankai Station (和歌山市駅), and all routes of the Wakayama local bus stop there too. So, it is very convenient to the following destinations:| - Kada (加太) and Tomogashima (友が島) – Nankai Kada Line| - Wakayama Castle (和歌山城) – Bus or walk (25 minutes)||Note that although there is a train from Wakayamashi Station to Wakayama JR Station, the train does not run very often. You should take a bus instead.||Room||The room is big enough for two (of course, not as big as the hotels in the States). Like most hotels in Japan, it’s very clean and comfortable.||Food and Restaurants||The hotel has a buffet-style restaurant for breakfast. I don’t think it offers lunch and dinner, but since the hotel is so close to the Wakayamashi Station, eating is not a problem. The station has some restaurants and a supermarket, by the way. They are all delicious.||Conclusion||Overall, Candeo Hotels Nankai Wakayama is an excellent option for staying in Wakayamashi (和歌山市). One thing worth mentioning is that if you travel from the Osaka area, only the Nankai line has direct trains to Wakayamashi Station. Otherwise, you must change lines at Wakayama JR station if taking the JR...

Beautiful modern hotel. Room and beds were huge (by Japanese standards - 2 super single beds joined together). Great river and mountain view from my room and from the hotel lobby where we have our breakfast. Breakfast cost Y2200 per person - it was a little expensive for a standard Japanese breakfast spread - but we paid for the view, ambiance and service. Coffee and coco drink was good :)

Extremely accessible as it is 1 min from wakayamashi train station, bus interchange, Starbucks and 7-Eleven. Only downside is there is no shopping, sightseeing, good eating places nearby. We have to travel by bus / train or walk quite a distance to get to these places. Only exception was the tonkatsu restaurant which was 5 mins walking distance from us. Good to buy the Nankai 2 day pass and JR Wide Area Pass if you are...