Tomonoura Shiomachi Hotel Roya

Fabulous stay - beautiful area with authentic Japanese experience.

We loved it all.

The best parts about our stay are: 1. Guests at this hotel can use the public bath at its sister hotels (i.e., much more high-end hotels such as Hotel Ofutei), which was blast for us! It is likely these hotels have the same owner; 2. The service of the staff members is top notch - they helped us with our big suitcases to and from the shuttle bus location, which was a big deal; they also gave great recommendations for restaurants and helped us make reservations; 3. The breakfasts were top notch. However, if we could not use the public baths at Hotel Ofutei, then I would not recommend this hotel for the price they charge. Being able to do 1 makes it worthwhile.

Apparently the owner have multiple locations of this hotel under the same name, and on Booking.com's website they put the best pictures of all locations. So the rooms you get may not be what you see from their pictures. The location is on a busy street so there are a lot of cars outside all day long until the night.

Our room was facing the street which was quite noisy. There are other rooms that don’t face the street, so we were unlucky

The staff and the room

Nothing

We were really excited about staying here and were greeted by charming interiors with loads of character which got us excited for a lovely stay and experience. The room was also very spacious with a separate seating area and tv. Overall, a promising start but a good night’s sleep is always essential to any stay

However, our sleep was badly affected by the many mosquitoes that were flying around - we had killed around 8-10 in the evening and yet there were some more while we were sleeping. Also, there were a couple of noises that startled us while sleeping - we weren’t sure if it was piping/water/footsteps etc

The building and the room were stunning. Extremely big, cleaned and comfortable. If you want to experience the slow-quite life mood of the village, you need to spend a night there. The hotel offers a free shuttle bus from Fukuyama to the main hotel (Ofutei Hotel), once the shuttle bus reservation is confirmed, ask about the bus stop information as it may be impossible without. Once arrived in Tomonoura you will be greet by the staff with a cold welcoming drink, and you will make the check-in. They don’t speak a fluent English, but honestly it’s not a big deal. Once the check-in will be completed, a member of the staff will bring you by car to the accommodation (4min car distance). The breakfast is generous and mainly traditional, with some little sweet-westerner style options too. If you have any food concerns or or requirements, be sure to inform them in advance.

Semi outdoor cedar bath was great. Massive room , looking into pretty patio. Very charming building. Breakfast was massive and delicious

Town is litterally dead after 9pm.

We took a private family house , it was prefect !!!

Well , it hard to think of something but if you have kids or don’t like traditional Japanese food , breakfast might be challenging for you , yet if you do like Japanese food you are in for a treat .

Beautiful place. The staff were so nice and helpful.

Literally nothing

A beautiful Meiji period building, beautifully renovated and in a great location. All amenities in the room were first class.

The hotel website said there was a cafe in the hotel but it was never open. We had to self-cater as the town was very quiet and no cafes were open until about 11 o'clock. We didn't realize this would be the case when we booked and were caught out the first morning with nothing open in the village and no supplies for breakfast. Also, there was no housekeeping during our 3 night stay; at this price point we expected our room to be tidied up each day.