Benton Guesthouse, Private Nostalgic Showa-era House, former Akiya

Old house very well renovated. Great hosts who are very helpful and kind!

Staying at Benton Guesthouse was a highlight of our trip to Japan. After staying in various hotels in Japan, all of which were comfortable but of a generic European style, it was wonderful to experience an authentic traditional Japanese home. The home was well equipped and very comfortable, with lots of interesting features to explore. Sitting around the table in the lounge on Tatami mats was special. It was a great insight into everyday Japanese family life that we otherwise would not have experienced. The operators have carefully restored the home whilst retaining its character, and gave us an interesting briefing on its history and how to make the most of our stay. They are great ambassadors for Japan and provide a unique and special experience from a tourist perspective. We would highly recommend staying here. Our stay was the mid-point of cycling the Shimanami Kaido route but the home and its surrounding community with citrus fruit farms are a worthy destination in itself.

Very nice place, big home with lots of rooms. Lots of interesting decor to look at. We rented bicycles from Onomichi and rode over, stayed the night and biked a different route to return. Worked well for a stopping point. Also the host was helpful with everything and making sure we had a place for dinner, as there isn't much in the town nearby. A nice onsen is like a 30min walk.

Nothing really stood out, traditional houses are a bit cold in the winter months as you heat single rooms at a time.

We spent the last 2 nights of our 13 day bicycle trip among the islands here. The guesthouse is beautifully restored with lots of interesting authentic Japanese furnishings in it. It is very clean, well equipped and comfortable. What especially stood out to us the most though was the warmth, helpfulness and detailed communication with Dani ( the owner and host). She communicated detailed and personalized information to help us including restaurants that served gluten free food that would be open and she made dinner reservations for us. In our opinion, this guesthouse and it’s owner/hosts is one of the very best that we have ever stayed at because of the excellent customer service that the owner/ hosts provide.

We adored our time here. We've been to Japan quite a few times and have stayed in many places, but this is probably the one that we'll remember the most. I'm so glad we went for among the many options and would do it again in a heartbeat. Dani and Evan are fantastic hosts who did the best job of making sure we were comfortable. They provided advice ahead of arrival by bike, booked a dinner reservation for us and gave us a tour of the property. So far as service goes, it was faultless. The property itself absolutely stuninng. It has been incredibly thoughtfully restored, with outstanding attention to detail. The house is a place to explore itself, with little knick knacks of its past dotted throughout. It was spotlessly clean, with lots of amenities. The wifi was also fantastic. The place is easy to get to, with it being not far from the Family Mart in town. It's located among citrus orchards on a quiet street. It felt like authentic, countryside Japan. If you're wondering what place to pick to stay, this is it. You need to stay here.

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Everything else was perfect

Lighting. Would be good to improve lighting while keeping the retro vibe....use less of those bright cool office lights.

Very good communication from host who met us at property and arranged dinner reservation. Also we had a honey tasting