Hotel Route Inn Kamaishi

“brand new three star type of hotel in the center of Kamaishi”

We enjoyed staying at this hotel, and we were here for nearly two weeks! It is brand new, and located in the center of town. The rooms are a decent size, furnished with the basics, but there is no closet! Instead, there is a curtain rod with a few hangers, so we ended up literally living out of sui… more

We enjoyed staying at this hotel, and we were here for nearly two weeks! It is brand new, and located in the center of town. The rooms are a decent size, furnished with the basics, but there is no closet! Instead, there is a curtain rod with a few hangers, so we ended up literally living out of suitcases. Still, there was an empty minifridge, hot water heater, mugs, glasses for in room tea, coffee. The beds were comfortable, although the pillows were half filled with buckwheat hulls, so make sure you are sleeping on the correct side of the pillow, or you could wake up with buckwheat shell marks! The bathroom was small and designed as an efficiency. The water faucet turned to supply both the sink and tub. Toilet was a standard Japanese toilet with bidet and warmed seat. Counter space was minimal. Free WiFi, TV. Some rooms apparently do not have a bath, so you may have to use the 'public bath' downstairs--which is basically a Japanese bath for patrons (and not the general public). The lobby has a few table and chairs next to a self serve coffee machine. There are two PCs near the reception desk for guests to use. There are also coin laundry facilities (Yay!) on the first floor. Breakfast comes with the rooms, and it is a standard Japanese style breakfast (side dishes, pickles, miso soup, rice/rice porridge, natto, a grilled fish, tea) with a few Western options (eggs, sausage or bacon, salad, coffee, milk). The menu items varied from day to day, but always delicious and filling. The service was excellent--always courteous and efficient. However, there is very limited English language support. They do try their best, but don't expect much. No pool. You do have to remove your shoes at the entrance way and change into slippers while in the hotel. You put your shoes in a small locker. The hotel is across the street from a few restaurants such as ramen, izakaya (Japanese style tapas/pub), and a few casual joints only open during lunch. It is also about a 5 minute walk from the newly opened Aeon Mall which has many shops such as a big super market, Japanese bookstore, food court, novelty shops like Village Vanguard and character stationery stores as well as several clothing stores including Uniqlo, Daiso (100 yen shop). The post office is also about a block away, and the ATM machine accepts foreign bank cards. The train station is a 15 minute walk away, so you'd need to take a local bus or cab. However, there is a bustop in front of the hotel. There is virtually little downside. This is about the equivalent of a three star hotel, so do not expect the grandiosity of something more than that. It is certainly a level higher than an equivalent three star in Europe or the US! The only downside I had was that our room was next to a smoking room, so the hallway always reeked of cigarette smoke, even though the room did not. I would stay again!

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“Typical business hotel, I don't recommend the nightly free ramen service”

釜石市街地にある一般的なビジネスホテルの一つです。他にもいくつかビジネスホテルがあり、それらと比較すると釜石駅からやや距離があるものの、それでも釜石駅から徒歩15分程度です。市街地のメイン通り沿いにあるため分かりやすいのも特徴的です。 各部屋の構成や広さ、清潔さの維持、スタッフの対応については標準的なビジネスホテルと同等です。但し、宿泊者に対し夜間の指定時間限定で無料で『釜石ラーメン』が振舞われるサービスがありますが、このサービスの利用は全くお勧めできません。このサービスを利用する宿泊者が多いだけでなく、そのサービスを担当する（調理・配膳の）スタッフが（見た限り）1～2人のみで、1階にあるレ… more

釜石市街地にある一般的なビジネスホテルの一つです。他にもいくつかビジネスホテルがあり、それらと比較すると釜石駅からやや距離があるものの、それでも釜石駅から徒歩15分程度です。市街地のメイン通り沿いにあるため分かりやすいのも特徴的です。 各部屋の構成や広さ、清潔さの維持、スタッフの対応については標準的なビジネスホテルと同等です。但し、宿泊者に対し夜間の指定時間限定で無料で『釜石ラーメン』が振舞われるサービスがありますが、このサービスの利用は全くお勧めできません。このサービスを利用する宿泊者が多いだけでなく、そのサービスを担当する（調理・配膳の）スタッフが（見た限り）1～2人のみで、1階にあるレストランに入るのに待つだけでなく、着席しても配膳されるまでに30分以上かかることがあります。それならばホテル周辺のレストランや居酒屋を利用することをお勧めします。 It's one of the most typical business hotels in downtown Kamaishi. There are several other business hotels, and although they are a little further away from Kamaishi Station compared to those hotels, it's still only a 15-minute walk from Kamaishi Station. It's also easy to find as it's located along the main street in the city center. The configuration and size of each room, the maintenance of cleanliness, and the responsiveness of the staff are on par with standard business hotels. However, the hotel offers a free "Kamaishi Ramen" service to its guests for a limited time during the night, but I do not recommend the use of this service at all. Not only are there many guests using this service, but there are only one or two staff members (as far as I could see) in charge of the service (cooking and serving). Moreover, not only do you have to wait to enter the restaurant on the first floor, but it can take more than 30 minutes before your dish is served even after you are seated. If that is the case, I would recommend using one of the restaurants or taverns in the vicinity of the hotel.

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“comfortable, clean, modern”

Overall: 3-1/2 stars Route Inn Kamaishi delivered clean, modern, comfortable, and value-priced lodgings. The room (with breakfast) was a bargain (under ¥7000), and parking was available in a surface lot just behind the property for a nominal surcharge (¥500). The water in the one gender-separate i… more

Overall: 3-1/2 stars Route Inn Kamaishi delivered clean, modern, comfortable, and value-priced lodgings. The room (with breakfast) was a bargain (under ¥7000), and parking was available in a surface lot just behind the property for a nominal surcharge (¥500). The water in the one gender-separate indoor public bath was a comfortable temperature, but otherwise ordinary. The breakfast buffet was decent. I recommend taking advantage of it, because you are likely to find no other alternatives in the nearby area. My one (big) quibble with this hotel: the promised free wifi service did not work, despite my numerous tries to access it at different times of day. Sad! This problem should not exist in a new hotel. Kamaaishi is a rugged, industrial small city near the Pacific coast. It struck me as a miniature version of Pittsburgh, maybe, but without the big-city verve and spirit. Unless you are interested or involved in steel production, Kamaishi holds no touristic interest. Yet if fate lands you there, Route Inn Kamaishi is a decent place to stay.

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