Osatsu Pacific Hotel

“Enjoyed our stay”

We (my wife and I) reserved a room here because most other hotels/ryokans in the Toba area were booked. After reading the reviews prior to our stay, I was ready to be disappointed. The hotel is a bit old, but the staff was courteous and we had enjoyable conversations with them during breakfast and … more

We (my wife and I) reserved a room here because most other hotels/ryokans in the Toba area were booked. After reading the reviews prior to our stay, I was ready to be disappointed. The hotel is a bit old, but the staff was courteous and we had enjoyable conversations with them during breakfast and dinner. The food was quite good, delightfully presented and satisfying, maybe not the best I have had at Japanese ryokans, but I enjoyed every meal. The room showed the age of the hotel, but my futon was very comfortable and I slept soundly to the sound of the waves breaking on the beach nearby. Osatsu is a relaxing location. It has a small but interesting Ama museum detailing the history of the Ama women who dive for shellfish in the sea around Toba. We met two Ama women at their hut on the sea. There are a couple of coffee houses that we visited and a Shinto shrine dedicated to the women. Also we took seaside walks and toured Osatsu's small fishing port. Overall a relaxing two days at a hotel that I felt was much better than describe in previous reviews.

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“1980 All Over Again, Including No Internet”

A month before our stay, we received a nice envelope in the mail, with maps and sightseeing information included. And our welcome from the front desk staff was attentive and kind. However, other than the 'service' of people standing around in the lobby to greet you and see you off, this place need… more

A month before our stay, we received a nice envelope in the mail, with maps and sightseeing information included. And our welcome from the front desk staff was attentive and kind. However, other than the 'service' of people standing around in the lobby to greet you and see you off, this place needs some serious upgrades! I feel like it was built in 1980, and then nothing has been changed since, in almost 40 years, including no internet. The carpets smell mildewy and the hallways smell of smoke and mould. The lobby was also aging and smelled of stale cigarettes. We stayed on the 5th floor in the old part of this hotel which faces the sea. The beautiful view is its one redeeming feature. Luckily, the inside of our room did not smell too bad, and the futons were comfortable. Unfortunately, the pillows were those huge rock-hard pillows filled with beans. The pillows were literally 8-inches high and did not move when you put your head on them. So none of us could use a pillow. There is a fridge, but it has been retrofitted with side-ways beverage holders, which were filled with over-priced beverages, and so you can't put anything of your own in there except for maybe one or 2 small drinks. The lighting above the bathroom sink was dim, and so it was difficult to see, if you wanted to put on make-up or shave. Also, it was a strange set-up, with the sink/fridge in the genkan/entrance, next to the shoes and slippers, with the toilet room on the opposite side. We were provided with tea & cookies, as well as robes and slippers to go to the shared bath on the 2nd floor. The baths were clean and spacious, and one of them had a beautiful outdoor bath, which was much nicer than the other bath. You have to go 2 days in a row if you want to experience the outdoor bath, as they switch genders daily. I was disappointed because there was no conditioner, only 'rinse-in-shampoo' which is not good enough for my dry hair, and I could hardly comb through my hair after washing it. We did not eat here, but it seems that most people did, and the majority of the customers seemed to be couples on a bus-tour. The food looked quite good. The beach outside looked beautiful at first glance, but if you actually walk along it, you can see it is full of plastic garbage. There are 4 or 5 resort hotels adjacent to this beach; you would think that they would take care to clean the beach, since this is why most people come here. I'm not sure that I would stay here again, unless it was for half-price. I would look into other options in the area.

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