Yume-Hotaru

The hotel must be self-driving for convenience. There is no public transportation nearby and the location is relatively rural. There is a private hot spring in the room, but the water temperature is often too hot and difficult to adjust. There are a lot of suspended solids in the hot spring, which is a bit disgusting. But the food for dinner was good.

The employees were courteous when answering the phone. Dinner was served in the room, but since it was served to one person, it was disappointing that it didn't seem to get served and was cold.

After touring Mikata Nishi Port, we visited Amakusa Shimoda Onsen. The rustic hot spring town has the scent of the good old Showa era. Hotel Yumehotaru has a large parking lot in front of the entrance. When we arrived and went to the front desk, the female staff member replied enthusiastically when we said we wanted to stop by and take a bath. We forgot our towels, so she lent us one. We went further in and found the indoor bath. The changing room was also well-maintained. It was around 1pm, so we had it all to ourselves. It was very well maintained, with the hot spring water gushing out. There were cups at the outlet. The water is probably fresh enough to drink. The water temperature was about 41.2 degrees. The large bath was very relaxing and clean. It was worth coming, even though it took more than two hours one way. This is a hotel with a large hot spring bath that you should definitely stay overnight and take a bath in the morning, afternoon, and evening.

(I had originally booked at the sister accommodation Kaiotei, but the hotel called me two days before my stay and changed my reservation to Yumehotaru, so I am listing it here.) I was surprised by the volume of dinner. That's all I can say. Dinner was served in my room. The "Pirate Gourmet Plan" was brought out with so much food that it couldn't fit on the low table. The sashimi was served on a large boat-shaped platter, with plump spiny lobster sashimi in the center, surrounded by sea bream, yellowtail (hamachi?) and abalone sashimi. We were also given a bowl of boiled blue crab on a separate plate, and as we were engrossed in the deliciousness, more dishes were brought out one after another. I was worried that we wouldn't be able to fit on the low table, but I enjoyed the delicious seafood. I was scared of the sound of the carts that the waitresses brought the dishes one after another, but I experienced a memorable dinner. The open-air bath was also designed to be open, so I was able to relax and soothe the fatigue of my travels. However, please note that it is only open until 10pm on the day of your stay and cannot be used the next morning. The indoor large public bath is available until 8am the next morning. There are also several neat sofa sets in the lounge at the back of the inn's entrance, and after a leisurely soak in the open-air bath, we used them while waiting for dinner. We relaxed while drinking draft and bottled beer (of course you have to pay for it) and cheered on the Japanese curling team's efforts at the Beijing Winter Olympics that day on the large screen TV. Regarding payment methods, the basic accommodation fee (one night and two meals included) can be paid in advance online with a credit card, but additional drinks (alcohol, beer, etc.) on site can only be paid in cash, so please prepare some cash. We left early after breakfast, but the front desk staff waved goodbye until our car was out of sight. It was a good final thought that we were glad to have stayed at this inn. For this price, we got delicious food, an open-air bath, and modest but friendly service from the staff. This is a recommended inn.