Hotel berhampiran Imabari-jō Castle, Imabari

Very disappointed to be writing this review... Firstly, their website is dreadfully dated and their booking system puzzling, even comically so. It almost feels like using the Wayback Machine... I tried booking five or six months in advance and so I wrote to the hotel to express my excitement for both coming back to Imabari where I once lived and worked teaching English in 1999, and also that I had always wanted to stay at the hotel, as I actually lived directly across the road from the hotel and always thought it so exclusive and luxurious-looking, and it was the talk-of-the-town back in '99 when they were still very new. I was willing to pay a substantial room rate for a Tatami Suite (approx. ¥30,000 per night for three nights) however was advised that they were sold-out for my desired dates-of-stay in March 2023. What irked me is that no alternative accommodation options were offered, despite there still being availability on third-party websites such as *********** and ******* for other room types, and there was no acknowledgment of my excitement and enthusiasm for wanting to be a guest of theirs' after so many years, or for any disappointment caused. This is terrible service, and not exactly what one would call 'growing the business' to reject a potential guest despite having other rooms and suites available to sell. We instead booked ourselves a washitsu (traditional Japanese tatami room) at Hotel Kikusui Imabari down by the port, which was cute, comfortable, clean, and looks to have had recently had a refurbishment of their guestrooms as the bathrooms while small were nice and new. The cost of this room was also about a third of what the Kokusai Imabari Hotel asks for their Tatami Suites as well. I still wanted to go to the Kokusai Imabri Hotel however and at least see their gardens and lobby, pick up some Imbari towels from the official store at the front entrance, and have breakfast in their restaurant. The lobby is very nice and it does have the grandeur of a Japanese hotel trying to be a European hotel without being tacky or dated, and it does appear that they have recently cleaned all the chandeliers (I'd read other reviews and this seems to have been a first impression for a lot of guests, so this was a nice surprise to see them dust-free). We had a look at the gardens outside and they were very nice and maintained as to be expected with Japanese gardens. So why the 1 star review? Well, we wanted to treat ourselves to what we thought would be a five-star breakfast. We were told to go upstairs to the mezzanine level and we met a nice lady staff member who advised that breakfast would be roughly ¥2,400 per person. No problem, that's fair for a good buffet breakfast. We were then however lead into a huge banquet hall with only a couple of dozen guests dining, which made it feel even emptier and more like a school cafeteria rather than a classy restaurant. We then went to the buffet and it seems that none of the bain mar

The hotel's reception area and bar are quite modern with some cute Japanese décor and homewares on shelves. There is also a complimentary 'amenity buffet' so you can pick up some extra soaps, shampoos, bath salts, etc. any time you need them. We had a wa****su (traditional Japanese tatami room) on the 3rd floor that was moderate in size but very clean and looks to have had a recent renovation as the bathroom was very new and modern. Imabari's main shopping street is just a 2 minute walk away with some nice coffee shops and homeware stores. There are also two Poeme stores very closeby where you can buy Imabari's local sweet treat which are perfect with coffee and also as a boxed gift idea too! The nearest convenience store (a Family Mart) is about a 5 minute walk away and Imabari Castle is about a 10 minute walk from the hotel's front entrance and makes for an interesting afternoon and has an excellent 360 degree view from the top. The hotel has bicycles that you can rent for free, however the seats were very uncomfortable and even a little painful (though it might just be me, as I haven't ridden a bicycle in quite a few years and am a big heavy Australian bloke!) Our futons were very comfortable and we had a great nights' sleep and felt very refreshed in the morning. Unfortunately we made the decision to go to the Imabari Kokusai Hotel for breakfast instead of having breakfast at Hotel Kikusui Imabari and we had quite possibly the worst buffet breakfast there. Really regret we didn't just stay and have breakfast in-house, as the food at Kikusui looked to have been far better and at a fraction of the price too! Couldn't fault this hotel and will absolutely stay again on my next visit to my old hometown of Imabari!

This hotel is very new, and it's only around 3 minutes walking distant away from the JR station. The lobby is very big with big windows and has many chairs for guest to sit and rest, there are also bike rack for you to lock the bike at the lobby. We were surprised to find out that there's welcome drinks and beer is also included. Our room was on one of the higher floor, so the view was beautiful. Breakfast was buffet style and was amazing, selection was great and delicious. Would definitely stay there again if we visit the area. The only downside is the staff doesn't understand English too well, but not too big of an issue when there's google translate.

It was very clean and comfortable, the host was very kind! Totally worth it after the cycling route it’s 10min away from the station.

Das Hotel ist ganz in Ordnung für eine Nacht. Generell sind die Hotels in Imabari relativ teuer, dieses war okay. Sauberkeit hat auch gepasst, die Zimmer waren halt keine Schönheiten, aber das interessiert nach 76 km Fahrradfahren auch nicht mehr.

喜助の湯チケット・朝食有プランで泊まりました。 JR今治駅の真横ですし近くにローソンもあります。今治名物の焼き鳥屋をはじめ今治の飲み屋街にも若干歩きますが行けます。 金曜日の夜9時ぐらいに到着しましたが無料駐車場がラスト1でぎりぎりセーフで停めれました。 ウェルカムアルコールは21時まで、無料ドリンクは０時までで部屋に持ち込み可能なのがいいですね。アメニティも自由に持っていけます。 下層はどうかわかりませんが上階に泊まると電車の音も全然聞こえませんでした。 喜助の湯は洗練された温泉施設といった感じでとても快適ですので温泉チケット付きプランをおすすめします。

nice hotel, great amenities. There was a problem with my booking and it seemed that they said it was my fault. I don’t how it could be but they took the position it was me who had to fix it. Also there doesn’t seem to be a consistent hotel policy for travellers with bicycles. I stayed at there different Route Inn and tow it was no problem but this one it was. still a very nice stay.

本來覺得這家地處偏僻，很難公共交通到達，為此我打車進出花了一小筆錢，想給個不好的評價的。 但看到酒店設施和風景的那一刻，一切都不再重要了。天氣好的時候房間和餐廳都能看到超超超讚的美景！夕陽和晨曦都美得窒息。 餐食超級棒，一定要選一宿二食或者三食，每一餐都吃到撐爆，而且味道也很贊。 房間很大，佈局也很好。 唯一的遺憾就是沒有天然温泉了，不然的話真的能選擇在這裏連住三天。

Conveniently located about halfway between Onomichi and Imabari along the Shimanami Kaido, WAKKA is much more than a halfway stop. Staying here is an experience you won’t forget for a while. Between us we had a cottage and a dome ‘tent’ both with views of the water & the Tatara bridge (across which we had cycled). We opted for the BBQ dinner on our deck & it was wonderful: sashimi appetiser, local seafood, vegetables & meat (amazing steak, boar sausages, chicken) as well as rice, dessert and mint tea! The hospitality here is so warm that we felt immediately welcomed. All the staff were lovely. Reika (from reception) suggested a trip to the local onsen (public bath) and provided a voucher as well as minibus shuttle (10 min way). This was a great experience and good way to relax after a day’s cycling. We enjoyed breakfast sitting on the cafe deck (great coffee) before we set off for another day of cycling. As well as cottages & dome tents, there are dormitory beds for a more economical stay. WAKKA also offers support to cyclists who aren’t staying at the hotel.

Nous avons passé un bon séjour avec un hébergement traditionnel en Ryokan. Les repas étaient délicieux. Deux petits problèmes pour nous. C'est la première fois que nous devons préparer nos futons dans un Ryokan avec des draps sales (cheveux dessus). La propriétaire n'a pas un comportement approprié. Après avoir voulu nous faire payer une deuxième fois la nuitée au moment de notre départ pas un seul mot d'excuse mais plutôt une attitude méprisante. C'est dommage de finir ainsi notre séjour... Le reste du personnel est heureusement très bien et très professionnel.