Hotel 2-Star di Wakayama Prefecture, Japan

Arrive at JR Shirahama Station and then transfer to the taxi for about 4 minutes. It is very close to Toretore market and can be reached on foot. The rooms are panda-shaped and spacious inside. Dinner and breakfast are buffet style 

We stayed in this lovely family hotel for a night, we opted for room stay with dinner and breakfast. There's no shops or restaurant near by, so highly suggest to choose the stay with meals option, otherwise there's cooking facility within the room also, so I think it's possible to cook your own meal if necessary. Location - the hotel is just round the corner of the famous Shirasaki Ocean Park, we even had a good view of the park from our room. There's parking space right in front of the hotel building, so it's very handy. We cycled to the Shirasaki Ocean Park then to the hotel, so it worked out perfect. There's a very steep slop going up to the hotel though, but it wasn't an issue for us as we pushed out bikes up. Facilities - this is a family run hotel which believes was built a while ago, so can't compare it to all those new built hotels. The ”room” we stayed is more like a mini flat, it has a big kitchen, good sized bathroom with changing area, a separate toilet, a living room, bedroom and an extra ”sitting” area. The entire flat is in traditional Japanese style which we loved, and it has all facilities that made our stay comfortable. It also has coined washing machine and driers. We could even access to rooftop on the 4th floor to view the sunset. If you're looking for a quiet place to have quality time, then this is a good place to do so. There's also ”public bath” within the hotel, it's small but wasn't an issue for us. There's also shower and bath in the room also if you want some privacy. Food - all food was cooked and prepared by the hotel owner, and she's a talented chef! Dinner was impressive, breakfast was standard. The hotel owner is very friendly and lovely, it's definitely ”the place” to stay if you're visiting the area. We highly recommend it.

The location is very close to Okunoin Cemetery, so you could take an evening walk and easily return before the doors close at 9 PM. It felt safe and convenient, and the atmosphere in the evening was beautiful. The bus runs frequently, so getting to the station the next day was no problem at all. The temple offers a Goma (fire) ritual in the afternoon, and one prayer stick is included. The morning meditation was also a wonderful experience, very impressive. The staff were genuinely positive, friendly and helpful. Some of them speak very good English, they explain everything clearly, and they let me leave my luggage when I arrived early. I highly recommend this place, but a few practical things worth mentioning: – The stairs to the guest rooms are very steep, and the temple slippers are slippery. If you have trouble with stairs or simply want to avoid the risk, I recommend asking for a room on the first floor. – I visited in early December, and it was really (really!) cold as the corridors are unheated. You absolutely need very warm socks for meditation and the fire ritual. I was completely frozen. – My room took a long time to warm up, but the kotatsu made a huge difference once it heated up, and there was also a gas heater + a tea set with hot water. – Having a sink in the room was a very convenient bonus, but the water in mine was cold though. In the bathroom hot water is available.

I loved my stay, and was surprised by this property only being rated with a 7 because for such a low price in that area is amazing. According to what I've read, there's some things that have changed in comparison to previous years such as automated check-in/check-out (be aware that if you have any issue during check-in immediately the hotel stuff will call you to the phone on the desk behind you... it took me a while to realize that the call was for me :D ), there's an onsen now at the property at the 3rd floor, and there's no food service anymore. Laundry is free (both waschmachine and dryer). I was positively surprised!

We had an amazing stay at Bakery Hotel Shirahama. The hotel was extremely clean and well maintained, and every corner felt cozy and welcoming. The location is excellent, very convenient and close to everything we needed, yet still peaceful and relaxing. The staff were incredibly kind, polite, and helpful throughout our stay. You can really feel the Japanese hospitality here. The amenities were well prepared and thoughtfully provided, making our stay very comfortable. And of course, the bakery theme is such a lovely touch everything felt warm, cute, and unique. Overall, this place exceeded our expectations, and we would definitely stay here again. Highly recommended for a trip with friends!

The thing that really stuck with me was the giant pandas in the first-floor entrance. 🐼 The two little ones even sat on them for photos. 📷 My neighbor that night was a very nice Japanese lady. 🇯🇵 She mistook me for a B&B staff member and asked me tons of questions. 🙋♀️ Besides us two mother and daughter, there were no other mainland Chinese friends that day. There were plenty of ********* people, and even Europeans. In the middle of the night, after washing up, I ended up going to the wrong room and startled a young lady. It was a terrible mistake.

The temple is really beautiful with stunning paintings in the dining room. There is a morning worship service you can join in which starts at 6am, but you can join any time as well as leave the service. Food is really delicious, I didn’t expect much from vegetarian dishes, but they were great. The amount of food is pretty decent, I didn’t feel hungry by the morning even tho I had dinner at 5pm. I traveled alone but I believe this room is specious enough for a couple. The convent location of the temple allows to walk to the main tramples and tourist office (where I got the night tour to the cemetery booked) as well as to the Eko-in temple from where that tour sets off.

The hotel is very nice and still feels brand new, with a great location close to Kii-Tanabe Station. The staff were friendly, the check-in process was fast, and the room was very clean and comfortable. The laundry facilities, ice machine, and vending machines were all excellent. We also appreciated the free breakfast and complimentary coffee/tea in the afternoon. This hotel is highly recommended and perfect as a starting point for the Kumano Kodo journey. One suggestion would be to offer breakfast earlier or provide breakfast boxes for hikers starting early in the morning. Highly recommended, and we would definitely stay here again.

The staff at the hotel were extremely friendly and approachable. They patiently guided us on all our queries and were always helpful whenever we needed assistance. Our stay was lovely and pleasant, making the experience very comfortable overall. The location is also very strategic — JF Katsuura Seafood is just a 2–3 minute walk away, which was very convenient for meals and exploring the area. Overall, a great stay and we would happily recommend this hotel.