AN IZU PENINSULA ESCAPE OVERLOOKING OURA BAY

Sun Jul 27 2025 07:47:48 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) by Treyt021

Shimoda Tokyu offers a very western style hotel with very Japanese sensibilities and I'm not sure the combination works. We expected something of a relaxing resort. Instead we had to carry our luggage up an extremely steep switchback hill as our train arrived after their pickup service ended at 6pm. The hotel sits on a huge hill overlooking the Bay offering beautiful views. However the only way to the beach or city is to treck down a steep path in back or take the crazy entrance hill. Do not stay here if you have mobility issues or just are not prepared to handle a lot of stairs. Carrying beach gear down will test anyone's stamina. They advised of pickup service but again it's time is limited. They also close basically everything at 5 pm so be prepared for a ghost town well before dark. They have a lovely pool we couldn't try because we were out on an excursion before it opened at 9 and not back till 4:30. Bar and lounge also closed early. Table side beers at the overlook closed early. The breakfast is excellent we actually mentioned where we were staying to several locals and everyone of them commented on the breakfast. However you must arrive no later than 6:30 am to expect a seat. Otherwise it's an hour wait and they will only call your room. So if you have an early day plan accordingly. Also they advised this on the day we left but didn't mention trains don't leave shimoda till 10 am. So unclear why they go to the effort there. Our fault for not checking but when we asked for a cab to the station at 7:30 really wished they had mentioned it to us. Finally food and dinner is outrageously priced. You can absolutely walk or take one of their loaner cars into town and have an excellent meal for a 5th of what it would cost you on this hill. In fact it was all extremely expensive for what it was our most money spent on lodgings in Japan and really didn't live up to that.

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Sat Jul 12 2025 02:19:57 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) by Calvin L

There were several bugs in the room. When we had the staff come check, he came in with a spray, stepped ON our beds, and there was no offer to move us to another room. At check out, while we complained about what happened, the staff did not listen and kept forcing us to pay the 1200 yen city tax. We used a translator to show what we were trying to say and there was no emotion from the staff. Instead, they still said to pay the city tax. In the onsen, there were staff members of the opposite gender cleaning while people are changing. Would not stay here again. Not worth the money. They did pick us up from the train station and using the shuttle was convenient though.

Mon Mar 31 2025 00:04:45 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) by carw256

We stayed at the Tokyo Hotel Shimoda for three nights. This hotel is in a truly magical spot. You can walk along the sea front, see the wonderful green/ blue clear sea and experience the national gardens which are super. The reception team and the concierge were outstanding. In particular, Aya and Takahashi were really helpful when we needed to upgrade our room and helped us to understand how to get from A to B. Good town to hotel complementary bus service, which makes everything accessible: We will definitely be back. Thank you.

Mon Jun 05 2023 01:14:23 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) by Mabel Z

The ocean view from the room and from the outdoor onsen is amazing. The Japanese buffet breakfast has such a variety of options and all so yummy. Tea and local snack in the room was very yummy as well. Would definitely come back.

Mon Jun 20 2022 07:52:51 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) by TravelJ27

The property has amazing ocean views high on an outcropping, but none of the rooms with an ocean view have a balcony, except the very edge of the east wing. Wonderful gardens with a path lading down to a small beach that isn't too noteworthy. The rooms have been updated since the construction and are pretty good overall. The pool was closed in June, which was pretty disappointing, especially as the beach is below par. The onsen facilities met expectation. The beds are firm, which I loved, but not everyone likes a firm mattress. The hotel operates a bus service to pick up guests from the train station twice an hour from 9-5pm. If you are doing dinner out in the town or drinks in the evening, you have to grab a taxi back as the walk is a bit of a hike. The hotel staff are very friendly and kind, the concierge knows the area and has great recommendation for activities...wonderful and friendly people. The hotel restaurant serves a nice mostly Japanese breakfast (as expected) with local delicacies, wide range of teas, coffee and juice as well as a great selection of breads and fresh fruit. The hotel restaurant for dinner is average. Our group ordered a range of items off the menu and no one was terribly impressed. The lone stand out was the French Onion soup, packed with flavor, though a bit light on the cheese. Would stay here again if the price was right, was able to get rooms at a discount on this stay as it was rainy season.

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