Shirahama Key Terrace Hotel Seamore

Avoid this hotel at all costs. There is blatant discrimination here, and I want to warn as many people away as possible. Everyone on Xiaohongshu (RED) claims the food is great, but this was the worst dining experience I've ever had at an onsen hotel. This trip, we first stayed two nights in Kii-Katsuura. For around 2,000 RMB per night for three people (half-board), the ocean-view rooms there were priced similarly to this place. One of those hotels featured freshly cut tuna where you could taste every single cut; the other offered high-grade Wagyu sukiyaki and local specialties, each with its own unique charm. Both had great atmospheres and plenty of food choices. In contrast, this hotel used the cheapest ingredients possible. There wasn't even any sushi. The sashimi was limited to salmon and low-grade tuna. To top it off, drinks and alcohol required an extra charge! Looking at their drink menu, most of the items were complimentary at the other two onsen hotels we stayed at over the previous two days. Even at the buffet, you had to pay extra for Coca-Cola! The restaurant was small, crowded, and chaotic, and we had to queue up just to get food. There was barely anything worth eating—it was comparable to a cheap 100 RMB buffet back in China. They even had a sign at the entrance warning guests not to smuggle drinks out in their own bottles. Seriously, who would use their own bottle to take away your powdered juice mix? The breakfast was undeniably terrible, too. There was a line just for fried eggs, and another line just for plain rice balls! At other hotels, breakfast sashimi rice bowls didn't require any queuing, yet here you had to wait in line for plain rice balls. The photo shows everything edible at breakfast; it honestly felt worse than an airport lounge. The ocean-view room we were given was also a rip-off. It was the very last room on the lowest floor (Room 232—I noticed another negative review mentioned Room 230). The view from the window was partially blocked by an awning below. When I went down to the front desk to ask for a room change, they told me that room type was fully booked. Fully booked just a little past 3 PM on a weekday? That night, I checked the hotel's negative reviews and noticed that out of a little over a dozen Chinese reviews, most complained about being assigned terrible, far-corner rooms. I've never seen a hotel with such a concentrated number of complaints specifically about being given bad, leftover rooms. It’s painfully obvious they assign rooms based on passports. What a coincidence that all the bad rooms go to Chinese speakers! As for the location, it's very awkward. It’s about 1.1 km from both the beach and local attractions. The bus runs only once every 30 minutes or so for a ride that lasts just a few minutes, while walking takes about 15 minutes. It’s inconvenient to get anywhere—either a 30-round-trip walk or a very long wait for the bus.

Right outside JR Shirahama Station there is a bus stop, making it very convenient to get to the hotel. You can also take a taxi for around 2,500 yen. The room faces the Pacific Ocean, which is wonderful, and it's very convenient for visiting some of the local sights—you can just hop on the bus right outside the door, super convenient. Plus, the popular restaurants "Ikesu Mondo" and "SHIRAHAMA KEY NOODLE Dakishimetai" are just steps away. Highly recommended!

The room was much larger than I expected, and they set up the futon at night. The 9th-generation lounge area was very spacious and comfortable! Both the breakfast and dinner we booked were incredibly generous! The transportation was also very convenient!

We booked a deluxe sea view room, which was quite spacious – the largest of all the hotels we stayed at during this trip to Japan. The sea view was also lovely, and we caught a beautiful sunset. The hotel's breakfast was just average. There's a Japanese restaurant and a ramen shop next to the hotel that were pretty decent. Overall, we were satisfied.

Our family trip to the beach with the kids was overall very satisfying, though the interior facilities felt a bit outdated. The sea view, however, was absolutely stunning! I would still recommend staying here next time. The overall value for money is quite good.

How should I put this? I booked two rooms, and one of them was right next to the communal restroom on the floor. That was truly unacceptable. Plus, when we opened the room, it was incredibly old and rundown – I won't even bother posting pictures. Honestly, I wouldn't recommend booking this room type. What I can praise, however, is Trip.com's excellent service, efficient handling, and great attitude. They perfectly resolved our room issue, and in the end, we were very satisfied.

For just over 1000 yen, getting a one-night stay with two meals for two people, plus a sea view, is incredible value! The dinner buffet, while not huge, had excellent quality ingredients. We feasted on delicious salmon and tuna. The room was spacious. Sure, there were a few minor imperfections in some corners, but for this price, I can't complain. The only real issue was that the hotel only offers free luggage storage until 3 PM. They didn't mention this when we dropped off our bags. Halfway through our Kumano Kodo hike, a friend behind me delivered the bad news. I ended up having to carry six people's luggage to our next accommodation all by myself. It was quite a heartbreaking experience.

The hotel offers a self-service breakfast and dinner, with a wide variety of Japanese and Western options, all of which were delicious! The open-air hot spring with a sea view was fantastic! The pool and foot bath outside the lobby on the first floor were also great. The hotel is about a ten-minute walk from Shirahama Beach, and going there to watch the sunset in the evening was a wonderful experience.

The hotel lobby is nicely decorated, but the rooms are just average. The TV, in particular, is tiny! The hot spring bath faces the sea, which is lovely. There's also a restaurant downstairs that serves some pretty good set meals.