Kawana Hotel

I couldn't see the hallways as they were being renovated, but the lobby was wonderful and the open-air bath overlooking the Izu sea was the best. Unfortunately, the main dining room was also under renovation. I would like to visit you again after the renovation.

The hotel is very old. It was built in 1928, making it 100 years old. The room is average, but the view is very good, and the hotel's hot spring is also very, very good. The golf course is the most beautiful golf course I have ever seen. Worth going again.

This hotel was built after a golf course was constructed and then used as accommodation. As you would expect from a classical hotel, the building, food, facilities, staff and scenery are all comfortable and sophisticated. The roof is made of red Spanish tiles in a Southern European style, giving it a very resort feel. The interior is stately and you can feel the history. The room was beautiful. For dinner, I chose Western food. The dishes were elaborate and delicious. The sauce was so good that I ended up eating a lot of bread. I also enjoyed a delicious breakfast while looking at the Kawazu cherry blossoms that have just started to bloom. There is an observation tower from which you can see Mount Fuji in the distance and Izu Oshima across the sea. The sunrise from the hot springs and Izu Oshima were also wonderful. All of it was a memorable experience. Next time I'd like to play golf!

I stayed here the day before golfing. The bellman and front desk staff were polite. When you check in, the breakfast time the next morning is decided according to the golf start time. I used the ocean view twin room by myself. The drinks in the fridge were free, which was nice, there were bottled beer, water and tea in plastic bottles. There was also Nespresso coffee, so I relaxed while drinking coffee while looking at the sea. The bathroom was old-fashioned, with a bathtub, toilet and sink. However, it was not a FRP unit, the sink was a wide counter with two bowls, and the toothbrush and razor were in a box with the Kawana mark, which sets it apart from other Prince Hotels. The amenities were mini bottles of Pola that you can find in other Prince Hotels. The lobby in front of the front desk was wonderful with a classic interior, a fireplace, heavy curtains on the tall European windows, and a chandelier. It was a shame that it was empty and lonely, probably because it was a weekday in February. The hot spring building is new, and it is good that you can go there with the disposable slippers and room wear in the room. There is an indoor bath, an open-air bath, and a sauna, and you can see the sea. The modern interior was very comfortable. You can choose between Japanese and Western breakfast. The Western omelette has the hotel's logo branded on it, which is fun. The waitress was efficient and kind. For golf, you check out and then move to the separate building with your luggage. There are stairs, so it's a hassle to move around with your luggage. You check in at the golf reception desk in the separate building and put your luggage in a golf locker. After playing, you take a bath in the golf building, but the golf building is old and I wanted to go to the hotel's hot spring building. The staff's service was good and I had a comfortable stay, but I think it could be an even better hotel if it was refined a bit more, like the Fujiya Hotel in Miyano****a.

Nowadays, the hotel is famous for its attached golf course, but it was originally built as a British-style villa with a ranch by Kihachiro Okura of the Okura Zaibatsu, who purchased land within view of Mt. Komuro. Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio stayed here before and after the hotel was requisitioned by the occupying forces, and they came to Japan on their honeymoons. The entrance, lobby, dining room, and bar are designated as national tangible cultural properties, and if you make a reservation, you can be guided around the hotel from around 11am after check-out time. I stayed in a room facing the ocean, so I had a good view of Izu Oshima, and in the evening, I could see the details of Mt. Mihara lit up by the setting sun. You could also see Mt. Fuji from the observation tower, which is the hotel's landmark. It was also great to watch the sunrise over Sagami Bay while soaking in the open-air hot spring bath. The area between the two golf courses is a good place to stroll even if you don't play golf, and the early-blooming cherry blossoms, especially the winter cherry blossoms in full bloom, were in full bloom at the best time to see them. This is a classic hotel that you can enjoy even if you don't play golf.

Today, there are quite a few employees at Kawana Hotel who seem somewhat distant from their enthusiasm to somehow make their guests laugh and have fun and create lifelong memories. Their eyes are as sharp as a bird of prey, but as blank-focused as a tapir. This is a classy hotel for socially prominent golfers who drive luxury imported cars and people who are comfortable saying things like, "I was seen off by the manager, Mr. XX." For "simple hotel lovers" or "one-time visitors looking for a classic hotel," a surprising experience awaits right from the entrance. As you pass through the entrance, which is a little old and narrow but has a lot to offer, with excitement and a sense of presence, an employee who is so close that you can't tell if he's there or not will instruct you to self-service in a very healthy and natural way, saying, "Please put your luggage on the cart there." Next, at the front desk, the conversation is conducted at a fast tempo like a YouTube video played at 1.4x speed, but this is done in an a**osphere that does not allow for any witty small talk, and the only thing that the visitor remembers is the face of the front desk clerk, who smiles with satisfaction as if to say, "I've shrunk the world again." This time-saving process is probably in line with the impatient eyes of today's users, and I like it. The restaurants and sun parlors in Kawana Hotel are raising their prices, including service charges, every year, but it seems that they cannot keep up with the rising maintenance costs of the golf course, which is the main attraction of the content, and although I'm not sure why, this has not led to an improvement in the level of employees and the facilities in the hotel. I'd say they should at least paint over the rust on the balcony. For breakfast, you can only choose a Western breakfast. Don't make the mistake of choosing a Japanese breakfast. The pool and bath facilities are wonderful, and the a**osphere is also great. This is because you don't have to interact with the employees at all.