Reviews of Ryosou Minatosou Joetsu 3 stars

It is close to the ferry to Sado island

Firstly, there is a curfew at 23:00 when you cannot get in or out of the hotel. Secondly it smells awful and the room has basically nothing apart from the futon on which you sleep (the shared bathroom and shower reeks of mold). But most of all, when I asked about the hot bath (onsen) that is in the photos, the owner told me in a rude voice that they do not have any. So I decided to look for it anyway and I found the most miserable little iron semi-COLD and DIRTY "onsen". I suspect racism, which is illegal in Japan!

They were very kind to us!

I stayed here because it was the only place in town for my budget, and yeah its pretty far from the trainstation and most resturants, but i had no problem taking a 25 min walk. The place had really nice staff that even let me borrow a bike. And my room was very big and clean. And there was even a little hot bath.

I had 2 problems. The pillow was extremly hard. Even for japanese standards. And there was really not a cover for my window. So i got that morning sun shining in my room at 6.30 in the morning🙃

The staff was talkative and helpful, the room was spacious and clean, location to me was good.

Shower room wasn't clean as it is a shared space, it was difficult to get the right water temperature and the water pressure was weak.

Absolute disaster hotel. After having stayed at multiple fantastic low key hotels throughout Japan, this was a huge setback. The entire hotel was freezing cold including the rooms which where heated only by AC which was being switched off during the day by the owner (even though we had a do not disturb sign on the door). The parking lot was constantly covered in snow and water without effort to clean it. All in all a place to avoid.

Check-in is in the different place not stated in the description, you find the checkin address on the street door where you stay, than you have to comeback (it is on the way from the train station, so it would be much easier to go directly to check in place) Then there is change to find the right corridor with your room, probably not very hard but I was stressed as it was after 22:00 (so reception was closed) and I could not find the room at first as it was behind the other middle door. In the morning there was a construction work just behind the window.

It was very close to the port. In theory, the room seemed to be clean. The administrator was pleasant (once I finally managed to find him).

There was no-one at the reception when I arrived, the pillow felt like a brick and made my head hurt, there was something constantly flashing outside (possibly a traffic light), I was "greeted" by a very unpleasant bug in my room.

The hotel is less than 5 mins away from the ferry terminal to sado island. The owner is very friendly and the bath was really good.

I was given an extremely big room that can fit at least 6-8 people. But as a solo traveller in such a big room, it can agoraphobia for me.

Ryosou Minatosou is a traditional family-run inn next to the Naoetsu ferry port. Very conveniently located for anyone planning to hop on the 07:10h ferry to Sado. I’d recommend booking meals because there aren’t many food options nearby, especially in the evening. The rooms are spacious and comfortable, and the staff is very attentive and friendly.

I liked the ease of access to the ferry port to get to Sado Island the next morning. The room itself was a lot bigger than I expected for two people. It could definitely fit up to five people in the one tatami room. Since the location is conveniently next to the ferry port, it’s also not far of a walk to the nearest park. The sunset was beautiful against the sea with the ships at port.

I didn’t like that the room didn’t have any curtains. The room faces towards the main street at an intersection, so it was hard to fall asleep with the flashing traffic lights. Also, the room itself was a non-smoking room, but people had a space in the hallway where they could smoke, so I didn’t appreciate that very much.

Cheap and simple

Locked in after 11 so if you want to go out and party or hit a karaoke bar late you cant.

There's a convenience store a short walk away. The owner was also kind enough to let us check out very early in order to catch the first ferry of the day. The owner was also very kind and really curious about Americans, so it was funny to try teaching him about American things.

It's very far from any restaurants or bars. Breakfast must be purchased before reserving the room. We discovered too late that we couldn't buy it at the same time as check-in. It's best for a single night stay or for convenience to the ferry port terminal.

I liked how close it was to the ferry

The pillow was as hard as a rock and it is really hot anywhere outside of your room

Excellent location if you intend to take the early ferry to Sado Island. Rooms are spacious and bath facilities were an unexpected surprise. Overall clean.

If you intend to do anything other than move to Sado Island, it's a bit out of the way. Not many restaurants or bars within easy walking distance of the location.