I've made a habit of taking a couple of days to relax on the Izu Peninsula every winter, and am always looking for new places to stay. This time I managed to snag a good deal at this hot spring hotel, and definitely enjoyed my time here.
It's of modern build, but in a traditional style: there's a tiny ornamental arched bridge at the entrance, and in the lobby there's a cooking hearth with footbath. The decor throughout is very attractive, with traditional touches like hanging scrolls on the walls, and bamboo fencing at the alcove for the vending machines.
My room was reasonably spacious, with twin beds on a raised platform, synthetic mats styled to look like tatami, and the usual amenities like my small fridge and TV. There's no shower or bath - you need to go to the public bathrooms for that - and no chair, with a low table and floor cushions to sit on instead. Another slight drawback is that the Wi-Fi is available only in the lobby, not in the rooms.
The larger public bathroom is on the second floor, but still fairly small, with an indoor and outdoor bath. The indoor one is larger, but I enjoyed the outdoor one more, because it was hotter and more comfortable to sit in; I could lean my head back against one rock, stretch out my legs, and enjoy the heat of the water. Then in the rest area at the entrance there are massage chairs, with electronic massagers for your back and feet.
The rooftop bath is only a bath; there are no showers here, so downstairs is where you need to wash yourself. What you do have is a view over the ocean from the bath, allowing you to enjoy the sunset over the horizon as the steam comes off the water.
We are well looked after here: we get our choice of yukata (bathrobe) from a wide selection in the lobby, and from 3:00pm to 6:00pm each day there's a 'welcome drink' service in the lobby, with little sweetcakes and a choice of yuzu juice (Japanese citrus) or non-alcoholic 'sangria'. It did enhance the feeling of relaxation for me to stroll around the hotel in my light bathrobe with my towels in the basket from my room.
There's precious little to see and do in Toi other than the gold mine, so in the evenings, the lobby is the place to hang out and relax. You can sit with your feet in the little footbath and toast marshmallows over the hot coals, or adjourn to the adjoining bar, where there's an electronic dartboard and a pool table to entertain yourselves with.
