Tenseien Annex
Hot-spring hotel steps from Odawara Castle
About this hotel
Tenseien Annex sits in a genuine onsen valley just a few minutes from Odawara Castle, giving guests a hot-spring bathhouse and a historic sightseeing stop within the same short walk. The bathhouse itself runs an indoor pool alongside an open-air bath, with private-bath slots available for families who'd rather not share — useful on evenings when the shared bath is busy with other guests back from the castle grounds. The on-site restaurant serves its own dinner menu, sparing guests a search for somewhere open once the smaller onsen-town restaurants have closed for the night, and closes the day with the kind of quiet, slow-paced evening that a beachfront hotel further down the coast can't quite match.
- Onsen bathhouse
- Private bath option
- Restaurant on site
- Accessible rooms
Our take
This suits a family building a stay around Odawara Castle and a proper onsen soak rather than beach time, and it works especially well for anyone wanting a private bath option over a fully shared one. It's a weaker fit for a group hoping to walk to Oiso Long Beach directly, since the coast is a drive rather than a stroll from here.
- ✓Book a private-bath slot at check-in rather than waiting until evening — they're limited and go quickly once other guests return from the castle.
- ✓Visit Odawara Castle in the late afternoon and walk straight back for an early dinner at the hotel restaurant before the onsen crowds build.
- ✓Reserve well ahead during Japanese school holidays; onsen hotels this close to a major sightseeing stop fill first in the region.
Why we love it
- Minutes from Odawara Castle on foot
- Indoor pool and open-air bath
- Private-bath option for families
- On-site restaurant with its own menu
Why guests love itWe chose Tenseien Annex mainly for the walk to Odawara Castle, and it was the private bath that ended up being the highlight — booking a slot at check-in meant we had the open-air pool to ourselves for a full half hour, no waiting for other guests to clear out after a long afternoon at the castle grounds. The on-site restaurant that evening meant we didn't have to head back out into town for dinner.