Hotel Kuretakeso Thailand Sriracha
by the TopOfHotel team
The most authentically Japanese stay in Sriracha — a real onsen, tatami rooms and a Japanese kitchen, all from $26 a night.
The most authentically Japanese stay in Sriracha — a real onsen, tatami rooms and a Japanese kitchen, all from $26 a night.
In-Depth Review
Rooms and decor
The list opens with the most genuinely Japanese hotel in Sriracha. Hotel Kuretakeso is the first Thai branch of a Japanese chain, sitting on Sukhumvit Road in the centre of town, and it scores about 8.7/10 with guests. The whole desk team speaks Japanese and English, and check-in is thorough enough that they'll walk you through onsen etiquette before you go up. The tatami rooms run around 22 sqm, floored with real igusa mats, with the futon folded away in a closet until you need it. Guests keep mentioning the faint smell of wood that makes the rooms easy to sleep in.
Food and amenities
Downstairs sits a Japanese restaurant called Iroha, run by a Japanese chef. The salt-grilled salmon set comes with miso soup, pickles and hot rice for $9, and it tastes close to a Japanese shokudo rather than a tourist approximation. There's warm sake at $5 a bottle, and the breakfast buffet is a proper Japanese spread — grilled fish, rolled egg, pickles, natto, miso soup and rice porridge — all included in the $26 room rate. There's no pool and no gym, so this is a place to soak and eat, not to work out.
Location and getting there
The hotel is right in central Sriracha, a 5-minute walk from Pacific Park and Robinson, so you can leave the car and reach the shops and food on foot. Suvarnabhumi (BKK) airport is about 100km away, roughly 1.5 hours on the motorway, and Pattaya is around 30km, about 30 minutes by car. Most Western passports get a visa-free stay in Thailand on arrival.
Things to know before booking
This is a small property, so rooms fill up and it can be hard to book on long weekends and public holidays — lock in your dates early. There's no pool and no fitness centre. And the Western rooms feel older than the tatami ones, so if you want the better room, book tatami.
Our take
Hotel Kuretakeso is the best answer if you want a genuine taste of Japan in Sriracha without the budget running away from you. Rates run from $26 to $80 a night, and it suits Japan fans who want to try a tatami room, couples after an onsen soak, and Japanese business travellers working the Eastern Seaboard. We'd come back.
Score Breakdown
Assessed by our editorial team from data and real guest reviews
The Honest Verdict — pros & what to know
- Run by Japan's Kuretakeso chain — this is its first branch in Thailand, and the Japanese hospitality is the real thing rather than a theme.
- The 6th-floor onsen is split by gender, with hot pools at 40-42°C, six wash stations to rinse off first, and a free yukata waiting in the room.
- You can choose a traditional tatami room and sleep on a futon over real igusa mats, which guests say smells faintly of fresh wood and sleeps surprisingly well.
- The in-house restaurant Iroha is run by a Japanese chef and serves food close to what you'd eat in Japan, not a watered-down version.
- Doubles start at $26 a night, the cheapest of the onsen hotels here, with a Japanese breakfast buffet thrown in.
- It's a small hotel, so rooms fill up and can be hard to book on long weekends and public holidays.
- There's no pool and no fitness centre, so if you want to swim or work out you'll need to look elsewhere.
- The Western rooms feel older and more dated than the tatami rooms, so book tatami if you can.
Who It’s For
Match Score by travel style
Amenities
Location & Nearby Spots
Insider Tips
- Book a tatami room over a Western one — it's the whole point of staying here, and the rooms are the better of the two.
- Go down to the onsen between 19:00 and 21:00, the evening soak window when most guests use it.
- Order a set meal at the in-house Iroha restaurant — the grilled salmon set is the real Japanese thing.
- Try the warm sake from Iroha at $5 a bottle after your soak.