Japan - Atami hotel recommendations

We will be traveling to NRT then to Atami to visit the Moa museum at the end of January.

We will only stay 2 nights either in Tokyo, or Atami, before flying out.

Does anyone have any recommendations for an Atami hotel or Ryoken near the train station?

Or, could we stay at a Tokyo hotel, take a train to Atami for a day trip, then return to Tokyo to spend the night?

thanks!

Atami is at the edge of the Tokyo Metropolis; there are plenty of people who do commute that distance daily, though it's about 1.5 hrs each way if I remember correctly (last passed through in 2010).

Again, though I never stayed in Atami, most guides say that it's a bit lacking (mostly faceless concrete buildings). When I visited Izu, I stayed further down the peninsula in Ito (about 20 min by train away), and was quite pleased. Just something to think about.

thanks!
I am thinking we would be better off staying both nights in Tokyo and just making Atami a day trip.

Atami as a day trip from Tokyo is perfectly feasible. Time things to catch a bullet train there and back. Journey time is 40 to 50 minutes each way, but take care to get on the right train. (Many trains don't stop at Atami). See the Shinkansen timetable here: http://english.jr-central.co.jp/info/timetable/index.html

The town has a reputation for ugliness. Monster concrete spa hotels that were filled with Tokyo-ites seeking tawdry thrills in the 60s - 80s are now decaying... Having said that, Mrs. jib was always trying to get me to take her to this golf/spa hotel, which was turned around by a dynamic CEO it seems:
http://www.atamigolf.jp/hotel/index.html

You could do worse than spending an afternoon at the museum, heading to the hotel for a spa treatment, dinner and stay. Then back to Tokyo the next day.

Atami is singularly ugly and best skipped. On the other hand, if you've got the dosh, the Izu Peninsula has some of the fanciest ryokans in Japan, including the Asaba (http://www.ryokancollection.com/eng/lrc/ryokan_story.htm?ryokan=asaba), which is just mega-nice.

Basically agree with Pickles. Atami is an incredibly beautiful spot that has been totally uglified. (I actually own property there, but never go). That being said, Sekitei is a very nice inn and you don't really notice the town when you are there. It is very easy to get to from Tokyo and if you want the inn and onsen experience, I would recommend it. A walk on the beach is very nice also.

BTW - An interesting town renewal project would be to bulldoze everything within 500 meters of the ocean at Atami and start from scratch.

Thanks all! We decided to go with 2 nights at the Conrad and will take a Shin to Atami. We have a very good friend who is a "national treasure" artist who recommended a visit to the Moa museum.



Basically agree with Pickles. Atami is an incredibly beautiful spot that has been totally uglified. (I actually own property there, but never go). That being said, Sekitei is a very nice inn and you don't really notice the town when you are there. It is very easy to get to from Tokyo and if you want the inn and onsen experience, I would recommend it. A walk on the beach is very nice also.

BTW - An interesting town renewal project would be to bulldoze everything within 500 meters of the ocean at Atami and start from scratch.