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Write2Wander

5/5Tripadvisor· 3 months ago

Very clean. Very beautiful. The staff was incredibly helpful and did a great job with the Japanese/English translation, as we do not speak Japanese. We brought our two kids, 11 and 13, and they loved their time as well. The private hot spring was a very nice option, as I have plenty of frowned-upon tattoos lol. We did not eat at the property, so I cannot comment on the food, but the accommodations were clean and spacious. The entire ryokan had plenty of things that surprised us. My husband found a guitar, and we roasted marshmallows and sang by a fire. The complimentary sake and late-night ramen were a huge bonus. I would definitely go back and spend many more than just two nights. The traditional old hot spring town was very neat and unique, and the Hida Limited Express train ride on the way up and down was spectacular.

TM

Trip.com Member

5/5Trip.com· 4 months ago

The place is clean and the staff is friendly and helpful. The room is like a self contained unit, with all amenities available. Kaiseki dinner was fantastic, and the view from the restaurant where we seated for our breakfast was breathtaking. Not forgetting the nice private outdoor Onsen.

DH

Daniel Hynek

5/5Google· 5 months ago

We spent a wonderful couple of nights here as part of our trip and left with nothing but great memories. The onsen experience itself was the highlight — a fantastic variety of baths including private, public indoor, and outdoor options, each with its own character. You could easily spend the whole evening moving between them. What really set this place apart were the little extras. Late-night ramen that hit the spot after a long soak, and a bonfire outside where we roasted marshmallows — such a lovely, unexpected touch that made the stay feel special. We stayed in a Western-style room rather than a traditional futon setup, and it was very comfortable. No complaints at all. The staff were genuinely warm and helpful throughout — always ready with a smile and happy to explain anything. We only booked breakfast, but what a breakfast it was: a huge spread of beautifully prepared dishes, plenty of variety, and an incredible mountain view to go with it. A perfect way to start the day. The property isn't brand new, and honestly that's part of the charm. It has a lived-in patina that gives it soul — you can feel the history in the woodwork and the baths. For us that made it feel authentic rather than polished and generic. Highly recommended. We'd come back in a heartbeat.

RH

Roland Horne

4/5Google· 3 months ago

Hot spring hotel. Great location in Hirayu Onsen. Don't spend the extra for the in-room hot tub unless you're a very small person. Regular size folks are a very tight fit, folded up. The public bath is great, especially the outdoor one, so no need for in-room. Window has only a white paper shoji, no curtains, so you'll wake with the sun. Staff and food were good.

NT

Natalie Teo

1/5Google· 5 months ago

I really wanted to enjoy my stay here and had every intention of leaving a positive review, as this is positioned as a premium hotel and the property itself is undeniably beautiful. The “hardware” of the hotel—the facilities, design, and overall physical product—was impressive. Unfortunately, the “software,” meaning the service experience and attention to detail, fell significantly short of expectations for the price point. It was raining when we arrived. The staff did not offer to assist with unloading our luggage from the car. Instead, staff simply directed us to the parking area. More disappointingly, no umbrella was offered to the member of our group who had to park the car in the rain. While the staff were polite throughout our stay, the service often felt reactive rather than thoughtful or intuitive. During dinner, one member of our group does not eat beef. We had already selected our meal preferences at the time of booking, but it appears this was not properly captured in the hotel’s system. We also found the hotel’s website and reservation platform quite poor, as we were unable to view the full details of our booking beforehand. When we raised the dining issue at the start of dinner, we were told nothing could be done because the dishes had already been prepared. For a premium hotel, the lack of flexibility or willingness to find a solution was disappointing. Housekeeping also fell below expectations. We found a sock in our room that clearly appeared to have been left behind by a previous guest, which raised concerns about the thoroughness of room cleaning. While the property is lovely, the service experience lacked the attentiveness, anticipation, and flexibility that one would expect at this price level. Unfortunately, based on our experience, we did not feel the stay justified the premium we paid.

L

Linda

5/5Google· 7 months ago

One of the best ryokan with Onsen I have stayed. Quiet, clean and relaxing. I really wanna gatekeep this place. We booked the Annex room with the private outdoor Onsen and foot bath and the room was huge and clean ! The outdoor Onsen is so private and your view is just the quiet nature! The drinks in the daily bar were also free and refilled daily when requested. Heater in the room were so strong and good. Their hairdryer is so good quality. Breakfast and dinner provided.. however would have been better if the main dishes could have more options rather than the Hida beef as I don't eat beef. The other downside is they don't have staff to help you with the luggages and our room was so far in and we needed to climb the stairs up and down to reach.

EF

Elly French

5/5Google· 6 months ago

Read for a thorough review on what to expect: In our week and a half in Japan this was, by far, the most relaxed and enjoyable part of our trip. We booked on a whim - the day of - and were welcomed so kindly by the staff. We booked two western rooms, one with the onsen tub and one without due to having tattoos and out of respect for the culture. The onsen in the room was lovely but unnecessary! It turns out they have four private onsens in the resort, allowing couples and tattoo’d individuals to enjoy the outdoor onsen privately. All you need to do is look to see if they’re occupied before going in. We did ask about tattoos in the public onsen and they provided little patches but my tattoos are too big to be covered. In the public onsens there were indoor and outdoor pools and a sauna. Showering before the onsen is respectful for all and are available. Men and women are separate in the public onsen. Upon arrival you’re provided with in-house clothing, slippers, robes, and traditional Japanese coats. It was entirely unnecessary to put any of our personal clothing items on the entire stay! Breakfast was an experience that seemed close to a traditional Ryokan with fish, miso, rice, pickled items, etc. But dinner…. Oh my gosh. We selected the A La Carte option and highly recommend picking from the menu. You get to cook the beef and pork in front of you and it was our favorite meal of the trip. Now, if you’re explorers - like us - we HIGHLY recommend exploring the town. There is an old home just down the road where you can actually use other public onsens that were gorgeous. We hiked ~1.5 miles to one of the 60 oldest trees in Japan. We also thoroughly enjoyed a dinner at the local ramen restaurant which ranked as our favorite ramen in Japan (get the miso ramen!). I think it’s important to note that this is not a 5-star, $800 a night hotel. Don’t go in expecting to be waited on hand and foot because it’s not priced that way and from other reviews it seems that people have forgotten that you can pay $300 a night in the US for a Marriott. We loved that we had the freedom to explore and do what felt right. Our room was clean, the staff were kind, the food was great. This experience is one that you make it and we found ourselves going to the onsen 5-7 times a day, enjoying our morning coffee in the lounge, and feeling at peace in the woods. For the price and the place, we hope to come back! Arigato gozaimasu to the staff for a lovely stay !

JO

Jeannie Octaviani

5/5Google· 5 months ago

We cannot recommended this place enough. All staffs we met were very helpful in accomodating our requests and able to converse in basic english. The room was huge, comfortable with private bath overlooking nice view. The property is clean, well maintained and huge. We were celebrating our engagement & got complimentary gifts and cute fruit platter during dinner which was such a thoughtful gesture. The onsens were the best and you must try both private and public onsen.