Erika I.
Yelp
For my husband's first time in Japan, I wanted to introduce a ryokan experience to him. From Sannomiya Station in Kobe, we rode a bus to Arima Onsen. Once we arrived, we went to the tourist information center for them to call a shuttle to Taketoritei Maruyama. Everyone was very helpful and friendly as they carried our luggage and later placed it into our room. For check-in, they verified that we were having dinner and breakfast, as well as the time we wanted to eat. We were also able to choose a time to have our private onsen, and which of the four we wanted to soak in. We excitedly hurried off to our private onsen, and enjoyed our 45 minutes of just relaxing and soaking in both baths while gazing into the beautiful nature landscape. We found that the gold onsen was much hotter than the silver bath. Also, there are times when you might find unexpected "guests" (aka bugs) inside or near the water. We had a caterpillar and beetle visitor (not a big deal since there's nets and buckets close by). After soaking in the onsen, we went to have our dinner. The restaurant is divided into several private rooms, and had a small sign welcoming us. The meal was FABULOUS! The menu was printed in English and listed all the dishes that were to be served. The presentation was beautiful and it tasted really yummy. My husband and I ooh-ed and ahh-ed at every dish. I was sick from the night before, so I didn't have much appetite, but I managed to try everything (my husband gladly ate what I couldn't finish). When we returned to our rooms, we found that they laid out our futons (beds) while we were dining. I decided to check out the public onsen after dinner and also greatly enjoyed that experience. I was really lucky since there was only one other woman there. Of course, we had a very comfortable sleep (the futon was thick enough for the floor to not be uncomfortably hard), and breakfast was greatly enjoyed.
Overall, we had a wonderful time at this ryokan. The scenery outside and the onsen greatly relaxed our spirits. Everyone was very helpful and friendly, and always had a smile for us.