EvainDubai
Google
Let's start with the Pros, as it outweighed the cons:||1. If you're an onsen lover, then this is a fantastic place for it. They had 3 private rotenburos (outdoor onsen) you can use, another one just for women and a shared one (they'll give you the outfit for the shared one). There's also an indoor one for men and women separately with a shower facility. The views (outdoor ones) were gorgeous, as you are surrounded by valleys, nature and the river. And it's 24 hours available :) The evenings were nice, as the lights were lit up and there's a slight chill in the evening, as you submerge in hot water under the star. The onsens were relatively clean, but you'll see some leaves or petals float from time to time. We've been to a handful Ryokans and onsens, and this was the most expansive in size and selection.||2. The Breakfast & Dinner were Kaiseki style meals, which are multi-course Japanese cuisine. We've had these before, as we frequent to Japan a lot, and more often, we were more impressed by the meticuouls prepration and variety, but never 'got full' or really craved it again. However, this time, we were nicely surprised :) The food was delicious. We stayed 3 nights and every night, the food was different, and the quality was amazing! For foodies, this is a plus. The 2nd night, we had Shabu-shabu with marbled meat (huge portion), and the 3rd night, we had Hida beef grilled at our table, which were premium quality marbled beef, that tasted like puff pillows on butter! This really exceeded our expectations. The quality of food, effort and selection was very impressive, and because of this, we overlooked our initial doubt staying here.||3. Last, the staff was very accommodating, friendly and went out of their way to help up us. We had some logistical issues getting there, and heading back to Tokyo, and they were very helpful in organizing, sorting and updating us with different timetable options. Sachi, one of the staff at the Reception was exceptionally helpful and spoke very good English.||4. The bus stop to the hotel is called Kurakaya, if I recall, which is right by the hotel, but you do have to walk down a private road (5-7mins?), as the hotel sits below the hill, slightly tucked in. Walking down was fine, but when walking up to the bus station with heavy luggages, it was rather exhausting.||Overall, these were the main highlights for us. We thought 3 nights was doing to be a nightmare, but we ended up loving it at the end to our surprise. I wish I can bring my parents here.||As for the Cons, the property is very old. It needs renovation and upgrade. Our room was particularly small, but it served its purpose, as we were hardly in the room. ||The Shared Bathroom applied to ALL the rooms, since it's an old Japanese building. There were 3 toilets in the Women's Toilet room...and I didn't come across anybody while I was there, and they were relatively clean. The shower was downstairs, as part of the indoor hotspring. It was very dated and tired. Toiletries were provided though. Overall, the indoor facility needs renovation.||The etiquette for onsen use could have been verbally emphasized. Some hotel guests (men) were naked in the "shared" onsen, so I had to turn around and pretend I didn't see anything. ;p Some didn't 'wash' before entering the shared onsen, so that should've been emphasized. There are sign boards explaining this, but can be easily overlooked.||The location is quite remote. Don't expect to walk around and find restaurants or cafes nearby. It's a provincial town and buildings are spread apart. You'll need a car to get around or use the bus, which comes every 30 mins or so, so it's reliable (but EXPENSIVE). When we initially booked this hotel, we thought it was in Kamikochi (as it showed up in our hotel search). We realized later that it was in another valley, 1 hour bus drive away (including a bus transfer to Hirayu Onsen). This created an initial panic for us, as we wanted to hike and do some outdoor trails. In the end, this worked out fine.||The hotel is about 20-30mins bus ride to Shinhotake Ropeway (last bus stop). There's hiking trail up there (on the last ropeway), but be prepared to bring hiking shoes and sticks, as there were still snow on the trails, and it was quite slushy and slippery.||Kamikochi turned out to be a beautiful all-day trip, 30 mins to Hirayu Onsen, then transfer to another bus to Kamikochi for another 30mins. ||Buses were outrageously expensive though. However, we looked forward to getting back to the hotel for our yummy dinner and 24hrs onsen to rest our tired feet. ||Overall, we had an amazing time! And it was value for money compared to other ryokans that included full kaiseki & onsen. Just be prepared for very early dinners (6-7pm ish?), and early breakfasts. Buses operate until 5pm I think, so you do have to plan your day ahead.
