Yufuin Tamanoyu

The quiet atmosphere, calm and refined service, the operation of a small number of independent ryokan studios, and the beautiful and delicious meals were all very satisfying and memorable.

We stayed one night at Tamanoyu and found it to be charming . All staff were very helpful and many spoke a little English. Our room was western bedroom with traditional Japanese sitting room. We had our own wooden bath which was delightful. Dinner was excellent with delicious starters and a choice of beef to grill over a charcoal fire pot or hotpots also to be cooked at the table. We chose beef and were given local chicken to try as well. The hotpots looked great and came with large quantities of green vegetables to be cooked with the meat or fish. A very pretty scroll detailed our meal -we admired it even though we couldn't read it! A lovely touch was to have a large purple flower as our chopstick rest. Slippers have to be worn in the rooms and 3 kinds are provided. Yukata ( robes for wearing on the property and in the village if wished) are provided and many guests wear them- we did . We chose western breakfast and it was very good with fresh orange juice and included an excellent spinach soup with a choice of egg dishes followed by brioche or French toast. Tamanoyu is relaxing and conveniently situated in a quiet lane under 5 minutes from the lake and shrine. All rooms are situated in a wooden garden like setting with privacy from each other.

Been to a fair number of onsen hotels myself and this one stands out for all the right reasons. Every bit of the hotel is an exquisite blend of traditional Japanese meet western countryside. Upon arrival you are warmly welcomed from your car, your luggage carried to your room whilst you are ushered to the beautiful reception lounge for a cup of tea and sweet cake. After unwinding you are then brought to your own room (which is in fact a standalone villa- with own balcony, living room and sleeping area). There is an in-room wood tub with hot springs water so you can enjoy a good soak in the comfort and privacy of your own room. We also took a peek at the public bath, which also has an outdoor section, but given the in room bath is so nice already I had no incentive to go to the public bath. ||FOOD: Price is inclusive of dinner and breakfast. Love the fact that dinner can be served until as late as 8pm (ensuing breakfast at 9am, which is quite late by Japanese ryokan standards). Meals served in the main restaurant - as is typical of onsen ryokan kaiseki meals we were STUFFED. The locally sourced ingredients ensured that all dishes were bursting with freshness. Love especially the rice cooked in clay pots. ||SERVICE: All staff were so friendly, warm and professional- before dinner the staff called to inform us that it would be alright to eat dinner in our yukatas, during dinner when they heard we were celebrating our wedding anniversary they gave us a small gift with a card, at the end of dessert we were reminded of the weather the following day, when we were too full to finish our rice the staff suggested packing them into rice balls for you, at check out they even gave us a farewell gift.||All in all I would say this is one fantastic onsen hotel that you would hate to miss if you can spare the cash, it is well worth the price tag.

2nd Trip to Tamanoyu, this time for 2 days, mainly for R&R and enjoy the surroundings and Onsen. Stayed in the two-storey "villa?"/room?, Kuwa for this trip.||||The Good:||Locations-||The location of the hotel is pretty near most of the Yufuin main spots, nicely tuck away behind the main area where you could just return to your hotel to put down your shopping bags or dip into onsen before exploring more of Yufuin.||||The Service-||It's hard to describe how good they are, but given the price of the place and we returned for 2nd stay, the service is a big part in that decision. Quality of stay = Superb.||||The Room, the onsen and the kotatsu-||The "room" we stayed this time was definitely more superior than our first stay, the room also feels brighter too. If you are uncomfortable to go to public bath, you could always use your in-room onsen. And the kotatsu, probably still the most comfortable part of the room.||||The not-so-good:||The price may not be suitable for everyone appetite, however, if you have special occasions or anniversary etc, this is one place you could put into your list of consideration. ||||Do write in when you make a booking if it is for special occasion etc, I feel they will prepare your stay differently and accordingly for the occasion.||||Final say, will definitely be going back, which also seemingly going to be an annual thing... ||||Tips: Get a bigger room for better enjoyment, the difference in cost for basic room and the bigger room is a pittance compare to what you are already going to fork out.

Farmers bent over working in the fields stood to wave as our train neared this peaceful town. We were greeted at the train station by the hotel valet who took our bags. He provided a map and suggested we walk up their town's Main Street to visit the shops. We thoroughly enjoyed that walk and were able to grab some snacks along the way. The Onsen was very spacious, quiet and beautiful. We relaxed in both the hotel hot tub as well as our private room's hot tub. We shopped at the little artisan stores and had lunch at a local restaurant on our last day. We would like to someday return to stay longer here!

I just visited Yufuin and stayed at Tamanoyu during last weekend with my family with 2 kids and parents. Service here is very good (thanks Nam-san for your kind service). The overall ambient is very nice, peaceful and quiet while very accessible from main walking street in Yufuin. We were lucky enough to still see cherry blossom around the area.||||Price is quite premium. But if you do appreciate real Japanese foods and love its detail, you would not be disappointed. I hereby also posted some pictures that I took. The previous reviewers did post nice pictures but the actual thing is even nicer! So i think this place deserves nicer pictures for its review (including their own website too!!) Sorry!!!

My husband and I arrived to Yufuin tired and very hot from the high summer temperatures in July. Although we have visited Japan before, this was the first time we were alone without a guide. We had taken a train from Fukukoa and enjoyed the two hour plus ride into the mountains. A Japanese friend had arranged to have the hotel send a car for us which was a wonderful thing because the Yufuin train station was small, very crowded and overwhelming after the long trip.||We were the only Westerners staying at this charming onsen and Nam (from Vietnam) could not have been more helpful to us. Nam welcomed us and apologized that our room was not ready (we were early) and then escorted us to a nearby restaurant which we would have never found on our own for a delicious noodle lunch. Our room was ready when we returned and and Nam showed us how to find the room, pointing out the amenities as we took the short walk through the complex. The room was much larger than we expected with its own tatami mat living/dining room, Western style bedroom, spacious bathroom with a separate onsen wooden bath which was fed by the hot springs. Dinner was served in our room both nights and it was delicious. All the staff were kind and helpful and spoke more English than we expected. ||We chose to sleep on futons as we found the Western style bed quite hard. When we called Nam to explain that the pillows were also very low and hard, new and better (for us) pillows were brought immediately.||Yufuin reminded us of a variety of beach or resort towns such as Rockport, MA. The streets are narrow and full of families shopping for souvenirs and eating sweets and ice cream, a lively atmosphere.||We hope that Nam will still be with this hotel which we would love to visit again. He made our visit very special.

We heard about this special ryokan from American friends who have come regularly over the years to unwind and relax. They offered it rave reviews, and based on their experience my husband and I decided to make a special trip to the area to experience the magic of Kyushu in general, and this ryokan in particular. ||||The Tamanoyu is a wonderful place – truly special, not only because of the setting of the property and its magnificent hot springs but because of the staff and how beautifully they respond to the needs of their guests.||||We happened to have stayed at the hotel for two nights at one of the most unfortunate moments – a 7.3 earthquake in the area. The hotel staff was amazing in the way they helped us to handle this natural disaster. From coming to get us from our rooms in the middle of the night, to keeping us warm and safe while the earth shook for hours, to checking on us regularly while we passed the difficult night. Despite all the shaking -- our room and the hotel did not suffer significant damage -- which in itself was a miracle. When morning came the staff did everything possible to help us to leave the area – from arranging a taxi, flight to Tokyo, and feeding us so that we would be ok on the journey back to Tokyo and then the US. Nam was especially extraordinary at every point of the way. And the hotel went the extra mile to refund one night’s lodging since the earthquake was not part of our tourist agenda. Our hearts went out to all of the staff whose own homes and lives were affected by the disaster. But we will always remember how they put their guests first. ||||Before the earthquake we experienced the most extraordinary meals and appreciated the ambiance that has made this ryokan famous. It is truly a tranquil spot, and the hot springs on the property are magnificent. We hope to return to this very special place and will always remember the care and kindness we received from the moment we checked in until we left. We extend a special thank you to Nam.