Iya Onsen

Hotel in a beautiful valley, nice and interesting breakfast and dinner .

Do consider that hotel has no lift. there are many stairs. Stairs to the outdoor onsen too once you get off the cable car.

The outdoor onsen was very special a one-off experience Amazing food Wonderful staff

The descent to the onsen is not for the faint hearted Also worth noting that onsen is not very hot - I did hear some people were disappointed. Being a westerner 38 degrees was hot enough for me

There’s a beautiful view of the gorge from our balcony. You immediately felt relaxed on entering the room. We appreciated the remedial massage chair in the room as we’d been hiking, although it was a little small for my 6ft husband! We were able to bathe in tranquility in our outdoor bathtub and the water was lovely and soft. I also appreciated the L’Occitaine products provided. The delicious multi- course meals were plentiful and beautifully presented as usual and the service was good. We booked this hotel mainly for the outdoor Onsen by the river and we weren’t disappointed.

The outdoor Onsen closes quite early as a cable car is required to reach it. If you’d like to use it in the evening make sure you take the 6pm slot for dinner. The lack of a lift in the hotel will limit people with mobility issues. The staff are quite happy to help carry your luggage if required.

The natural baths

The facilities were not very friendly. Missing a lounge area. The lack of English speaking people made service complicated. Facilities smelled a little because of humidity.