高野山 宿坊 増福院 -Koyasan Shukubo Zofukuin-

No breakfast or food provided

The buckwheat pillows were good for two of our group, not me

The traditional Japanese rooms. The ambiance. The morning ceremony with the monks.

I was not aware of the curfew when I was standing in front of shut gates at kl.2230. Luckily, a random monk not associated with the monetary helped me back in. The curfew could have been communicated more clearly at check in.

Location. Traditional design. Quiet. Clean.

Turns out I don’t sleep well on such a thin mattress pad on the floor. I knew what I was getting into and this isn’t a negative against the property. It’s on me.

The location was perfect, right in the middle of the tiny Koyasan. The place was beautiful and the garden was lovely.

The amenities were time locked, which I believe is illegal. You could only use the showers in the evening. Check in was very strict in a span of 2 hours between 3 and 5pm, which is unrealistic. Temple closes at 9pm therefore you can’t come in or out, but in the webpage they said there was a side door. There were photos of breakfast and tea but they don’t provide it, not even hot or cold water. If you are thirsty, you need to drink from the tap in the lavatory. Disgusting. They need to communicate better and set up better standards. Our room was dusty, so dusty that the smell left us feeling sick the day after. We woke up with sore throats. They gave us two tea cups but no tea or hot water. It felt like a joke. The toilet next to the stairs was so smelly that was completely unusable. There is better lodges in Koyasan, this one seems to be doing the bare minimum. I understand we are trying to replicate the life of a monk but I saw them watching tv and drinking tea. I wonder if they can improve their hospitality a bit more.