Arima Onsen Gekkoen Yugetsusanso

The location is tranquil and beautiful. The hotel gives a very authentic vibe and you to experience a truly Japanese Onsen experience. The breakfast, just like the hotel in general, is mainly for Japanese tourists but does include yoghurt, eggs, jam and some white bread and fruits. The dinner - a Japanese dinner with steam cooked meat and buffet of tempura, sushi and other Japanese food - was incredibly yummy. We enjoyed walking around in borrowed kimonos and the peacefulness in the hot baths.

The restaurant menues should be in English as we made the mistake of ordering incredibly overpriced white wine which came in just a half bottle. The staff couldn't really speak English either, so foreign visitors should not expect this. The interior is very dated, looks like most is original equipment and design from the 50's or maybe 70's. Not necessarily broken, but looks dated and needs a refreshment.

This place was excellent - Very attentive customer service, great facilities, breakfast and dinner options and amenities

The Internet Wifi could definitely be improved in the rooms and common area near the bath areas.

The location is beautiful, the property is organized, and clean including the onsen and public bath area. They are known for the “red” mineral bath. There is a shuttle service to/from the bus station, no laundry machines. Stayed in the tatami mat room and feels just like staying with relatives in Japan. The dinner buffet had traditional Japanese foods and an amazing course each of the 2 days ( picked wagyu beef and a sashimi dish. There is a built in noodle and Karaoke shop built in to the facility. Didn’t use them, b it did see ppl eating after the buffet closed. The views from every location is amazing and can imagine how beautiful the seasons would be: ountains, trees, dragonflies, a stream, cicadas.

Sharing to set expectations as it did not affect our stay experience. Know the facility is older and has not been renovated. If you have elderly with you with mobility issues: -know there are stairs from the lobby to the buffet and open air Onsen and no elevator. -the property is on a hill, so the walk down and up to the main section could be challenging.

Good choice of public hot spring baths to try. Nice bathing amenities and products. Comfortable futons. Short walking distance to the town and shops. Short walk up the hill to the Rokko-Arima Ropeway.

Throughout our stay, the hotel staff were dutifully courteous but not particularly friendly. We didn’t feel any genuine warmth in the welcome. Things got off to a bad start at check-in when we were shown to our room by a non-Japanese staff who spoke terrible English so we couldn’t understand him. As a result, two nights later, we got charged 4400 yen plus tax for checking out late by 45 minutes. The buffet breakfast and dinner lacked variety, the quality was nothing to write home about and overall value for money was poor. We were not provided any cold drinking water or hot water for making tea in our room on the first day. And when we asked, reception told us to walk to Lawson to buy bottled water instead of making it clear that these should have been provided. The phone in our room didn’t work so every request meant a trek to reception. Overall, the whole hotel looked grand but old, tired and in need of renovation. All the surfaces and linen surfaces were clean but the lobby smelled of cooking.