金閣莊 private onsen by reservation for free

The room was really nice, big even for European standards and equipped in Japanese style. The owner was very friendly and explained everything. View was magnificent, but we got upgraded to the last floor room. And the private onsen was a relief after a long day of hiking.

The locations is a bit remote, no shops or restaurants around, so if you get hungry and are without a car, this is a bit of a problem. Expect 1-1,5 hours round trip to get some food. This includes cable car, walking and a bus ride :)

Very clean

Tammy was lovely and very helpful with everything!! I had onsen twice a day, always avail when requested (theres 2). She responds quick to messages and gave us heaps of info, from tours to different parts of the room and tradtions and operational stuff like the amazing light fixtures with remote control from bed!! (Havent seen that before). It was by far the cheapest accommodation with onsen (private room not a dorm) We appreciated the rules and clear expectations. It seems that the not great reviews come from people who didnt read the advert. We arrived and she showed us around, shes the first host to do this, usually its a note, or brief chat at reception. She greeted everyone the same way, thats a great personal touch / service. Theres heaps of room varieties too, futon or spring mattress, window or not, that all affects cost. The location and Tammy were so great we extended our stay. Its 5 min from major tourist spot/ cable car /ropeway over active volcano and lake. Theres food goods to purchase in lobby and microwave if u dont want to go out. Tammy pointed out where We could see the mountain with the special character from our balcony.

When we arrived, Tammy explained the toilet was upstairs from our chosen cheaper room, but she said we could upgrade to a 2nd floor room, we happily paid $15 extra to be on the same floor as toilets. An inidication of her thoroughness and wanting to make sure you have a good stay is she confirms once youve booked, what your getting, eg cheapest room has no window. we missed seeing the email she sent advising this - so thats our fault ; )

Tammy is very nice and welcoming, very helpful with showing you what you need to know and then let's you get on with what you want to do! And she's very enthusiastic about the beauty of the place - right to be! It's in some stunning surroundings and you can get great views of the surrounding area. Onsen was nice too!