Oyado Kiyomizuya

The room was very spacious and clean, but one thing I didn't enjoy was the smel of bug killer spray. I think I wasn't lucky. I'm sure the room usually doesn't smel. The food was amazing.

Great traditional ryokan with Hot Springs Onsen.

A generally clean but dated accommodation which could need some touch-ups. The service was excellent, the room ok, though no A/C and might become hot in summer. The one sore spot was the bathroom: the shower curtain was full of black mould spots - the rest of the bathroom however was ok. As I have only seen this the last morning - I was using the onsen the other days, it made no sense to complain to the front desk. However, this shouldn’t have happened in the first place as this was not a hidden spot but very obvious. Another disappointing thing, not the fault of the property though, was the limited availability of restaurants as many were closed in town.

Location: Great, just about 5 minutes walk from the bus stop, and right on the loop (shortcut path #2) of the thermal valley. Food: Generous, about 8/10. Rooms and facilities: This is an older hotel. It shows its age, but it adds to its charm of a bygone era - think the 80s. Rooms are large, the hallway to elevator is also large and long. The onsen could use some TLC, but I have no issue with it. Carpet, elevator, decoration, everything is old, but clean. Staff: The manager, male staff at the front desk are very helpful. I can see that they try their best, some English limitations, but nothing we couldn't understand each other. The female staff who work the room and the meal are absolutely lovely. Attentive and very efficient. Pricing: This is the very reason I gave it a 5* despite of the old, very old facility. I don't need a $500 USD / night when this ryokan also does the job beautifully. It hits all the basic requirements for a ryokan. Not a luxury stay by all mean, but I'm very fond of this kind of old establishment, with visible efforts from staff to keep it afloat. I hope they can stay in business.