Suimei

The private hot spring room was nice and spacious, but the food was the worst. I would never eat food of that quality again.

Kyoko, the woman who looked after us, was charming and lovely. I highly recommend the experience.

The shuttle from the station was a big help, and both the service and food were good. Maybe because it was a weekday, we got an upgraded room, so I was generally satisfied. The facility is showing its age, though, and I wish they’d paid closer attention to the small cleaning details, or at least given the room a quick visual check. I won’t go into specifics, and I only happened to notice it, but the condition of the veranda in the room where we ate bothered me.

I enjoyed my first visit to Yamanaka Onsen, especially taking pictures near the nearby Korogi Bridge. The hotel had a strong Showa-era feel and smelled quite old, as other reviews mentioned. I brought my own drinks, and it was handy that the room refrigerator was empty. Depending on your room, it can be quite a walk to the public or open-air bath. I booked early but didn’t get an upgrade, and was disappointed to see other guests receiving one at the front desk. The foreign Asian staff in the dining area and the people who showed us to our room did a good job. After checkout, I was taking pictures at the entrance when a staff member offered to take one for me, which was a nice touch. Dinner wasn’t filling enough and disappointed me, though breakfast was good. I work in the hotel industry, and my overall impression wasn’t bad.