Arima Royal Hotel

The hotel sits high on the mountainside, so it's probably not ideal if steep walks aren't your thing. I liked that there were trails right outside, though, and took morning hikes to a lookout with a great city view. We booked through a site translated into English, which was a bit hard to navigate and made it unclear exactly what we'd get, but I was happy with the stay. The place mixes traditional touches and modern comforts: our tatami room had a massage chair, and the room itself felt quite contemporary. We'd wanted a traditional Japanese room and slept on futons on the floor, which was a little uncomfortable since we're not used to them. Dinner and breakfast were included, served with our traveling friends in a private room. Both were traditional multi-course meals with plenty of choices. There's a lot of fish and seafood, so it could be tough if you don't like those; the beef was great, and we enjoyed the seafood and trying new things. We had a private onsen in our room but didn't use it because it was basically a bathtub. Instead we went to both public onsens, on the top floor and first floor, and liked them. That evening there was a dessert buffet with lots of sweet treats, plus a soda machine for drinks during the day, an unexpected bonus.

A good value for Arima Onsen compared with the pricier hotels nearby. We had kaiseki dinner in a private room and an outdoor bath attached to our room. The after-dinner dessert buffet in the lobby was a nice extra. Service was good, and the ride to Arima Ropeway station saved my mum a lot of walking up steep slopes. A solid choice in the area.

We had room 518, a roomy corner on the top floor at Arima Royal Onsen, with lovely mountain views. Downstairs, complimentary drinks and desserts were a nice touch. The main onsen was decent. It was too cold for us to properly try the rooftop one, and having outdoor showers made it less appealing in winter.

The included meals were generous, and the service was great. We also liked the onsen bath with kin-onsen water, the all-day free drink bar, and the dessert bar in the evening. Our package included two meals, and for the price I think it was good value. The room was large, with tatami floors and lots of storage near the entrance. There were a few problems, though: the in-room shower had no hot water, so we had to bathe at the onsen, and the room felt dusty. It didn't seem to have been properly cleaned, since ice was left in the icebox from the previous guest and there was dust under the TV table. I'd still recommend it to friends and family.