Yukyou no hibiki YUSAI

The drinks and the service were both good, thanks to the staff. The buffet dinner, though, felt like the sort of food you might find at a cheap buffet. The sashimi and sushi were low quality, and the tempura looked like it came from commercial frozen food. The skewered items had dried out over the charcoal, with none of the sticks basted properly. There’s more I could say about the food. They should have chefs review its quality.

The dinner buffet was excellent, and the room was cozy with great service. The view was wonderful too. There are four baths: a large public one with an outdoor pool, a large bath for guests only, and two private baths.

The buffet was a highlight for me at both dinner and breakfast. There was lots of DIY food, crab legs, and little nabu pots. Dinner also came with unlimited alcohol, including strong liquor, which felt like a lot for the price. Coffee and soft drinks were available at both meals. There are plenty of baths. The private onsens are free and first come, first served, which is handy for couples or anyone who can’t or doesn’t want to use a public onsen. They were alright overall. My room was the simple type with no view, as expected, but it was pretty beat up from previous guests, so I’d rate the room 3/5. Parking is a bit awkward because the lot is small and cars can block each other. They ask you to leave your key so they can move your car if needed. It’s kind of like valet parking, though not quite. A bigger lot nearby with a shuttle might work better. There’s free coffee and soft drinks at the afternoon welcome drink bar. In the evening the lounge has free alcohol, but I couldn’t get coffee there. Staff generally don’t speak much English. They greet foreign guests in English, but that’s about where it ends for most of them. One woman spoke perfect American English and helped me check in, which was refreshing.

We went on a weekend, so breakfast was a little busier, though the dining room is spacious and there was no queue. The food was very good with lots to choose from. A few things ran out and weren’t replaced right away, but they did gradually bring more out. We stayed mainly for the onsen and convenient parking. The place feels peaceful, natural, luxurious, and very traditionally Japanese. There’s a public bath split by gender with a partly indoor, partly outdoor setup, as well as private baths on the first floor and basement. We were lucky enough to use a private one both days, and you can lock it for your own use. We tried the public bath around 7 PM and it was completely empty, with a wonderful, relaxing atmosphere. The room seemed to be a lower tier. It had a toilet but no shower, and some rooms may only have sleeping space without a full bathroom, so that may not suit everyone. The bed and pillows were quite firm and not very comfortable. We didn’t book the full dinner course. There’s a welcome drink until 6 PM, then from about 7 PM there’s a complimentary free-flow bar in the lobby on the 4th floor, with beer, wine, soft drinks, peanuts, and popcorn. Great value and a nice touch. The top floor also has a glass dome for stargazing, though rain meant we couldn’t use it.