Nasu Palace Hotel

The people here are nice.

The hot spring baths were the highlight. The water is 100% natural, with no added heating or water, and seeing it pour full force from the faucet was soothing after a tiring day. I stayed in a smoking Western-style room in late January. The facilities are old, but there’s Wi-Fi, outlets by the pillow, and a coin laundry with free detergent. I also liked that you don’t need to insert your key to keep the lights on. It isn’t an auto-lock, which I personally prefer since I don’t have to worry about locking myself out. The station is a bit of a walk, but still reachable on foot. A large supermarket, Daiso, restaurants, and Kourakuen are nearby, so meals are easy to find. You can’t go outside after midnight. For this price, getting a natural hot spring is a great deal. It was a great hotel.

The hot spring is the best part for the price. The water has almost no smell or distinctive taste, and the tub and washing area are each big enough for 4-5 people. The building is old but clean. My single room was long and narrow and felt a little cramped. There’s a large, flat parking lot, making it easy to drive out for food after checking in.

There’s no meal plan at this budget business hotel, but the natural spring water comes straight from the source on the premises. It flows constantly from the faucet and overflows from the baths, which are truly free-flowing. There’s an outdoor hot spring too, perhaps a hand bath. During my stay, they ran a hose to use the hot spring water to melt snow in the parking lot. The alkaline simple spring water feels a little slippery and left my skin smooth. I went in three times, after arriving, after dinner, and in the morning. Food is easy to sort out, with several restaurants and a large supermarket within walking distance.