Kinugawa Royal Hotel

A reasonably priced hotel with indoor and outdoor hot spring baths, plus a private onsen you can reserve on a first-come, first-served basis. Rooms without a view don’t have an outdoor outlook. The buffet was included at a fair price. It’s best to arrive early, around 1 pm, to book dinner, games, and the private bath, then explore town while your room is being prepared.

We knew the rooms were tatami style, but the stay still felt very underwhelming. The shower was poorly cleaned, the bathroom sink looked black, and holes in the walls had been patched badly. The place seemed poorly maintained overall, and parking was extremely limited. We brought our young children, but the pool was already closed for the season. My husband and I have tattoos, so we couldn’t use the on-site onsen either.

For the price, the beautiful location made this a nice stay, even though the building is a little old. Dinner came with three hours of all-you-can-eat food and drinks, with plenty of choices including beer and whisky that you pour yourself. There are onsens both indoors and outdoors. My two complaints were that the buffet wasn’t as hot as I’d have liked, and the room shower took about five minutes to warm up, probably because of the building’s age.

The private onsen bath alone made the money feel worthwhile, and the place is cheap. The dinner buffet was all right, and the big baths were good. Still, this is a pretty old hotel that seems to lack basic upkeep, and our room was very warm. I’d probably pay a little extra to stay somewhere nicer.