Arima Onsen Gekkoen Yugetsusanso

We stayed one night here, which is another large ryokan hotel that is split into two wings. The lobby of the wing that we checked into does look quite dated. This hotel has a more picturesque setting than the other Arima hotel we stayed in, as our room was overlooking the small river, accessed by crossing the bridge. The room was not very large. It was Tatami style like we had stayed in the previous night and just enough space to fit a small family of four. The room felt small as the ceiling was not high. It was on the ground floor and access to outside area overlooking the river, which was pleasant though. The bathroom was small as well, with limited toiletries. There were no towels in room, as they were provided in the various onsen. We were all given complimentary yukata to wear but there was none for the smallest child. There are 3 onsen, of varying sizes. One was outside and by the river, and so very natural therefore no soap was allowed to be used there. The largest onsen served free beer outside during the evening and had massage chairs and beds for you to use. For our booking, a buffet dinner was included, which had a small, mostly Asian selection but there was a cooked meat serving that was rather cute. Breakfast was buffet style as well, with more Japanese items on offer. Overall a comfortable stay without being anything special.

Upon reaching the driveway, a staff member greeted us and she helped us with our bags and had another staff member valet park our car. We were brought to the lobby where the rest of the family was seated in the lobby lounge and were served some tea and crackers while I completed the registeration at the counter. I was asked to join my family for tea too and after a while we were shown to our room. The ryokan isn’t new but is very well kept. You would have to cross a bridge over a river to get to the rooms. Also walked past a koi pond before arriving at our room. The room consisted of an entrance area where you place your shoes followed by a spacious living room with a small balcony at the end which faced a small manicured garden. The room came with a separated bathroom and a toilet. The ryokan is very close to the centre of the old town. A short stroll of about 5 minutes down slope will get you there. But do note that many of the shops in town closes by 6 pm. The highlight of our stay is the onsen and dinner served. We booked a private family onsen for 40 minutes for the 2160 yen. The private onsen was of the Ginsen (silver) type was in the new wing korokan which had a nice view of the hills behind the inn. We had chose a Kobe beef sukiyaki set for dinner. Dinner was served in the room consisted of sashimi and various kinds of sushi and greens for starters followed by the Kobe beef sukiyaki. The beef came in huge slices and the marbling looked gorgeous. Servings were huge and felt it was a little too much for my family of 5. Dessert consisted of jelly, pudding and fresh fruits. After the wait staff cleared the dinner table, they shifted the furniture and help us lay the futon mattresses. Before my bed time, I went to the open air onsen. This onsen was of the Kinsen (gold) type with the waters brownish in colour. The onsen wasn’t very large but there were only 2 others guys there so there was more than enough space for all to enjoy and relax and have a comfortable experience. Buffet Breakfast was served in the restaurant at 4 different timings. We chose the latest and breakfast was typical Japanese fare. If you’re not used to it there’s a salad bar consisting of potato salad, corns bits, fresh fruits and different greens to fill your tummy, not forgetting threre’s bread and butter too. It was my first ryokan with onsen experience and it didn’t disappoint. Gekkoen Yugetsusanso has both Kinsen and Ginsen Onsens to satisfy my Arima Onsen experience. Thumbs up for the Gekkoen.

저녁식사와 조식이 포함된 다다미룸에 숙박하였는데 가이세키 요리도 맛있고 특히 직원분들이 모두 너무 친절했어요~ 저녁을 먹고 온천에 다녀온 후에는 이불이 정갈하게 깔려져 있었고, 온천 후에는 목마를 것을 생각해서 얼음물과 차도 센스있게 준비되어 있었습니다. 전체적으로 시설도 깨끗하고 온천수도 굉장히 좋았어서 추천해드리고 싶어요!!

We had a really lovely and relaxing stay here. Our (Japanese style) room was very attractive and comfortable, and right by the river - we enjoyed listening to the sound of the river all night. We tried all the baths - the indoor bath at Gekkoen Yugetsusanso, the 'spacious bath' next door at Gekkoen Korokan (where we got a complementary beer), and the outdoor bath at Yugetsusanso. The 'spacious bath' in particular had great views and a nice sauna. However the absolute highlight was the 'hinoki' (cypress) private bath, which we rented for 40 minutes for about 2000 JPY. From the private bath we also had views over the snowy mountain side, and it was absolutely blissful. We stayed for one night and went for the buffet dinner and breakfast option, which had plenty of variety and was very tasty. Overall we really enjoyed the hotel and the town of Arima, and left feeling very refreshed.

Service was excellent, we arrived Kobe by bus and used the public phone at the station to call the hotel and around 5 mins, the pick up shuttle arrived. We stayed in a room right beside the river and although it is not as big as other standard quad rooms, the bonus is that we got both dinner and breakfast served right in the room instead of , so I heard, average buffet meals. BTW, this is our first time having meals served in a Japanese ryokan, very cool experience for both adults and the kids. For dinner I chose the Kobe Beef Sukiyaki, the beef was very good and the amount of food was plenty. Also, when I reserved our room, I also made a reservation for the Cave private onsen for 2160 yen plus tax. I personally would love to have one right in the room however, at least all the ones I looked at , in-room onsens are usually very small and likely meant for only 2 people to use at the same time, being a family of 4 , I would rather pay a bit less on the room fee and rent a large private onsen instead so all of us can enjoy at the same time. We also used the open air onsen the next morning (male and female separately of course), it's kind of small but it was a pretty cool experience although being in it with 3 other naked men felt quite strange... Overall, very happy with the stay, definitely recommend for newbies :)

This hotel is located in a scenic area where you can see small mountains. Upon arrival, they immediately serve tea and some snacks. Registration is done by where you just sit. They will come to you to complete your registration!!! We stayed only one night and had a dinner and a breakfast. If you are a fan of traditional Japanese food, you won't be disappointed. This place is normally fully booked and you will have to make a reservation ahead of time. I definitely will come back when I can.

Been staying in many ryokans in various Japan onsen areas. This one is the second worst experience so far. Staff was nice but the condition of the room and public baths were just average and looked unappealing. Booked here for three nights. The breakfast were buffet style on the first day whilst the others were typical Japanese style. The quality was again average. The kaiseki dinner course was good on the first night with good quality wagyu beef but the others were something served on average standard. Since Arima onsen area is quite small, this ryokan is within walking distance to the local points of interests.

酒店乾淨幽雅，服務人員ㄧ流水準！賓至如歸！餐飲充滿驚喜！

Traditional JP hotel, has good hot spring. Good food kaiseki. Could stay two nights for hot spring

제 경제능력에는 비싼 숙방이였지만 돈이 아깝다는 생각은 안들었읍니다.