Arima Royal Hotel

My husband and I absolutely loved the Arima Ryokan. All three baths were wonderful and we liked the option of having both the gold and silver within close distance. The meals were also substantial and unique - definitely worth the value. The staff are also very kind and welcoming - there was a slight language barrier at times but they tried their best to accommdate!

The Onsen was amazing, quite relaxing with variations. It is our first time but we really enjoyed the place.

The climb to the property is a bit long...like hiking everyday...but its fine.

Everything that Arima Royal provided was beyond my expectation. I had an exceptional experience staying at Arima Royal. I am so surprised that they provide free flow of drinks (coffee, tea, juice & soft drinks) throughout the day, they even provide free afternoon snacks and supper for the guest. We paid for half board, means Breakfast and Dinner included. We were treated like a super duper VIP, we had our own dining room, the staffs were so friendly when serving us our meal. There's a lady called Ai, she is so lovely, she can speak some English, she made us feel so welcomed and loved, she explained patiently about our meal, what is the name of each food item and how we should eat them. The onsen in the hotel is divine, the best onsen among all the places we travelled in Japan. Arima Royal has the Gold onsen, means the onsen contain Gold mineral which is supposed to be beneficial for our health. The room is very spacious and they provide clean yukata for us everyday. I will recommend this hotel to everyone I know that will visit Japan.

The location is not very close to public transport. We need to carry our luggage and walk to the hotel. But we were on a hiking trip, so, a bit of walking with luggage is not difficult for us.

We loved everything about this ryokan - good location (short stroll to Yumotozaka street), great food, friendly and helpful staff, comfortable room and lovely onsen with the famed Arima golden waters! The afternoon sweets bar and evening desserts bar were novel ideas where guests could relax in the main reception area and enjoy hot drinks and delicious treats. Meals were all served in private rooms in true ryokan style. Certainly exceeded our expectations!

The meals at this hotel were out of this world. Well exceeded any expectations. And the spa facilities both on the roof and basement were top notch.

Really cannot fault them on anything.

This hotel has a lot of promise but doesn't quite deliver. The location is beautiful, nestled in the hills above the attractive and calming town of Arima Onsen. The steepness of the location means that anyone with mobility issues is likely to need car transportation to the front door. The hotel itself is well-presented, with a nice modern lobby area that contains drinks machines and serves snacks; these are nice, but are nowhere near a full service. The room itself was a mixed bag. Firstly, we were hoping for an outdoor bath, having been told 'some' rooms of our type contained these, but this was unfortunately not the case. The tatami-style bedroom was lovely and comfortable, but the bathroom was horrible, giving the impression of a renovation which ran out of money halfway through. The shower room appeared not to have been changed for decades and we used it as little as possible. A few touches were also lacking in the room generally: the air conditioning was old and slow, the light fittings also looked dated and the table was cheap and plasticky. Some areas of the hotel were a little unkempt by Japanese standards and made it seem as though the central areas were designed to give a false impression, This is a shame, as the staff were lovely, and elements of the hotel were very nice. With a little bit of refurbishment, this hotel could be very nice but in its present condition, it makes for a frustrating stay.