Ooedo Onsen Monogatari Premium Gero Honkan

“Good...if you can speak Japanese and are not a single traveller”

Have stayed at the Yukai Resort hotels many times. Decided to try out the ever popular Yukai Resort Honkan in Gero (they also have the annexe hotel called Bekkan). The Honkan is in a nice position on the hillside overlooking the river in Gero. The hotel has been refurbished so the communal areas ar… more

Have stayed at the Yukai Resort hotels many times. Decided to try out the ever popular Yukai Resort Honkan in Gero (they also have the annexe hotel called Bekkan). The Honkan is in a nice position on the hillside overlooking the river in Gero. The hotel has been refurbished so the communal areas are clean and fresh and there are great views from the 1st floor coffee shop and restaurant and bath on the 2nd floor. There is free wi-fi access on the 1st floor of the hotel as well as 2 or 3 PCs for the guests to use. The Honkan has a number of single rooms..which are clean and functional..but a little on the small side...and unfortunately at the back of the hotel looking out onto the mountainside. As a result the room was very dark and not the type of room where you can relax and enjoy the view! The food served for dinner and breakfast is adequate and a good introduction for foreign people who wish to have a simple Japanese ryokan experience at a very reasonable cost...but don't expect any assistance if you don't speak Japanese....there is no written English material to explain how to take a bath, the system for dinner and breakfast, additional facilities offered such as table tennis and karaoke, optional tours and information about the free shuttle between the Honkan, Bekkan and Gero station. Guests are able to enjoy the bath facilities at the annexe. The bath at the Honkan is large with a good view but there are only 10 shower stalls. The outdoor and indoor baths at the Bekkan were very nice and the outdoor bath especially at the annexe is recommended.It's a little confusing how to get to the bath as the Bekkan hotel is a maze of corridors and the baths are split between the 2nd and 5th floors.The free shuttle runs until 4.30 with the last shuttle returning to the Honkan at 4.40. If you choose to not take the shuttle then it's a good 10 minute walk uphill back to the hotel from Gero station. All in all a good place to stay..if you can speak basic Japanese and are travelling as a couple or a group as you will probably be put in a room looking out over the front of the hotel and over the river. Also the return 2000 yen fee from Nagoya cannot be beaten...even though the journey takes between 3.5 - 4 hours.

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