Suimeikan

“Unique Onsen experience in a nice little town of Gero”

We wanted an local Ryokan/Onsen experience, and after much research, we decided on this onsen ryokan as a family of five and booked one large room, which worked very well for us and made the experience feel especially hospitable and memorable. The location is quite remote and requires a bit of a d… more

We wanted an local Ryokan/Onsen experience, and after much research, we decided on this onsen ryokan as a family of five and booked one large room, which worked very well for us and made the experience feel especially hospitable and memorable. The location is quite remote and requires a bit of a drive, but it’s absolutely worth the journey. We planned this to be part of our holiday as we were going up north from Nagoya. Once you arrive, you'll be guided to a outdoor carpark. The room itself was spacious and very clean, though it’s clear the property has some age to it. That said, the older charm adds to the character of the ryokan rather than detracting from it. Everything was well maintained and comfortable. The check-in process was a little unusual compared to standard hotels, but the hospitality more than made up for it. From check-in to meal preparation, bed setup, and even check-out, the staff were attentive, warm, and genuinely welcoming. You could really feel the care put into every part of the stay. One of the highlights for us was the private onsen, which was perfect for a family and offered a relaxing, serene experience. The views around the property were also lovely and added to the overall sense of escape. Our only small challenge was that all rooms only comes with heater during this time of year, and there weren’t very clear instructions on how to cool the room effectively. While it didn’t ruin the experience, clearer guidance would have been appreciated. Overall, this ryokan offered a very unique and memorable stay. Despite a few quirks, the excellent hospitality, private onsen, and peaceful setting made it a truly special experience for our family. We’re glad we made the drive and would recommend it to those looking for something authentic and different.

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“Average stay experience”

After our Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route trip, we wanted to pamper ourselves in an onsen property, hence we decided to stay a night in Gero, the renowned hot spring town. We had chosen Suimeikan for its close proximity to the train station. The property was near to Gero Station and there was complime… more

After our Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route trip, we wanted to pamper ourselves in an onsen property, hence we decided to stay a night in Gero, the renowned hot spring town. We had chosen Suimeikan for its close proximity to the train station. The property was near to Gero Station and there was complimentary shuttle bus service provided by the hotel to pick up and send guests from/to the train station. Otherwise, it was just about a less than 5-min walk. We booked a Japanese-style room in Hisen building where the Front Desk and restaurant serving dinner and breakfast were located. It was very popular with travellers as such there was a long queue during check-in. After checking-in, a staff brought us to the yukata shelves to pick the yukata of our size. Our room was very spacious and clean though the condition was rather dated. Guests could access to all 3 public baths but best to check the crowd status and the opening hours of the public baths before heading to the bath. We tried all the 3 public baths and weren’t very impressed. The floor of the changing area wasn’t swept cleanly; it was rather dusty. The skincare products provided were pretty basic, we were expecting higher range products given the high price tag we were paying for a night stay. The public bath was average, could see strands of hair floating on the surface of water, was disgusted at the sight of it. Well, not the property’s fault, some guests just didn’t follow the onsen rules of tying their hair up before getting into the bath. There were 2 coin-operated massage chairs in one of the buildings and we enjoyed the massage after the bath. Our reservation came with 2 meals so we got to savour the Japanese dinner and buffet breakfast. The dinner comprising a few courses was sumptuous. The serving staff would explain the ingredients used in each dish. The buffet breakfast had a wide array of food though mainly Japanese style, only very few Western food was available. The biggest gripe that we had was the room air conditioning which we suspected was centrally controlled, as no matter how we adjusted the thermostat no cold air was blown out. As such the room was kind of warm and stuffy, we had to open the windows to allow cool air in. Overall, it was just an average stay though I wished that my onsen experience could be better.

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