Hanaougi Bettei Iiyama

“Outstanding service”

We stayed in four ryokans during our trip to Japan and this was easily the best of them, despite its official three-star grading (small TVs and some tired furnishings may explain that), set apart from the rest because of its simply outstanding hospitality and service. Staff here not only welcome g… more

We stayed in four ryokans during our trip to Japan and this was easily the best of them, despite its official three-star grading (small TVs and some tired furnishings may explain that), set apart from the rest because of its simply outstanding hospitality and service. Staff here not only welcome guests with genuine warmth but also work hard to anticipate needs. Two examples from many: 1) We arrived drenched after touring the historic village of Shirakawago in a downpour and left our soaking shoes at the entrance. When we set off the next day to tour Takayama, using the ryokan’s shuttle, our shoes had been completely dried for us. The insoles of mine had even been replaced with new ones. 2) When our tour agents let us down badly and forgot to reserve a car for us on departure, staff let us use their phone, made us comfortable and even provided complimentary coffee (unrequested) while we waited for replacement transport. Apart from superb service, this ryokan had some of the best food we ate in Japan, served in our room. Our private onsen was more spacious than most, and there were nice extra touches, like an extra jug of iced water in our bedroom and two hairdryers (one in our downstairs bathroom and another in our upstairs bedroom). Please don’t be put off by the three-star grading. We’d give this ryokan at least six stars if we could and would recommend it to anyone wanting a traditional Japanese experience, with all its sensational bells and whistles.

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“Lovely, traditional ryokan in a quiet neighborhood”

This is a lovely, traditional ryokan, which means the furnishings and bathrooms and such are a bit dated. It is very quiet and both our private hot springs and the public one were comfortable. Enjoyed the hospitality overall, though few staff speak English very well.

“Pleasant enough stay, nothing out of this world.”

A pleasant Ryokan. Food was beautifully presented and quite good. Some of the little dishes were excellent, others less so. Our lady who was looking after us was called Emily and was very kind and friendly and helpful. The location is slightly out of the main hustle and bustle but they do provide a… more

A pleasant Ryokan. Food was beautifully presented and quite good. Some of the little dishes were excellent, others less so. Our lady who was looking after us was called Emily and was very kind and friendly and helpful. The location is slightly out of the main hustle and bustle but they do provide a shuttle service. Was a nice experience but somehow was expecting a little more really. Worthy of a solid 4 out of 5 stars in my opinion.

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“Funny to tell the kids about but not somewhere we will return”

Whilst we are glad we stayed here for the laughs and stories we will dine out on, it missed the bar by a big way as a Westerner it wasn’t designed for us. We did embrace the meal the first night. The food was not to our taste. Other places we felt comfortable eating Japanese food but not for us her… more

Whilst we are glad we stayed here for the laughs and stories we will dine out on, it missed the bar by a big way as a Westerner it wasn’t designed for us. We did embrace the meal the first night. The food was not to our taste. Other places we felt comfortable eating Japanese food but not for us here. The lady who spoke English… used a translation app which was fine but she was extremely passive aggressive. Other staff spoke a similar standard of English and were warm and welcoming. There were very strict rules here; the location was not good… and no bars or any social areas in the Riokhan where you could relax in a chair. Uncomfortable futons. The onson in the room was ok. Shuttle bus had limited times and only ran if you booked it in advance. Knowledge of the local area walks was poor. The sister hotel was tired too. A tired retreat in a poor location with some staff needing to update their understanding of what a Western visitor will be looking for in a stay here

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