Yumotokan

“The favourite part of our Japan visit.”

This was by far the favourite part of our Japan visit. This was exactly what we needed after the overstimulating activity and crowds of Tokyo. Our family of four -- two adults with two adult children stayed in a Semi Suite Japanese Style Room at Hanare Karoi. We had the half board which provided f… more

This was by far the favourite part of our Japan visit. This was exactly what we needed after the overstimulating activity and crowds of Tokyo. Our family of four -- two adults with two adult children stayed in a Semi Suite Japanese Style Room at Hanare Karoi. We had the half board which provided fabulous multi-course breakfasts and dinners. Food was spectacular. Service was top-notch. As the hotel is not accessible by public transport, the hotel bus picked us up from the train station and took as back on departure day. During our stay, there was another bus available for hotel guests. One took us to the cable car for sightseeing the next day. But because of miscommunication due to language, we ended up getting off the bus at the wrong stop and had to walk a great distance to where we were supposed to get off. This turned out to be a blessing as we walked through residential neighbourhoods that we otherwise wouldn't have seen. We also visited a lovely garden that we discovered by chance, and enjoyed a soba lunch at a 300-year-old soba restaurant recommended by our hotel server. The hotel is not directly on the lake so the scenery wasn't spectacular. Two nights were good but I would be happy to spend a third night to enjoy one more fabulous dinner and more soaks in the onsens. Our server for all our meals was ideal. Friendly, polite, engaged in conversation when we invited it, but was silent and unobtrusive otherwise. Our room had two beds and while at dinner, housekeeping pushed the chairs in the sitting area aside to set up two futons. The toilet was in a separate room from the shower which is ideal for four adults sharing a room. The shower was spacious and a door led out to our balcony with a private onsen. Heavenly. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and would highly recommend. We wouldn't hesitate to return but it wasn't an easy place to get to.

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“Excellent Stay, But a Disappointing Checkout Experience”

Overall, our stay at Yumotokan was enjoyable, and the hotel delivers a strong traditional Japanese ryokan experience. While the property is somewhat dated, it is well maintained and still offers a comfortable and authentic atmosphere. The room was spacious, and the in-room bath was outstanding — d… more

Overall, our stay at Yumotokan was enjoyable, and the hotel delivers a strong traditional Japanese ryokan experience. While the property is somewhat dated, it is well maintained and still offers a comfortable and authentic atmosphere. The room was spacious, and the in-room bath was outstanding — definitely one of the highlights of the stay. The special kaiseki dinner was beautifully presented and delicious, with the Omi beef being exceptionally tender and memorable. The hotel also arranged small activities such as bingo, which added a nice touch to the experience. The service during check-in and throughout the stay was excellent. The staff were friendly, attentive, and made us feel welcomed. However, the experience during check-out was extremely disappointing and inconsistent with the standard expected from a hotel of this level. There was no assistance provided with luggage, and we had to carry everything ourselves. When we approached the staff for help, we were ignored and they chose to attend to other matters instead. For a hotel at this price point, such a drop in service is unacceptable. It felt as though once we checked out, we were no longer valued as guests. This significantly affected our overall impression of what was otherwise a good stay.

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“DONT GO - no photos as only place worth a photo would have been the 2nd Onsen”

3rd star only because the manager switched us to a new room and the 2nd Onsen was nice and the skin care products were good. Lobby was nice BUT overall I would never recommend or go back. 1) This is like a 1980's Holiday Inn hotel - with Japanese style rooms and an Onsen. Not what you expect fr… more

3rd star only because the manager switched us to a new room and the 2nd Onsen was nice and the skin care products were good. Lobby was nice BUT overall I would never recommend or go back. 1) This is like a 1980's Holiday Inn hotel - with Japanese style rooms and an Onsen. Not what you expect from a Ryokan (I guess since they have Onsen and meal plan they call it that) 2) Room - Hallway, etc run down and smelled like mildew or ? - Requested a room with western beds. 1st room, our beds were futons on the floor (I am 70 with a bad back, hard to get up and down. But when we went to dinner and saw those hallways and rooms looked nice, we requested a new room. It was still a bit run down, but much better, did not smell and had western beds. 3) Onsens There are 2. They switch each day between men and women. 1st one was ok .. 2nd one was pretty and nice. Much better 4) Food . SOOO DISAPOINTED! the worst part, especially dinner This is a BIG part of going to a Royakan with the food plan. - Rushed - No special presentation - Food average - not interesting - blah - No explanation of the food for each course. This is also a big part of doing these meal plans - Man speaking really loudly, disturbing us and?? But staff did nothing. - Breakfast was better, it was a buffet, but again nothing special. They had 1 cook making omelets SLOWLY. I gave up. And the town (not their fault) is not nice, its just

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