Hot Springs Hotels in Nara Prefecture, Japan

I originally wanted to book a designer B&B, but after booking it, I chose this hotel instead. I've stayed at Dormy Inn hotels in Hokkaido and Tokyo before and had good impressions of them. This Nara location is visible right from the train station. The downsides are that it can be a bit noisy when trains pass by, and a 1.4-meter bed is a bit tight for three people. The advantages are that the lobby smells pleasant, the hot spring facilities are complete with an outdoor bath, and the breakfast is incredibly rich with seafood rice. After a relaxing soak, there are free massage chairs and free ice cream, and complimentary noodles are served after 9 PM. For this price, the amenities offered are more extensive than what you'd find at an Atour hotel in China.

A question to think about, ‘What makes a hotel a luxury one?’ To me, it’s luxury because of the hospitality of the staff, quality of the property and the food they provided totally exceed travellers’ expectations, and as a result, we would love to pay more for the experience. Some staff really tried their very best to help me during my stay while some just didn’t. Upon arrival, I tried to communicate with the staff that I’d like to cancel my third night’s dinner because of the change of my plan. At first, I booked six meals in total and I’d only want to cancel one dinner and they said I needed to pay 100% for the cancelled meal because they have already bought the ingredients. Okay, I tried to understand that because they had already taken away my credit card and there’s nothing I could do about that and I thought it must be a very nice meal and that’s why they insisted that. Disappointingly, the portion was so small and paying the same amount of money I could get so much better food in 虹夕諾雅 or any other five star onsen hotels in Japan. As a result, I went to bed feeling hungry and eating the snacks I bought for myself :( The food portions are like a bento instead of a proper meal. ) Also, the Western style breakfast was so overpriced and the avocado in the omelette was not fresh at all. One more thing to note is that the complimentary champagne service they provided to their guests. It’s a nice experience but maybe I’m just a lady travelling alone and I couldn’t speak Japanese at all, the waitress didn’t serve me the same way as she served other people in the cafe. When all of them got two glasses of free drinks, one cocktail and one champagne, she only gave me one champagne and didn’t offer me the cocktail. And the day after, there was a nice staff who served me properly and I finally realized that I am entitled to two drinks. (Sigh)The experience was like buying a Chanel bag. The bag was pricey but the chain of the bag just suddenly fall apart while you are using it for the very first time. My advice is: Don’t use their catering services especially for the in-room dining plan. There are so many better choices out there in the city. The room and the service of the staff are great tho.

Three of us in a triple room. 3 adults. Separate. No couples. Just three friends. But they gave us only two cards to the room. I deliberately asked for the third card, as it was obvious that we will need the third one. Unfortunately they said that only two carfs per room are permitted. 😂 As it was any problem to generate the third one. ** It was pleasant stay, with semi-public onsen experience (opened for the guests from outside the hotel).

Facilities: The hotel is located in a building right next to Nara Station. There's a skybridge from the second floor of the station platform that leads to the elevators, which take you directly to the hotel. Check-in, breakfast, and the hot spring are all on the same floor. Environment: The hotel's surroundings are well-equipped. Nara Station and the bus stop are right downstairs, the supermarket is on the first floor of the train station, and there are many restaurants nearby. It's quite a bustling area in Nara. There's also an express bus to Kansai Airport in the morning. Service: The hotel service is good. Check-in is self-service, and the restaurant offers complimentary wine tasting. The room size isn't large, but our room faced the train station side, offering views of Nara city outside the window.

This was a great hotel for quality/price. The room had everything including a clothes sterilising machine, which I’ve never seen before, super Japanese! Great public onsen with natural spring waters. Teunagve free ice lolly’s and had a cute tatami areas where you could practise origami.Breakfast buffet was great, was less than a 2km walk through town to the main park and temple area, I would defo stay again!

Excellent stay in Hanaya Tokubei!!! Thank you!!! We stayed here for only 1 day, everything was top notch, the hardest part is getting here (buses only run 3 times a day), but it's definitely worth it!!! We checked into a spacious room in a traditional style, we were given yukatas - traditional clothes, you could go outside in them to take pictures. There are 2 small onsen with very hot water, I liked the one on the left with a panoramic window to the street, to the Red Gate. After a hot bath, your body feels very relaxed, it's great to go to a room with light jazz music and relax there and enjoy your rest. And then it's time for kaiseki - an aesthetic and delicious dinner - which perfectly completes this wonderful day. The next morning they serve an equally wonderful breakfast. After checking out, you can leave your suitcase in the lobby and go for a walk around Dorogava, namely to the 2 caves and ride the monorails leading to them. It was a perfect holiday, really enjoyed it, thankful for this experience!

This was my second stay here. Thank you for everything. I particularly enjoyed the morning tea porridge.

The hotel boasts an excellent location, conveniently close to Nara Kintetsu Station and surrounded by numerous restaurants offering a diverse range of food options. It's also very near Nara Park, where you can easily spot the deer with just a short walk. The hotel staff were very friendly and helpful, and the meals served were also of good quality. A minor point for improvement would be the hallway carpets, which could use more frequent cleaning. The onsen (hot spring) facilities were also excellent and very clean. However, the mineral concentration of the hot spring water felt a bit low!

During our stay, we encountered the Yama Festival at Mt. Wakakusa in Nara. The hotel provided a shuttle bus for guests staying that day to go down the mountain to watch the festival. They also distributed warm packs to guests before departure, which was a very thoughtful arrangement. The hotel is located halfway up the mountain and overlooks the entire city of Nara, with beautiful scenery. 

Few people, quiet, great hot springs! The food is OK (the ingredients are fresh but not amazing), the hot spring pool is private and healing, and the atmosphere is different in the morning and evening. Suitable for a pure lying holiday.