Compared to Kyoto, the Monterey in Kobe offers much better service. Sona is quite small, and lately, there's been too much of a Korean presence there. Although the hotel is a short walk from the station, it's still easy to find. There is indeed a red-light district nearby, making it a bit noisy and messy (though understandable). The room layout is reasonable, the TV supports screen mirroring, and the toiletries are generously provided, with the DHC lotion being particularly good. Don Quijote is just a short walk away, and it's very convenient to get to Sannomiya Station and Kitano Ijinkan (home to the famous 'Life Toast' and the 70-year-old coffee shop), all within walking distance. The breakfast selection is rich and delicious, with the bread being a pleasant surprise.
On a side note, you should definitely avoid the Monterey in Kyoto. Their unfriendliness towards Chinese guests is blatant, especially from the middle-aged Japanese female receptionist! She denied us available rooms unless we insisted and argued on the spot. She also reneged on a promised room type change, even rolling her eyes when a colleague confirmed it with her.🙄
Hotel near Arima Onsen Hotspring,Kobe32.8% of visitors choose this area
GGuest User2025.11.22
Like the quaint yet very elaborate ryokan style of living. The onsen may not be as big and fancy as in noboribetsu but it is still comfortable. I subscribed to their dinner and breakfast which was pretty good. I definitely live the wooden bathtub in my room. They have shuttle services to and from Arima Onsen region. The only complain I have is the weak wifi.
500m from kobe tower. We select this hotel because there is japanese style room with public Onsen available. Big room for 4-6 members can be fit. I recommend the hotel team to clean the air con as so many dust but there is Air humidifier machine set up inside the room too.
Thank you and we love it.☺️
This hotel is super convenient, just a 5-minute walk from Motomachi Station on the JR line in central Kobe. They even have a natural hot spring bath, free ice cream, Yakult, and ramen for a late-night snack! However, because it's so popular and there are a lot of guests, you often have to queue for breakfast. On a few days, if we went a bit later, there were no seats left, and we missed out on breakfast entirely.
 During my trip to Kinosaki Onsen, I chose to stay at the Kiraku Hotel. The overall experience was very good and I gave it a 4-star rating. The following is my experience of staying here for your reference.
Rooms and Facilities
The hotel has an elegant environment and is full of the atmosphere of a Japanese hot spring hotel. The rooms are clean and tidy, and the hot spring facilities are very comfortable, allowing people to completely relax. However, when I checked in, I found a small stain on the bed sheet, which slightly affected my first impression. Fortunately, after contacting the service staff, they quickly changed the bed sheet and handled it professionally, which made me feel at ease.
Dining Experience
Dinner and breakfast were the highlights of this stay! The kaiseki cuisine for dinner was exquisite and delicious. Each dish showed the freshness and care of local ingredients, especially the seafood dishes, which were memorable. The breakfast was also rich, offering a variety of Japanese and Western options, with high quality, which made people feel good early in the morning. Overall, the dining experience was excellent and was definitely a big plus for the hotel.
Service Quality
In terms of service, the staff was friendly, but the overall service could only be said to be average. The check-in and check-out process was smooth, but when I occasionally needed to actively seek assistance, the service staff responded a little slowly, and felt a little lacking in initiative. For this price, I originally expected more detailed service, but overall it was still acceptable.
Summary
Kinosaki Onsen Kiraku Hotel is a recommended hotel, especially for travelers who like hot springs and food. Although the service has room for improvement, the high-quality dining and comfortable environment made this stay still satisfactory. If the service details can be improved in the future, I believe it will be more perfect!
#城崎温泉 #喜乐旅店 #温泉旅店 #日本旅行
We had an absolutely wonderful stay at this hotel. From the moment we arrived, everything about the check-in experience was smooth and professional.
Special thanks to Hiro, who assisted us during check-in. He was extremely professional, spoke excellent English, and gave us a very clear and thorough explanation about the hotel facilities and our room. His service made us feel very welcome and comfortable right away.
The room was beautiful, clean, and well prepared, and all the facilities were exactly as described. Honestly, everything about this hotel - from the service to the atmosphere - was close to perfect.
This was one of the best hotel check-in experiences we've had. We would definitely stay here again and highly recommend this hotel to others.
Hotel near Awaji Island,Minamiawaji6.6% of visitors choose this area
GGuest User2025.07.21
I'm fairly certain this hotel used to be the Daiwa Royal Hotel. I've stayed here many times before, even under its previous name, but this was my first visit since the rebranding. Considering the high price, the amenities provided were quite basic. On a positive note, the complimentary drinks and snacks were a nice touch.
The most significant disappointment was the 50-minute wait for breakfast. Had this not been an issue, my stay would have been far more satisfactory. During peak times, such as the busy summer holiday season, I strongly suggest they consider expanding the breakfast area or increasing its capacity. Despite the wait, the breakfast itself was absolutely fantastic. Unfortunately, this lengthy delay significantly impacted our sightseeing plans for the day.
Hotel near Arima Onsen Hotspring,Kobe32.8% of visitors choose this area
GGuest User2024.06.01
Arriving at night, you'll need to walk for around 10 minutes from the train station to reach the hotel. They offer a free ride to the station only after check-out, so if you want to explore the area before leaving, you'll need to store your luggage at the station. The hotel is overall very nice, comfortable, and offers a substantial breakfast.
Hotel near Arima Onsen Hotspring,Kobe32.8% of visitors choose this area
GGuest User2025.12.13
A heartwarming and thoughtful mountain hotel experience.
This hotel stay completely exceeded my expectations. From the moment I arrived, I felt a deep sense of genuine hospitality – there was a dedicated shuttle service directly from the station to the hotel, saving me the hassle of dragging my luggage around.
The next day, I planned to explore the hot spring town at the foot of the mountain. The hotel proactively offered to store my luggage and deliver it to the station at the bottom of the mountain at the agreed time, completely freeing up my hands. The food was surprisingly delicious, with fresh ingredients and thoughtful pairings. The room was clean and comfortable, meticulously cleaned daily, and the common areas were also spotless.
The service throughout was attentive yet unobtrusive. From the shuttle arrangements to the luggage storage, everything was efficient and heartwarming. It's truly perfect for travelers planning a hot spring trip. I'll definitely choose this place again on my next visit.
The hotel facilities are very old, much older than most hotels in Japan. The rooms are not big or even very small. Compared with its price, it can be said to be a hotel with low cost performance. The advantage is that it is very close to the Takarazuka Theater and Hankyu Takarazuka Station. You can have afternoon tea on the first floor of the hotel. The price of afternoon tea is lower than that of surrounding restaurants or cafes. On the way to the Takarazuka Theater, you will pass by a medium-sized shopping mall. There are not too many things in the mall, but it is enough for people who don’t have much shopping needs. There are several brochures and posters about the Takarazuka Theater in the drawers of the hotel that you can take away for free. The hygiene is also quite clean.
Very Good
56 reviews
8.8/10
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9.8/10
Outstanding
GGuest UserNice, modern and new hotel in Kinosaki onsen with great hospitality from the hotel owner and his staff. I was welcomed by the owner at the door when I arrived, and they even prepared a beautiful greeting card on my arrival. Welcome drink was provided and the owner recommended good restaurants and provided the USP of each onsen in Kinosaki. The room is spacious, clean and new! I especially like the Japanese style of the hotel. Yutaka and 1-day onsen pass were provided for my stay. As the next day I had to move to another hotel, the owner very kindly helped me to transport my luggage to another hotel near the JR station.
Overall, excellent stay, excellent people and excellent breakfast! :)
Would love to visit Kinosaki onsen again and stay with Utsuroi Tsuchiya.
DDaria GrWe stayed at the hotel in October 2024. We took two rooms for two.
Pros:
1. Magnificent rooms in the style of a classic ryokan: everything is very beautiful, authentic, lots of small details, notes and tips for guests, interesting trinkets in the room. We had beds, not futons, but this is not a minus - the beds are very comfortable. The view from the room (3rd floor) is of the mountains. The cleanliness is perfect, the room has everything that should be in a classic ryokan room: from tatami to a low table for relaxing.
2. Incomparable kaiseki dinner. Excellent sukiyaki breakfast (you cook it yourself).
3. The most beautiful interiors of the hotel, it is interesting to walk around it, exploring it from the inside. The hotel is beautiful from the outside too.
4. You can smoke in the rooms (we did not do this, and the rooms are not smoked at all). There is a smoking room at the entrance to the hotel.
5. Wonderful staff. All requests and complaints are satisfied within minutes. They speak English poorly, but it's not a problem, we communicated through a translator. The guys are cool, cheerful. Quick check-in, a bunch of reminders about where and when to come / what and how to do correctly.
6. There is a private onsen (we did not use it).
7. They give a free pass to 7 public onsen. They give discounts on souvenirs.
8. They give excellent yukatas for onsen, for women - they will give beautiful ones, the choice is huge.
Nuances:
1. The only downside of the hotel is the distance from the center of Kinosaki (15-20 minutes walk through not very beautiful places). But! There is a free transfer from the hotel to the city center, plus there is a transfer station-hotel-station. And the walk from the hotel to the center of Kinosaki did not bother us much.
2. This is not a business hotel, so there is no washing machine, iron or shower in the room. The shower (and in fact - onsen) is shared on the minus first floor - separate for men and women.
GGuest UserThis is the fourth time I have stayed, and I have to stay in Chengqi but the horse house. The warm hospitality of the proprietress and staff, as well as a rich one berth and two meals, is satisfying. Note that only one child under 6 years old can be accommodated in each room.
GGuest UserOverall, a wonderful place. We highly recommend it. It was a wonderful walk from the station to the hotel, and we were greeted with the utmost courtesy, explained everything, and shown around. We were shown to our room and given instructions. We booked a traditional room with futons, and the view from the window was simply stunning. The onsen includes two hot springs, a comfortable changing area with massage chairs, a sauna, and a cold plunge pool. They give free passes to seven public baths in the village. There's a shuttle that takes you to various walking spots. The prices are reasonable. The breakfast buffet was wonderful. We were very satisfied and would love to come back!
GGuest UserIt was great to be able to choose from a wide variety of rental yukata. The night view from the Japanese-style room was beautiful. The breakfast was a buffet style with a rich selection, including Tajima beef, and everything was delicious 😋. For the price, getting breakfast, hot spring hopping tickets, and wearing a yukata was really reasonable and a great value. I'd love to stay again.
SShadoWofAlex357A good ryokan. The room was large and comfortable, and the staff were polite.
Even though the hotel is very old (you can feel it in places), it's very clean and cozy.
The koi on the terrace are a bit of a mixed bag:
The koi are beautiful, but they look scared and have very little space. I didn't get any aesthetic pleasure from them – I was more worried.
Pros:
- Amazing service
- Very atmospheric room
- Fantastic kaiseki dinner
- Good breakfast
- A pass is provided for all local onsens (you'll need to pay a symbolic 400 yen per visit to the onsens, but there are no restrictions on how many onsens you can visit, and you can even visit them for a couple of hours after check-out).
Cons:
- No smoking in the room or on the room's terrace (this is probably because their Gonzaemon hotel, where you *could* smoke, burned down nearby).
- The air conditioner only heats the main room; the other rooms (hallway, bathroom, toilet) are very cold.
- The hot tub is very small (it's photographed in a way that makes it look bigger).
- The convenience store (combini) is very far away.
- There are shared hot springs and a private bath in the adjacent building (you need to book in advance, and the last entry is at 11 PM).
- The yukatas are rather simple compared to other local ryokans.
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