Shisui, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Nara

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.

A fantastic gem which we we enjoyed every minute we stayed there. The choice of having a private onsen in our room was worth every penny of the premium we paid. I had my onsen dip three times a day and had never felt more relaxing and enjoyable. The hotel compound is so beautiful and all the staff were so accommodating. I would highly recommend this hotel who like spend a relaxing time in Nara.

Overall, the hotel is new and looks very nice. For family traveling, it is not very convenient, especially if you have strollers as there are places without ramps, only stairs. There is not much amenities you can use in the property without paying extra. With such a high room price, you would expect more. The location is very close to the Nara park and you can see deers inside the property. The included breakfast can be better, I don’t think the portion is enough, but they do provide rice if you need more.

New hotel nice location good service