What kind of onsen ryokan is Suihoen?
The day before, we stayed at Shogetsu, a luxury onsen ryokan in Gero Onsen, checked out before 11:00 this morning, then visited Gero Onsen Gassho-Mura, wandered around the gero spa town area, bought some local specialty sakes, local beer, and local pudding, and were picked up by a ryokan staff member at Gero Station, arriving at the ryokan around 3:00PM. The ryokan is located along the slope leading to Gero Onsen Gassho-Mura. By the way, it takes about 20 minutes from Gero Station to Suihoen on foot. It is not an impossible distance to walk, but there is a 50-meter uphill on the way. I am going straight to the point, this luxury ryokan was in a convenient location for exploring the Gero onsen resort area in yukata, and the service, hospitality, food and facilities were impeccable. In particular, the Italian kaiseki for dinner was excellent.
The building and the gate had an air of dignity befitting a high-class ryokan. In a parking lot, there was a traditional warehouse that had been used in the past. Entering through the entrance with a white noren curtain, we walked through a corridor and found a lobby. Upon entering the lobby, a staff member showed us to sofas by windows. Near the reception area, there was a slight aroma of incense burning. The large windows overlooked a beautifully landscaped Japanese garden. While checking in, we were served Japanese sweets and green tea.
After a while, a staff member escorted us to our room. This time, we stayed in a Japanese-style room with a private hot spring bath called Yuukyu no Ma. The room was right at the end of the stairs from the lobby. Upon entering the room, we found a Japanese-style living room with shoji screens, and when we opened the shoji doors, we found chairs and a table on a veranda called engawa. In front of the engawa was a small box garden. Then, next to the Japanese-style living room was a bedroom with twin beds, and in front of the bedroom was a massage chair, a closet, and a mini-bar. Then on the edge of the bedroom was the private outdoor hot spring bath made of stone. The furniture, decor, and facilities were modern, stylish, and user-friendly, but the view from the engawa and the private outdoor bath was not exceptional. There are several rooms with good views, but they were already booked. As the ryokan is located in the Gero onsen district, some rooms do not have a good view.
We changed into yukatas and relaxed in our room for a while, enjoying the local sake we had just bought at a souvenir shop near the lobby. Hida Takayama has always had a wide variety of famous local sake, and there are still many sake breweries in the area, so it is a paradise for sake drinkers like us. There are also many elegant, fruity-flavored sake that wine lovers will love.
When we noticed it, it was already around 17:00, so we went to communal hot spring baths before dinner. There are two communal baths in the main building. The indoor bath is on the first floor and the outdoor bath is on the roof. With a total of 17 rooms, 9 of which have private hot spring baths, the communal baths will never be crowded. We did not see any other guests when we used them. The communal baths were small, but the rooftop outdoor bath offered a wonderful view.
Also, there are two private family hot spring baths on the grounds, one of which is located on the fifth floor. The private family bath is charged at JPY2,000 for 45 minutes. The other private family bath is available free of charge when available, but this private family bath is available only to guests staying in the annex. The availability of the communal baths and private family baths can be checked on the tablets in each guest room.
After returning from the communal baths, we thought about wandering around the Gero onsen town again, but dinner was served at 18:00, so we took a short rest in our room, quenching our thirst with beer, and left the room before 18:00 to go to a restaurant on the grounds. We had very high expectations for this ryokan, as it is well known as a gourmet ryokan.
The restaurant, Hida Gyu Saryo Kangetsu, is a renovated storehouse of a stately traditional warehouse, and the ambience was charming. The interior was decorated with tasteful Hida furniture, creating a relaxed and mature setting.
Upon entering the restaurant, the staff showed us to our private room. For dinner, you can choose between Italian kaiseki or kaiseki cuisine. The main dish for both is Hida beef steak. We had the Italian kaiseki meal. The dishes that particularly impressed me were the bisque tomato cream pasta with rich shrimp flavor, which whetted my appetite. The crispy grilled sweetfish in a lemon and butter sauce was also tasty. The Hida beef steak was soft and tender, and I thought it was best served simply with rock salt. All the dishes were refined and extremely delicious. We enjoyed our meal with a bottle of Hida Takayama doburoku, but there was also a wide selection of wines. Even if you do not stay at Suihoen, you can use the restaurant only.
After dinner, we decided to take a walk in the Gero Onsen district. It is a 10-minute walk to the onsen town. The hot spring resort town was small and cozy, but had an tasteful and nostalgic atmosphere. Many old-fashioned buildings still remain. We loved the simple and rustic hot spring resort town where we could forget the rush of daily life and enjoy the slow pace of the day. Free footbaths were scattered here and there. There were also stores selling sweets to go with coffee and Japanese sweets made by local chefs and patissiers, locally brewed sake and beer, souvenir shops, and antiquated pharmacy, making it an exciting place to walk around. The onsen town in the daytime was nice, but at night it had a different atmosphere. When we returned to the ryokan, we were so tired from the walk that we immediately fell asleep.
The next morning, I woke up around 7:00 a.m. and enjoyed the private hot spring on the terrace before breakfast. Looking up at the sky, it was another clear day with blue skies. The breakfast was in our room and started at 8:30 a.m. The staff came 30 minutes before to clean up our bedding and prepare breakfast. The breakfast was Japanese cuisine, but it was sumptuous from the morning, and the aroma of hoba bean paste called miso wafting through the air made us hungry. The ryokan’s website describes it as “a quiet ryokan on a hilltop in Gero Onsen that boasts of its cuisine,” and that is exactly what it was.
After breakfast, we went to the morning market in front of the parking lot. They were selling local vegetables, fruits, milk, butter, etc. Then, we checked out before 10:00 a.m. and had a staff member drive us to Gero Station. We arrived at Nagoya station around 12:30 pm. Wishing to see each other again next year, I parted from my best friends here and I took the Shinkansen back to Tokyo station.
If I dare to raise a fault, it is that we stayed in the room with the private outdoor hot spring bath, but it did not have a special view. Since this ryokan is located near the Gero onsen town, not every room has a great view. However, the location allows you to stroll through the Gero onsen town at any time, so this ryokan is ideal for those who like to wander around the onsen town in their yukatas.
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Is the location easy to access?
Take the JR Limited Express Hida train from Nagoya Station and get off at Gero Station. The trip takes about 100 minutes. Then, free shuttle service is available from Gero Station. The ryokan is a 5-minute drive away. Reservations are required in advance.
Rooms I would recommend?
If you are going to stay here, I would recommend a room with a nice view. Then, if you don’t want to sleep on Japanese-style mattresses called futon in a tatami room, you may want to book a room with twin beds.
Then the rooms in the annex called Yuka Tei are not available for guests of elementary school age and younger. If you are with small children, please book a room in the main building.
How about toiletries & in-room amenities?
All of the amenities are taken care of including enough toiletries, yukatas, coffee bags, green tea bags, Japanese sweets, a complimentary mini-bar including beer, etc. Also, there are some colorful yukatas for women that you can choose from. Room service is available. Complimentary beer, fresh juice, and tea, etc., are available at the lobby before dinner. There is no vending machine for drinks. The Free Wi-Fi reception was good on the property. There is no convenience store nearby. You may want to buy your necessities before coming here. Please note that food and drink from outside are prohibited.
How about In-house Facilities?
There are small indoor and outdoor communal hot spring baths. All of them are open from 6:00-10:00, 14:00-24:00. There are also two private family hot spring baths. The private family bath in the annex can be used free of charge whenever guests staying in the annex are free to use it. The other private family bath in the main building on 5F requires advance booking and costs JPY2,000 for 45 minutes.
If you have tattoos, you may not be permitted to use the communal bathing area. You may want to use the private family hot spring baths or book a room with a private hot spring bath.
Then Suihoen is a universal design. There is a luxury universal room with a private outdoor hot spring bath called Kochoran. I was shown this room before checking out and found it to be spacious and comfortable. Next time, I would like to bring my grandmother who is in a wheelchair. Wheelchairs are available for borrowing. If you bring people with weak legs, you may want to inform the staff in advance as they can arrange a room near the lift.
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How about meals?
The Italian kaiseki for dinner and Japanese for breakfast was excellent. Basically, if you stay in the main building, all meals are served in your room. If you stay in the annex, dinner is served in a private room in the restaurant on the grounds, and breakfast is served in your room. Then, if you wish to have the Italian kaiseki, you need to inform the staff in advance. If you have dinner on the property, you need to check in by 19:00.
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Then if you have any food allergies, please write them in a comment box when you book a room with meals. They probably wouldn’t be able to prepare alternative food if you request on that day. Alternatively, you can go out for dinner. There are some local restaurants around Gero Station. If this is your first visit here, you may want to ask the ryokan staff about them.
Have a nice trip! Welcome to receive any questions about Suihoen from the below space.
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Info about Suihoen
| Style | Luxury Onsen Ryokan |
|---|---|
| Check-in and out times |
14:00/10:00 |
| Estimated Price | 45,000 JPY for 2 adults per room |
| Contact | Call at |
| Internet Connection | Free WiFi in the ryokan |
| Facility Information | Wheelchairs are available Pets are not allowed The free parking lot is available |
| Location | Suihoen’s MAP |
| Access | 20min walk from Gero Station Free shuttle service is available |
| Address and TEL | Tel +81 |
| Official Homepage | Suihoen’s HP |
*All information above is as of the date that I posted on my blog.
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