Nishimuraya Hotel Shogetsutei

Where to start... this is by far the best hotel I've ever stayed in. Absolutely immaculately clean, and the rooms are something very special. The staff are fantastic; extraordinarily welcoming, polite, and charming. The facilities are second to none. Kinosaki is full of Onsen, of course, but the one at Nishimuraya Shogetsutei is amongst the best, and the only one with a steam room as far as I'm aware. The lobby, bar area, and gardens are a sight to behold, in fact, the entire place is stunning. Unfortunately, the pool was not open, since I visited during off season, but that also looks great. The breakfast buffet is fresh, delicious, and varied. The dinner... on another level entirely. At 13,800 JPY, it is not cheap, but you really do get what you pay for. A beautifully presented 10 course meal is served to you in your room, in an unintrusive, quintessentially Japanese manner. The food is top quality; the Snow Crab, Sashimi, and Wagyu beef all utterly delicious, and again, the staff are astoundingly accommodating and thoughtful. Speaking of quality touches, if you thought Japanese toilets were great in general, then wait until you see the toilets in this place, with seats which automatically open as you enter, and at the push of a button close and flush themselves. I can imagine for those with disabilities this hotel would be a great choice. Everywhere is wheelchair accessible, and adapted seating is also provided in the public bath areas. The private baths are really worth the extra cost if you want an even more luxurious experience. 8,800 JPY for 70 minutes, with champagne ice bucket provided. Each private bath house can probably accommodate a group of up to 5 or 6, and also has a private sauna (the slightly cooler type in which you wear sauna clothes). There's a very good reason Nishimuraya Shogetsutei is considered the best ryokan in town by the locals. I will certainly be staying here on future visits to Kinosaki.

I can't think of a single thing that I didn't like about this hotel.

The place is just pretty good. Staff very friendly. Everything we expect was there.

The night spent at this establishment was quite simply the most relaxing and luxurious moment of a 20 day Japan trip. Everything from start to finish was perfect. Highlights included how spacious my room was, how nice the onsen facilities were (by far my favourite in town and I visited most of the public onsens before coming to this conclusion), how delicious and refined the dinner was, and how amazing the breakfast buffet was too.

The only thing I regretted was that my room had a lingering tobacco odor, the hotel had installed a device to purify and clean the air, but it was the kind of very light persistent small that it is hard to get rid of. I get that Japan has a different approach to smoking indoors that some other places.

Overall the experience at Shogetsutei was a perfect. Absolutely amazing in accommodation, food, onsen, staff, service, cleanliness, Japanese immersive experience and attention to details. The ryokan style room is very beautiful and comfortable. The small onsen in the terrace is perfect for some private time and to enjoy during the nights when the public onsen close. The dinner and breakfast were absolutely spectacular, dinner was served in our room by a lovely japanese lady who also prepared parts of it, like rice, grilled crab etc. The attention to details with the food was incredible. Breakfast is buffet but is almost as varied and tasty as the dinner. The public onsen inside Shogetsutei is in my opinion the best and most beautiful one in the village. Location wise it is not as centric as Nishimuraya Honkan but that allowed (when building) for a bigger hotel with more and bigger rooms as well as some rooms with a private bath in the terrace which is amazing. The previous night i stayed in Nishimuraya Honkan which is in my opinion slightly superior because of its beautiful old traditional historic building, but can honestly recommend going to both, since they offer a slightly digferent experience, specially if you want to try having a private bath in your room/terrace. A big thank you to all the staff and the hotel of Nishimuraya Shogetsutei and Honkan for a wonderful and unforgettable experience. Arigato gostaimashita :)

Nothing.