Awara Onsen Guraba-tei Tsukimi Roten no Yado

This was my first time staying here. It felt like a traditional Onsen Accommodation, and I had a very comfortable stay. I was able to relax in the Onsen, and I also really enjoyed the dinosaur-themed bath. The amenities were well stocked, and although I checked in late, I appreciated that the futon had already been laid out for me.Just one thing… when I tried to put something in the refrigerator—“!!”. Maybe it was left by a previous guest? There was ice cream inside, and it surprised me. Since it was tucked away in the back, it probably went unnoticed. It became a funny travel story for me, but I worried that others might not feel the same.Overall, though, I’m very satisfied. I’d love to stay again if I have the chance.

I stayed on a weekday, traveling solo for sightseeing. From the photos on the website, I was a little worried it might be more of an Accommodation for families with children, but it was very comfortable!It’s about a 5-minute walk from Awara-Yunomachi Station, almost straight the whole way. There’s a vending machine at the station, so I bought a bottle of water before heading over. At the front desk, you receive an in-house pamphlet instead—there isn’t a thick guidebook left in each Room. Smart idea that saves them from having to update information in every Room!A foreign staff member showed me to my Room, and their tea-serving manners were very polite. You fill out the guest register and decide dinner/breakfast times after putting your luggage down. I had a Japanese-style Room on the 2nd floor—spacious and easy to relax in. Once I settled in… oh, there’s an ashtray! Come to think of it, it didn’t say “non-smoking room.” Still, there was an air purifier and I barely noticed anything. There was a faint tobacco smell from the futon… but honestly it was better than the “old Facility smell” at the Accommodation I stayed at the night before. The sink area and toilet were cute, and amenities were well stocked! The only disappointment was finding some dust at one edge when I hung my clothes in the closet.When you open the window you can see a waterfall. So this must be what other Reviews meant by “the pond you might mistake for an open-air bath”! If that were actually a bath, anyone would be completely visible—now I understand why they said that.When leaving my Room I panicked thinking “It won’t lock…?” but it turns out it has an unusual mechanism: 1) Press the button in the center of the doorknob from inside 2) Step into the hallway and close the door to lock it 3) The room key is used only for unlocking There is also an instruction note posted on inside of door, but with my aging eyes I couldn’t read such small text… A clearer explanation would have helped!Dinner was kaiseki—and even though it’s summer they included crab! Everything was delicious and there was plenty of food. Breakfast was just as lavish, with attentive service throughout. This is definitely not something they could prepare if someone arrived without a Reservation and suddenly asked to add meals.The Onsen is circulated and disinfected as noted; maybe because of that (or just naturally), parts of rock wall in outdoor area felt slightly slippery…? The dinosaur bath alternates: men at night / women in morning. There is also stone sauna (ganbanyoku), but since it's only set up for one person it's not very convenient.The Dinosaur Forest will absolutely delight kids! They also have manga and even Super Famicom games! The hallway decorations and courtyard are stylish cute too! I wasn’t sure whether guests were allowed use coffee stand lobby…At check-out (C/O), they gave me some candy! You can really feel their effort—there were hardly any negatives—and stay very comfortable.Thank you so much!