Yufu Hotels with Balcony

This was my first time staying at a hot spring ryokan, and I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Upon arrival, we were offered welcome tea and snacks, and they even helped us take our luggage to the room. Our stay included dinner and breakfast, and the meals were incredibly rich and delicious. The main course for dinner was Wagyu shabu-shabu. If you don't eat beef, you can inform them in advance. If you wait until the day of, there might be an additional charge. The room was huge, split over two floors. The bedroom was on the second floor, while the first floor mainly consisted of the living room and a private hot spring area. The private hot spring even had both indoor and outdoor sections, which was a fantastic experience. Since I don't speak Japanese and only a little English, they were very patient in translating everything during our interactions (check-in, meal explanations, etc.). When checking out, they escorted us to our car. During check-in, they also asked if we'd like a ride to Yufuin Station upon check-out, but since we had a private car, we didn't use that service, so I'm not sure if there's a charge for it. Overall, it was a wonderful experience.

The environment was great, the food was delicious, and everything was perfect. It was also a great way to enjoy the outdoor family hot springs with your partner or spouse. If the weather is nice in the evening, you can even see the stars.

We got the room called ”Forest Bath.” It was very clean, and the onsen was comfortably warm. The only downside was the view – a bamboo forest – which wasn't as impressive as expected. The kitchen was well-equipped with appliances: oven, microwave, dishes, pots, pans, and even a Dyson hairdryer. However, I found some of the facilities a bit strange. For example, there was only one shower room, and it was shared with the indoor onsen. So, if you weren't shy, you could shower while someone else was in the onsen. There was also only a glass partition between the shower room and the sink, so someone could clearly see someone showering while they were washing their face. Furthermore, there were two toilets, one upstairs and one downstairs, but neither had a sink inside. The upstairs toilet required going downstairs to wash hands, while the downstairs toilet required using the sink in the shower room. Those were the only issues. Otherwise, it was very convenient. You'll need to drive to supermarkets, and the road leading to the area isn't suitable for walking.

We fell in love with this villa on first sight! The pictures don’t do it justice at all. The surroundings and rooms are beautiful, and the entire property is newly renovated so it’s clean and modern. We appreciate how the host is generous to provide amenities and toiletries, which makes our stay even more memorable.  The bedding is comfortable, and the towels are also of good quality. Additionally, we also enjoyed the washer and dryer, so we can have fresh clean clothes daily! Very thoughtful indeed!  Overall, it’s an amazing stay at Sokaku Residence and we’ll highly recommend you to book a stay here!

A very comfortable stay! The standalone villa offers ample space, and all the in-room hardware and software facilities are comprehensive. My family particularly enjoyed the private hot spring tub and sauna room – everything is incredibly well-maintained and looks brand new. We brought six suitcases, and even with all of them open, there was still plenty of room to move around. Highly recommend this accommodation if you love spacious living. The day before check-in, the host emailed us the room number and access code. We were able to complete the online check-in using the link in the email and received a check-in QR code. Upon arrival, we simply scanned the code to complete the check-in process – super convenient! 👍 Even though it was a completely unstaffed property during our two-night stay, my family didn't feel any inconvenience at all.

This onsen hotel is great! We opted for the half-board plan (dinner and breakfast included), which was super convenient. Although the hotel is a bit older, everything is very well-maintained. The shower pressure was excellent, and the wet/dry separation in the bathroom was really good. Japanese hotels are always clean, of course. It's also just a 5-minute walk (300 meters) from Yufuin Station. Overall, we were very satisfied with everything! 👍

For a one-night stay with two meals in Yufuin, this hotel offers a very reasonable price. However, the hot spring itself is quite average; it feels more like heated tap water, and the bath is rather small. The highlight, though, is the private family bath. Since there aren't many guests, you can take your time and relax. Because our room was on the first floor, we had a private outdoor bath. The public and family baths are available to guests staying in rooms on the second floor, which means the family bath isn't too crowded and you don't have to wait. That said, the surrounding greenery isn't particularly appealing, and the overall ambiance is quite ordinary. On the positive side, every staff member was friendly and very helpful, and they also provided shuttle service to and from the train station. The hotel is a bit of a distance from the main hot spring street, so you'll definitely need the shuttle service or a taxi to get around.

Love private indoor and outdoor onsen the most. Really relax and nice cute villa. Cozy and good quality of bed sheets/blankets. Only a couple points for improvement. No door code being provided in advance prior to the arrival date and I had to make a call in order to get the access code. I can’t find the light switch in the dining room. Later find out that it was a remote control to turn it on. No instruction. However, overall I like the house especially the private onsen.

A great place for one stay and two meals 😬 The hostess was very welcoming and the roast beef for dinner was very delicious. We didn’t understand Japanese but she was still very patient and used the translation tool to explain the different parts of the beef to ensure that the guests chose the desired parts. For example, Wagyu beef has fat and heel. Thin and so on. There is an outdoor and private open-air bath, which is very suitable for family guests. And there is a parking space right outside the door, which is very convenient. Highly recommended👍

The onsen and food were excellent. Rooms were also spacious and well laid out. My only complaint is the staff could have been more flexible with their service. For instance, our party had six people spread across three rooms. We could not dine together because the table seating limit was four. So we had to split up the family to accommodate the hotel, instead of the hotel accommodating us. Unfortunately this is sometimes the norm for traveling in Japan.