Top Hotels with Gyms in Nikko

For reference we stayed in the Standard Dormitory. There are 2 rooms, 8 beds in each that share 2 toilets, a single sink, a single shower and a small kitchen. The bathrooms, kitchen, and shower were always clean. However, the kitchen only has a microwave and some plates, bowels and a few cups. There is no stove top to cook anything and there is no oven to use. You’re limited to microwave meals or eating out. If you’re on a budget and only plan on staying a single night then this is a great place. Any more nights and I would recommend finding another place. The staff a friendly and speak great English.

Overall, good location, gorgeous drive in & out. Spacious and decent room (was in 708) on the top floor, with river and mountain views, would be stunning during autumn. I wanted to like this place, but there’s room for improvement: ~wifi was so pathetic that my cell phone loaded faster using roaming. ~Bathroom is ancient (I could have been in the Toto museum). Hotel door and safety deposit boxes require actual keys. ~mediocre dinner, carb heavy and cheap ingredients. You can cook good food with simple ingredients but it wasn’t the case here. For example, my beef appetizer was overcooked, the fried dishes were really oily. I wasn’t able to “upgrade” my meal as ended booking my room only the night before (had fo cancel my original hotel due to winter storm issues near Niigata). ~ this place was overpriced. I paid only 10% more for a ryokan 2 hour drive away that had much better food and room (ie wooden bathtubs with real hot spring H2O vs plastic bathtub) and 3 private onsens that you can book to have a private soak. ~Room literally came with one tea bag only, no toothbrush available in room. I know Kai is not Hoshinoya, but, it would take very little to enhance the overall experience. This was my first Kai and I still hope to try the other ones, just hope this Kai was an exception to the rest.

The hotel is more like a museum :). You can admire every room and every thing :) You will see a table lamp at the reception, which has been standing there since 1907, in the lobby you will see photographs of people who stayed at this hotel - Indira Gandhi, Eleanor Roosevelt, Robert Koch, Edward Prince of Wales and many other. The restaurant has very beautiful dishes. And the table for dinner was set using 11 cutlery :) The staff is very attentive and polite. I would especially like to thank Sabita for her help. The room itself is fairly basic (but not modern) the beds are very comfortable and the bathroom has everything you need for a short stay. Rooms are not cleaned daily and towels are not changed unless specifically requested. The location of the hotel is very convenient, a three-minute walk from Nikko Park - UNESCO heritage. Currently, one wing of the hotel is being renovated.

Slightly dated and quirky. Stayed in family room which had very steep stairs to the bed section. A bit overpriced for what it is, but this is Nikko. Comfortable enough. Breakfast quite Ok. Nice to be out of town which feels tired and mostly closes by 4.30pm each day. A lack of restaurants/cafes after that time. Everywhere looks rundown and disinterested. The lake and waterfalls were good but boat ride on lake was closed due to wind and (very small) waves which was disappointing.

Having only just arrived a few days earlier in Japan - this was our first experience of a ryokan . We didn’t know what to expect but it turned out to be a fantastic experience. From choosing our own Kimono to wear around the hotel to our beautiful spacious room with wonderful views of the autumn trees behind, every detail had been thought about. The onsen was wonderful with a pool. Inside and outside. We had a private dining room where we were served the most incredible meals in beautiful Japanese ceramics of all kinds of shapes and sizes. We were attended to by the Chun, a young Vietnamese girl who was just charming, she couldn’t do enough for us and tried so hard with her English - she really made our stay.. this ryokan is also right opposite the shrines , so its a great location and right on the bus route for getting further into the hills. We really recommend this place.