Romantic Hotels in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan

Review of The Royal Park Canvas Kobe I recently stayed at The Royal Park Canvas Kobe and found it to be a comfortable and convenient base for exploring the city. The hotel is about a 10-minute walk from Sannomiya Station, with plenty of restaurants, shops, and convenience stores nearby. Kobe Chinatown is close by, and iconic spots like the “Be Kobe” monument and Kobe Tower are within a pleasant 25-minute walk. The Kitano Ijikan district is also easily reachable on foot. The hotel offers self-service check-in and check-out through machines, with front desk staff standing by if assistance is needed. My room had a relatively large bathroom, which added to the comfort. The buffet breakfast was not bad, and a fun highlight was the free ice cream available from 8pm to 10pm. A thoughtful touch is the presence of two donation bins where travellers can drop off unwanted clothing—an environmentally friendly and community-minded initiative. Overall, The Royal Park Canvas Kobe is a well-located, comfortable stay with nice little touches that enhance the experience.

The hotel is very clean and well-maintained. It's just a short walk to Daimaru and the airport bus stop, right across from Sannomiya Station. The hot springs are also great, though during my stay, some Koreans were showering very rudely, splashing water everywhere, even onto people in the pools. Very uncivilized. Facilities: Complete Cleanliness: Excellent, even the remote control was bagged, very satisfied. Environment: Quiet Service: Late check-out was very useful.

Even though I booked this hotel by mistake, I was pleasantly surprised! If you're traveling with kids, I highly recommend staying here! First off, the rooms are significantly larger compared to hotels in Sannomiya. As an established five-star hotel, while the facilities are a bit dated, the size and views are absolutely unbeatable. There's a balcony in the room where you can enjoy a coffee, look out at the sea, and relax in the morning – it's incredibly pleasant. You can also admire the night view. The hotel breakfast offers freshly made burgers and freshly squeezed orange juice, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the sea. If the weather's nice, you can even sit outside and enjoy the sunshine and sea breeze. The only downside is that the pool costs extra. However, if you have kids, Meriken Park is right across the street, featuring the Anpanman Museum and a Ferris wheel. Plus, iconic photo spots are right downstairs. If you want to go shopping in the city center, the hotel provides a free shuttle bus every 20 minutes, which is super convenient if you check the schedule. All in all, next time I come with my children, I'll definitely choose this place.

The hotel is generally OK. They give breakfast in the morning, you can order Japanese and European. You need to order breakfast in time. There is enough breakfast in the morning. The amenities were good, although one day the trash was not taken out. I don’t know what it was connected with, apparently there was some kind of delay. The main minus is the location from the station, it’s about 20 minutes’ walk up a small hill. The trains run strictly in Japanese and until late. Be prepared for this if you choose the hotel for its price. You have to walk the last 50 meters along the highway. It’s also easy to get to Arima directly from Kobe, where there is a good choice of inexpensive accommodation. I liked Kobe in general. So think before making a choice. I walk a lot and the location of the hotel was not a problem for me.

Overall, the experience was pleasant, with the only minor drawback being the price, which was a bit steep. While I had hoped for a more traditional Japanese garden and architecture, the hotel itself leans towards a modern Japanese aesthetic. Visiting in summer, gazing at the lush green mountains through the window truly feels like a picturesque framed view, and the hot springs were wonderfully rejuvenating. However, I suspect autumn would be the most opportune time to visit, to witness the mountains ablaze with crimson foliage (assuming the trees aren't evergreen). A misunderstanding arose at check-out due to unclear communication regarding payment policies between the booking platform, the hotel, and myself. The hotel insisted they had not received the online payment and demanded offline payment for a range of services, including breakfast, dinner, taxes, accommodation, and private onsen. As a customer, I initially thought I was being double-charged, as I had already made a payment online. The total cost for the two-day stay was approximately 221,110 JPY, which converts to roughly 11,000 HKD or CNY. Upon immediately contacting Trip.com's customer service, they confirmed that our online payment covered both accommodation and meals, and advised that the hotel's demand for offline payment for these items was contentious and unnecessary. It was only later clarified that the payment made on Trip.com was merely a hold to secure the room and would be fully refunded upon check-out.

設施：齊全，基本上都有，甚至還有女生特殊時期用的小麪包 衞生：很乾凈，住了兩天都有打掃。 下次再去還會住，好評！

This was our second visit here. The staff is very helpful, and there is a free transfer not just to and from the station - if you want a pickup from the town or the ropeway during your stay, they will help too. The private baths are beautiful and very well maintained, and the reserve-next-as-you-leave-the-previous system is very convenient. Overall, great experience.

The service was impeccable. The staff were very friendly and generally able to communicate in English. Their service is so good that they wipe down all your luggage upon arrival at the hotel, and my bags came out cleaner than when I came! The food also left us speechless. I’ve never tasted such a delicious meal, and I consider myself a foodie. The dishes were prepared fresh right in front of us. Every detail was attended to, from presentation to taste. It deserves a 100% without a doubt. Since I had a food allergy, they were careful to leave out the allergen in all the foods. I was really thankful for that, because it’s not always a given at Asian restaurants. The establishment itself is dated, but that’s why we chose it in the first place- to feel the aura of tradition. Having said that though, it was slightly inconvenient that there was no shower inside our room. However, it wasn’t too much of a problem because the shared shower/onsen room was just a short distance from our room, and it was generally not occupied. When we stayed there, there was a storm going on, so the the rain crashing on the window and the outside blinds gave off a spooky feeling, which added to the sense of adventure.

Our stay was absolutely fantastic. Every single staff member was incredibly friendly, and the room itself was very comfortable. The traditional Japanese-style room (washitsu) was a particularly charming touch. Both dinner and breakfast were exquisitely prepared, and the onsen (hot spring) was wonderfully relaxing. We stayed with my parents and children, and everyone in our group was thoroughly delighted.

I have to express my sincere gratitude to Ms Hatsumi from the hotel. Thanks to her help, I had a wonderful trip to Rokkōsan. She is definitely a polite, professional, and of course pretty lady. Her communication skills are good especially that she speaks fluent English which would be of great help for someone like me who don't speak any japanese. Although the original local tour was full of bookings , she helped me reserve a taxi and solve my ease of communicating with local taxi drivers. The view and environment is splendid with a great hotel service teams. I would highly recommend to someone who wants to experience a unique accommodation experience. Though the drawbacks , as you might know already , is 1) no private bathroom 2) not sound-proof building materials , but it is understandable given that the hotel is with ancient history