Hotele Hot Springs w: Fukushima Prefecture, Japan

I had a fantastic stay at this hotel! The first great point is the proximity to the Fukushima Station. When I arrived, my check-in process was handled by the Manager, Matsuda-san. He was very friendly and warm. The room I stayed in was decently-sized, giving me enough room to walk around with a large suitcase and other bags on the floor. A suitcase stand and a small stool are provided. The beige wallpaper provided a nice contrast to the dark carpet. The controls for the room were absolutely fantastic - I could, for instance, adjust the brightness of the main light and the strength of the bathroom exhaust fan. The bathroom was slightly cramped, but I managed. An alarm clock is also provided for guests. The default blanket in the room was far too hot; even with the heating turned off, I felt like I was being roasted while I was in bed with the blanket covering me (and this was in winter!). I didn't like the default pillow either, it was too hard. On my last night, I requested a thinner blanket and softer pillow. Thankfully, the hotel was able to provide them, and I slept much better after using the new blanket and pillow. Funnily enough, the mattress was also quite hard, but it didn't give me any problems. The sound insulation was fantastic, and the cleaning staff were super quiet! I almost couldn't tell that they were outside my room doing their work! I also very likely had considerate Japanese guests on my floor, hence the peace. Nearby the hotel is S-Pal, where you can buy all sorts of prepared meals (if you're lucky, you can find a few vegan options). There's also a large pharmacy, and there are many convenience stores around. The main complaint I have is that the check-out time @ 10:00 is too early. I think 12:00 would be a better time. I did not have breakfast at the hotel, nor did I use any of the facilities, so I have no comment on those. I definitely recommend Hotel Route-Inn Grand Fukushima Ekimae to others, and I will definitely consider staying at Route-Inn hotels in other parts of Japan! Side Notes: (1) If you have large luggage and arrive at the Fukushima Station, you'll have to take the elevator at the west exit, and when you reach the ground floor you'll see another elevator about 20 metres in front of you (slightly to the left). This second elevator will take you to the underground passage, which you can use to get to the east side of the station, where Route-Inn Grand Fukushima is located. Do note that there is a rear entrance to the hotel (next to a public parking lot), and this will save you from walking to the front of the hotel with all your luggage. (2) Vegan options in Fukushima are unfortunately extremely limited, but you can find some vegan tofu bars and a few other items at 7-Eleven...but be sure to use Google Lens to translate the ingredients!

I was very impressed with my stay. The service was excellent at every point, from the valet parking staff and the front desk to the restaurant staff who provided exceptional service. The Superior room was spacious, had a stunning view, and I especially loved that there was a massage chair in the room. The common area facilities were complete, including the onsen and foot bath. The highlight was the free ice cream before 8 pm in front of the onsen, and the seating area with a view while enjoying ice cream was fantastic. The only minor drawback was that the bathroom in the room had a slightly unpleasant smell. I hope the hotel will check into this and improve it. If this can be fixed, it would be a perfect stay, and I would definitely return again in the future.

The hotel is stunning, super cozy, and feels very exclusive since there aren't many rooms. The common area with the fireplace is everything. Free drinks, warm fire—I could literally chill there all day. Huge room, and the futons are surprisingly comfy. We did the half-board (breakfast & dinner) and it was seriously delicious. The staffs are super friendly and helpful, 10/10 service. The public Onsen baths are gorgeous and so relaxing—perfect for melting away muscle pain. Honestly, the Private Onsens (especially the outdoor ones) are a bit basic. No toilets or amenities out there, so don't be worry if you can't snag a booking; the main baths are better anyway! One Heads-up: This is a legit sulfur onsen town. The smell is strong and literally stuck to my car seats for days. 😂 Bring some air freshener!

The staff were super helpful and friendly, food was also really good. The buffet had quite a wide selection and all of the food i tried was great. The staff also provided new bath towels and yukatas each evening, their service was amazing. Our one major issue with the place was the cleanliness of the bath area. The rest of the room was super clean and tidy but the onsen area really needed a good scrub. There was mildew covering the walls of the shower area(which honestly wasn’t such a big issue). The real nightmare was the tub area and the tub itself. The floors surrounding the tub were slippery and slimy and covered with algae. The rim and bottom(inside) of the tub were also slimy. It was suppose to be a relaxing soak in the tub but it ended up being very uncomfortable having to avoid the slime all the time :( Other than that the place is great, it was just really disappointing as the “main highlight” of our room, which was the onsen, ended up being the worst part of the room.

This was one of the best ryokans I stayed in!  All the stuff members were very nice and helpful, the dinner was amazingly delicious and the hot springs sooo relaxing! But the brightest memory will definitely be the shamisen music that is played in the hall in the evening! I will definitely come again and I hope that next time I would be able to stay longer!

The hotel is very good with great proximity to the ski  place. The room is clean and cosy with great views. And the onsen is very good that it had long opening hours, we can go after the ski to relax.  However, it would be better if the guest had a choice of whether the room can be made everyday or after we left. And it will be even better if more variety of restaurants/ cur-sine  can be provided rather than just buffet.

This getaway was exactly what I wanted. Traditional, immersive, comfortable, accomodating. The staff came and greeted us in the car park, the dinner and breakfast was amazing, delicious, adventurous. And the onsen on the roof was perfect! The staff thoroughly explained their processes. I spoke some japanese and they spoke only some english but they were very accomating with us and welcoming. I would highly recommend and its also not far from town either. It snowed a little the night we stayed and it was so magical! We had our own private onsen at our room but the others in the ryokan are even better and available to be private, just lock door when your using.

- We used the resort for our snowboard trip. The shuttle bus system is very good. Smooth all the way back and forth from Inawashito-station. Shuttle bus to Nekoma Ski resort takes only around 7 mins one way. There is also ski cloak where you can put your snowboard/ski/boots during your trip. Superb!

Stayed around Aizuwakamatsu City because it was the lowest price among the inns with hot springs. It was close to the city and the open-air bath was very comfortable. I enjoyed taking a bath because there were dozens of shampoos. It was about 7,000 yen per person with a plan that included breakfast. However, there are no convenience stores or restaurants nearby, so be careful that you need to get off to the foot.

Room: The room was spacious and clean. I especially appreciated the heated floors! Parking: There are two parking options: one on-site and another at Aizubukeyashiki, with a convenient shuttle bus provided for the latter. Food: The food was excellent, with a great variety of local dishes to sample. View: Our room overlooked a graveyard, so there wasn't much of a scenic view. Onsen: The view of the night sky from the onsen was absolutely stunning.