Ando Hotel Narawakakusayama～Dlight Life & Hotels～

“One of the two choices on Mt. Wakakusa in Nara: Heijo vs. Mikasa”

We booked 2 rooms. The best thing about Heijo is probably the view itself. Our room has a great view of Nara down below although I just booked a standard room. Given the orientation of the building, it seems like almost every room has a good view. The second best thing is the size and amenities o… more

We booked 2 rooms. The best thing about Heijo is probably the view itself. Our room has a great view of Nara down below although I just booked a standard room. Given the orientation of the building, it seems like almost every room has a good view. The second best thing is the size and amenities of the room. The room was very spacious with some nice touch like the granite feet warmer by the large window and the electric curtains. The issue we had was that one room smells strongly of cigarettes. With no air purifier provided, I had to ask the staff for one. Even with the air purifier, the smell still lingers. The staff also gave me an option to move to the other room, but we decided not to as we have already unpacked and the other room seemed to have a worse view. Regarding the included meal service, dinner consisted of various Japanese courses. It was good in terms of both taste and presentation. Their specialty, the steamed persimmon, was delicious. For breakfast, we were offered only the Japanese option. The size of the breakfast was not very filling in comparison with other ryokans. We had to get some snacks from Lawson afterward. The public bath was not from a natural spring. There was not an outdoor bath, and the amenities are somewhat lacking. No lotion or facial cleanser provided. The towels must be brought from the room. Note that there was no rotation between men's and women's public bath. The shuttle service was adequate. However, since Heijo has no office at Kintetsu-Nara station, we had to ask our previous hotel to call them to arrange for pick-up place and time. The pick-up point was very close to Kintetsu-Nara station exit No. 1 but there was not any sign in English, so it is important to carefully coordinate with the hotel before arrival. If we arrive early, there would be no place to store our luggage. Upon arrival, we had to leave our shoes at the lobby entrance. The staff kept the shoes until checking out. Some Westerners may find this odd. Also, based on our limited Japanese ryokan experience, this is the first place where they don't provide a snack to go with tea in the room. At night, the hotel seemed to be understaffed as there was only one staff and he was not stationed at the front desk, so I had to call him when I need something. When we checked out, the staff was helpful and offered to transport our bags to our next hotel, Asukasou. People who are looking at ryokans on Mt. Wakakusa in Nara would likely be comparing this property with Heijo next door, so here we go. - Room: Heijo At Heijo, even a standard room has a very good view of Nara and it was much more spacious with a full-size window. The room also has other nice features like electric curtains and feet-warmers. - Onsen: Mikasa The hot baths at both places were not from natural spring. Nonetheless, Mikasa did provide better facilities & amenities. - Food: Mikasa Dinners were comparable at both places, but breakfast at Mikasa was more substantial. - Staff and service: Tie The staff at both properties are courteous and helpful. Although Heijo seemed to be a bit understaffed. - Location: Mikasa Mikasa's office next to Kintetsu-Nara station was very handy. We knew exactly where to catch the bus, and we could leave our baggage there. Not so easy for Heijo. With that said, Heijo's rate was cheaper at the time of our booking.

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“Good view, good food, but not a real traditional ryokan”

If you want to stay in a truely traditional Ryokan, be aware that this is not one. The traditional rooms are great inside, spacious, and all have a view over the forest above Nara and the town in the distance. However, there is not interior garden or outside space. The room itself is a very place t… more

If you want to stay in a truely traditional Ryokan, be aware that this is not one. The traditional rooms are great inside, spacious, and all have a view over the forest above Nara and the town in the distance. However, there is not interior garden or outside space. The room itself is a very place to stay and look at the view, but there really is not an outside option here. The building is a concrete one from the 1970's. There is a modern/western style lounge as well, also with a good view. There is a roof "terrace", but it is a dirty unused bit of concrete, and certainly not a pleasant place to sit or spend any time. Similarly there is an outside pool, but it look like it has been totally abandoned for years, with gras growing between cracks in the paving stones around it and full of green malarial swamp water! Dinner and breakfast are in a communal room, not served in your own room, unlike other ryokan I have stayed in. The room is Japanese style, has a good view as well, and the food was excellent and plentiful, a kaiseki meal with many small tasty dishes. As always, the ryokan was expensive (€168 for 1 night, food included), but it is still a unique experience to stay in one. In short, this was a good place, the view is great, but if you want a real ryokan experience, this is not very authentic, although still very pleasant.

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