Hotel and Spa Gift Takayama

The hotel is a convenient 10-minute walk from the JR station. The front desk staff were very friendly and efficient with the check-in process, paying close attention to detail. The rooftop onsen was decent. I noticed quite a few European guests staying there. The hotel has a good number of rooms, and the breakfast was also enjoyable. Overall, it offers excellent value for money.

The hotel is within walking distance of both the JR station and the bus terminal, and is very close to Kokubunji and the famous Maruaki. The exterior is stylish and extremely clean. Complimentary cosmetics are available in the lobby, along with a coffee machine to make your own coffee. The rooms are surprisingly large, which is rare for Japanese hotels. There is an onsen on the upper floor; I didn't try it, but I heard it's just average. Breakfast is quite substantial, featuring many local specialties, and several of the regional rice dishes were delicious. I highly recommend booking a room with breakfast included, as eating out for breakfast in Japan is not cheap at all. If the hotel breakfast is good, paying a little extra to enjoy a wide variety of delicious food is actually a great value. There is a free late-night snack service, though the front desk doesn't mention it at check-in—you have to discover it yourself. However, the flavors weren't quite to my taste: the sweet red bean soup was overwhelmingly sweet, while the rice in broth was much too salty.

Great location and spacious rooms! There's a large public bath on the top floor and complimentary supper (chazuke) and popsicles. The breakfast spread, with both Western and Japanese options, is excellent!

Six months later, I returned to Takayama and stayed at this hotel for the second time. The service quality felt just as excellent as it did during my visit in February. Every staff member was incredibly friendly. The breakfast included a chocolate croissant that was absolutely delicious – I highly recommend trying it. Takayama in summer is so different from winter, but the warm feeling this small town gives me hasn't changed. I'm still touched. See you next time.

The room was cleaned and tidied every day, which is a service many hotels don't offer for consecutive stays. However, the public bathroom lights weren't on the second morning, making it pitch black. The pool wasn't that clean either. There were also too few shower stalls, sometimes requiring a wait. On the plus side, it was convenient to walk to various places from the hotel.

This hotel is fantastic! It's super close to the JR station, just a 5-10 minute walk. The room exceeded my expectations – it's much larger than many Japanese hotel rooms, and it was really quiet at night, which makes sense since Takayama is a bit more 'rural,' haha! Plus, there's a hot spring on the top floor which is a great bonus.