I like staying at an Onsen specialised Ryokan at least one night when I am in Japan. This time, we decided to do it in Kyoto. I didn’t know much about Kyoto Onsen situation so took some researching to choose a place.
The Onsen Ryokan we stayed.
Kyoto is not the best place to enjoy the onsen and ryokan culture compared to the ryokans I have stayed before, as there are not well known Onsen, and the average price is pretty high because of the location, there are not many to choose from, especially when you don’t want to travel far from the centre of Kyoto.
It was kind of hard to find what I was looking for. I wanted a ryokan with a private onsen facility, not far and with easy access from Kyoto station, not much more than 15000 yen per person with dinner and breakfast included, and have Japanese ryokan atmosphere.
And we chose Syoenso Hozugawatei. It was the only ryokan that covered my checklist, and we really had a good time there.
The ryokan close to Arashiyama.
Syoenso Hozugawatei is located at Kyoto Yunohana Hot Springs which is in Kameoka city. You can catch a train to Kameoka station from Kyoto for 30 mins, and there is a shuttle bus provided by the accommodation.
The onsen ryokan is often located on somewhere hard to get by public transport, so check how to get there before you book the night.
The train you use to go to Kameoka is the Sagano line, and the train stops at Saga-Arashiyama station. We looked around Arashiyama area on the way back from the ryokan.
You can have your own time with private Onsen.
The best would be if I could have Onsen in my room, but that cost lots more than what I want to spend. Then having private onsen is the next best thing I could consider. I like to have a private bath where I can enjoy the experience with my husband.
At Syoenso Hozugawatei, the private bath is optional so you need to pay extra to use it or book a plan which comes with the private onsen. If you pay for a private onsen, it is 5000 yen for 50 mins. It has a relaxing room outside of onsen so we had about 10 mins bathing time, 20 mins rest, and then 10 mins onsen again, as the water was quite hot and couldn’t stay in for all that time. All up it was really wonderful.
The cost could depend on the season and day.
I paid 32000 yen, 16000 yen per person including breakfast and dinner, and private onsen for 50 mins. It was a special plan which I found in an accommodation booking website with a small western style room but comes with one private onsen session.
We went on a weekday and early March. I imagine it could be more expensive if it was on the weekend, or later in March when cherry blossoms are in flower.
It was a lovely Ryokan and Onsen.
I wasn’t sure with Onsen ryokan in Kyoto, but it was a beautiful ryokan with very nice food for a reasonable price. The customer service was excellent, the building was pretty and well looked after and the access from Kyoto station was easy.
They have large size public onsen and I had it twice, after dinner and after breakfast. There were not many people both time and I could relax by myself.
