静寂な森の宿 山しのぶ — Hotel in Minamioguni

We stayed here for two nights with our two kids, and it was the most special and amazing experience we had in Japan.

First of all, the experience started even before we checked in. I emailed the hotel because I couldn't book a room with two kids, and they responded immediately, accommodating us without any issue.

The reason we chose to stay here is also very special to me. My mom stayed here a few years ago when she was still alive and told me to visit one day. I am forever grateful to the staff for making this possible and fulfilling my request.

The room was spotless—probably the cleanest hotel we have ever stayed at in Japan! The staff was even more professional than those at the Ritz-Carlton in Hong Kong. Every night, they offered stargazing sessions if the weather permitted, and we were lucky enough to see Jupiter through their telescope! My kids were absolutely amazed! The public onsens were never crowded, and there was no wait for the private baths either. Everyone was very courteous about respecting personal space and time.

The tatami was also so comfortable. At first I was hesitating if my kids would enjoy sleeping on the floor but they love it so much because the tatami was more comfortable than regular western beds in my opinion!

And then the food... oh boy, it was so, so, so delicious! Every night, we were treated to the most unique dishes, with presentations that were out of this world. We left every meal feeling completely satisfied! And the breakfast? It was absolutely mind-blowing! It has so much food, we don't even need lunch!!

Lastly, my son left his doll at the hotel, and the staff kindly mailed it back to us. This truly made his day! He was heartbroken when he realized he had forgotten it, so their kindness meant the world to us.

I honestly don't understand why this hotel is rated only three stars—it deserves five! I would definitely come back the next time we...

We came to this Onsen Ryokan towards the end of our month in Japan and it was one of the best stops of the entire trip. We hired a car in Kumamoto and had a lovely drive up into the mountains near Mt Aso. The GPS guided to the address with no problems. Unfortunately we couldn't see much of Mt. Aso due to the earthquake that has cut off several of the roads in the area. However, the area we went to where this Onsen is, is stunning too. ||||The people who run this place cannot do enough for you - they are friendly, efficient, and helpful. The amenity here (rooms, hot tubs/baths, buildings, eating area) is first rate. Everything is maintained to a high standard. We had a large room with its own private indoor/outdoor bath - fantastic!! If one is available I highly recommend staying in one. ||||One cannot say enough about the food - in my opinion it's a work of art and the freshness, flavor and creativity of the meals as well as the private booth you sit in (ours had a lovely view of the garden) help to make visiting here very special indeed!||||One thing I must say - the staff are wonderful. We had to leave early due to a family matter. They were within their rights to charge us for the night but instead they chose not to, we only had to pay for the food that was pre-ordered for our dinner that night which was fair; we were very surprised at and grateful for their help in this situation as the room was not cheap. To me this is another aspect of Yamashinobu that helps to make it so special.||||In short, if you get the chance to come to this area and want a relaxing time in a beautiful setting with stunning food and wonderful staff -...

I don't usually leave reviews but seeing that the last review was in Feb'17, triggered me to make an extra effort to leave review for this fantastic place. I definitely enjoyed my stay here the most throughout my Kyushu trip. The staff contacted me via email a few hours after I made the booking via Agoda querying food preferences, allergies and transport arrival timing. Even though they are not that proficient in English, I can sense their effort in replying.||Location-wise, it's not in the main part of kurokawa onsen village, about 5-10mins drive (with shuttle provided) to the ryokan. ||Seclusive location, cosy reception area, very friendly and polite staffs, japanese tatami style room, 1 male and female bath each with indoor and outdoor option. In addition, there are also 3 private baths @ 24hrs which does not require advance booking. There's also a cosy library with a piano btw. If the night sky is clear, you can even view stars using the owner's telescope on the 2nd floor which I, sadly, wasn't able to experience due to the rainy weather. Kaiseki dinner was fantastic which includes 9-10courses (tried the region specialty-raw horse meat) which was delicious (they will check if you want this included in the dinner or not, so don't worry about it.) Free sake and hojicha provided at the fireplace area. Breakfast was great too, and shuttle service was also provided after checking out. ||I will definitely be coming back again with my partner this time instead as it was such an enjoyable stay with...