Shikitei — Hotel in Nara

I researched a ridiculously long time to find a comfortable authentic ryokan experience in Nara so we could enjoy a more relaxed time in Nara as a family vs just a typical day trip. My husband was VERY reluctant to spend such a large amount on a one night stay where we'd be sleeping on the floor in the room with the kids but I assured him this was a not-to-miss experience, and for the price it was definitely going to be a comfortable night sleep on the floor with lots of padding under the futon mattresses. I was wrong. Not only did it feel like camping out on a hard floor, but the rice paper on the windows did absolutely nothing to block out the bright streetlight outside the window. Between the hard floor and the bright street light glaring into the room, it was a very uncomfortable night of sleep, to say the least. |"Don't worry, this will be an unforgettable Japanese kaiseki meal! It's worth paying so much!" Again, inwas wrong. While the staff was incredibly thoughtful with any pre-discussed food options, and the service was delightful, the food was hit or miss. Some courses were lovely, both as a piece of art in their presentation and also delicious! But aggressively overcooking fish and seafood is just beyond unacceptable. Also, I was disappointed to discover that dinner was served in the dining room, not in our private room, as I had assumed. We chose the western option for breakfast. It was pretty terrible, I have to admit. Perhaps we should have opted for the Japanese option in retrospect. I thought my kids would be more likely to eat a western breakfast, but it just wasn't good. Cold eggs, chicken nuggets, stale bread. |One of my daughters and I briefly enjoyed the small public onsen inside the inn and that was nice!|I feel bad writing a poor review because I REALLY wanted to love this place, and the staff is very warm, thoughtful, and caring. But with the disappointing food and uncomfortable night's sleep, I just can't recommend staying here for the amount of money we spent. Not the splurge-worthy experience I was...

I researched a ridiculously long time to find a comfortable authentic ryokan experience in Nara so we could enjoy a more relaxed time in Nara as a family vs just a typical day trip. My husband was VERY reluctant to spend such a large amount on a one night stay where we'd be sleeping on the floor in the room with the kids but I assured him this was a not-to-miss experience, and for the price it was definitely going to be a comfortable night sleep on the floor with lots of padding under the futon mattresses. I was wrong. Not only did it feel like camping out on a hard floor, but the rice paper on the windows did absolutely nothing to block out the bright streetlight outside the window. Between the hard floor and the bright street light glaring into the room, it was a very uncomfortable night of sleep, to say the least. |"Don't worry, this will be an unforgettable Japanese kaiseki meal! It's worth paying so much!" Again, inwas wrong. While the staff was incredibly thoughtful with any pre-discussed food options, and the service was delightful, the food was hit or miss. Some courses were lovely, both as a piece of art in their presentation and also delicious! But aggressively overcooking fish and seafood is just beyond unacceptable. Also, I was disappointed to discover that dinner was served in the dining room, not in our private room, as I had assumed. We chose the western option for breakfast. It was pretty terrible, I have to admit. Perhaps we should have opted for the Japanese option in retrospect. I thought my kids would be more likely to eat a western breakfast, but it just wasn't good. Cold eggs, chicken nuggets, stale bread. |One of my daughters and I briefly enjoyed the small public onsen inside the inn and that was nice!|I feel bad writing a poor review because I REALLY wanted to love this place, and the staff is very warm, thoughtful, and caring. But with the disappointing food and uncomfortable night's sleep, I just can't recommend staying here for the amount of money we spent. Not the splurge-worthy experience I was...

We stayed for one night at this truly wonderful ryokan! We arrived early and checked our bags in before heading out. We were welcomed again with a small tea ceremony and shown into our room. The room was simple, elegant and perfect! Since its on the first floor, there is no Japanese garden attached to the room, but one can view the Ryokan garden and from the room. The room was airy, spacious and immaculately clean. The bathroom had a wooden tub made of Japanese cypress and it felt so much more luxurious than the priciest of bath-tubs with fancy fittings. The toiletries and linen provided (including everything to the last detail that you will require for your stay) was of the highest standards and luxurious. So much so that we actually didn't need to unpack during the course of our stay here. I am vegetarian and they were able to accommodate all my dietary requests, both for the Kaiseki dinner as well as the traditional Japanese breakfast the following morning. The staff speaks very little English, but enough to get around. At one point, when they didn't understand, they connected me on the phone to a translator who in turn translated back to the person at the desk. The food was beautifully presented, absolutely delicious and plenty plenty plenty! The Kaiseki dinner lasted for almost 2 hours. As the courses progressed, we were worried how we would be able to eat the next course! The service provided was stellar in every way. We used the public bath (indoor but quite nice). Once you finish the bath, you are escorted to a sort of banquet room for a drink. Our stay here is reminiscent of the highest standards of hospitality we have ever experienced. Personalized, subtle and straight from the heart! They made arrangements for our cab to the station and it was touching to see them escort us to the cab and bow / wave till we could see no more...our stay here is an experience that we shall remember ever so fondly for the rest of our lives! This was truly Japanese hospitality...