真木温泉 — Hotel in Otsuki

New to the Onsen/Ryokan game I was worried that the one I picked for my wife and I would not be up to scratch. One thing I knew was that we didn't want to stay at an Onsen Ryokan in the middle of a city, on top of an apartment block. So I went for Magi Onsen Ryokan - a beautiful Onsen Ryokan situated in the mountains near Otsuki City.||||Getting to Magi Onsen was admittedly a bit of a trek, we had to get the Shinkansen to Tokyo then the JR Chuo Line north which, from Nagoya, took almost 4 hours. When we arrived at Otsuki station we had planned to catch a bus (15 mins) to Magi Onsen. At this point we were rather tired so we really appreciated what happened next - we were approached by a man in uniform who asked our names, and when given introduced himself as a driver for Magi Onsen. We didn't ask or book such a service (which I later found out was free for all guests) so to have it at the end of a long trip was utterly fantastic.||||Service at the Ryokan was also top-notch - neither my wife or I speak much Japanese so when they staff members discovered this they assigned us a member of staff who spoke English who not only acted as our server (such as at meals, where she took the time to explain the dishes, methods of cooking etc) but also a guide for anything we wanted to ask about the Onsen. I truly tip my hat to the staff at Magi Onsen.||||The Onsen itself was nestled in the hills near Otsuki City and was the quietest and most peaceful place we'd been to our entire trip - the sound of the summer insects and the flowing river nearby really helped calm the nerves as we relaxed in our own personal Onsen bath (which, as far as I'm aware comes with every room). Also at our disposal were private Onsen and public Onsen - this and our personal Onsen left nothing to be desired.||||The food was fabulous, all sourced locally so freshness was guaranteed and presented so well my wife could not stop taking pictures. I was particularly blow away by the sashimi, beef and the whole fish but every course was an absolute delight. The rooms were beautiful, spacious, air-conditioned (important in the summer!) and comfortable. We even had our every own massaging armchair, going from Onsen to armchair was just heavenly.||||Nearby to the Onsen is a factory (not the loud industrial kind, it was small, quiet and inconspicuous) where they bottle gold medal winning mineral water (which I believe is associated with the Onsen itself), we were given a free pass as guests which entitled us to a tour, a free coffee and a gift bag. From said factory we could even see Mt. Fuji in the distance.||||We have already put down Magi Onsen Ryokan as an absolute must-go they next time we are in...

You may not be able to find this onsen on any of the international accommodation booking sites. And this hidden gems has offered not only the best accommodation experience that I ever had, but their staffs were so sweet that even thou their English is so limited, but still trying to assist us from letting us know how to enjoy a traditional kaiseki to worrying if my husband would miss the trail race if we leaving too late.||They have a private ensuite hot spring in each of their guest rooms, but you may welcome to experience the other public hot springs on site as well. ||The room charges not only included bed and breakfast, but also the authentic japanese dinner- kaiseki as well. Please put on the bath ropes that they have provided when u go for dinner, this is the proper way! The dinner and breakfast were superb!!||Guests may also enjoy a 10 mins morning walk up on the hill in the premises. It’s a refresh experience!||You may also found that you are the only foreigner in the premises, as we found all the other guests are Japanese. ||We had some difficulties when we made our booking online, as the website and their booking form is only available in Japanese. But do not hesitate to send them an email of booking enquires, as they usually reply swiftly and I’m quite sure they were trying to answer my email by using google translate. ||Oh..... and they don’t accept eft or credit cards, so, if you are trying to make a booking, you have to remember to bring cash with!||But once again we would like to say thanks to all the staffs at Magi Onsen! We do enjoyed our staying there last night & this was really the highlight of...

My wife and I took our inlaws to Magi Onsen (hotspring) for their 50th anniversary (also, our 25th). We wanted to find somewhere classy yet private. The pictures on the Internet looked awesome. Although some parts of the hotel need updating (a tatami mat here and there, perhaps a good cleaning to remove dust, etc.), overall it was excellent. Our room had a kitchenette and a private wooden outdoor hots pring next to the river. Also, there are men's and women's big baths and two outdoor room hot springs that are great at night when you want to sit back and look at the stars with the sound of the river beside you (and a cold beer or two).||The service was the best I have ever had, and a few of the staff speak very good English (she lived in Canada for two years!). The food was beautifully prepared and by the end of each meal I was stuffed....so much so that our server made rice balls out of our leftover rice that we ended up eating later when we went for a hike.||||The other English review here sums up our experience. It is not cheap, but well worth it. Hiking through the grape fields, checking out many wineries, and being surrounded by nature are just a few other reasons to check out this gem. We will definitely...