Suimeikan

There are 3 different onsens, 1 at each of their buildings for us to try. Very relaxing experience. The hotel location is amazing. It is walkable within 2 3mins of the Gero station but there is also an available shuttle bus at Gero station if u have too many luggages. The breakfast spread is fabulous too with many varieties of japanese dish in bite sizes portions to try out, help with preventing food wastage also. My kids were both excited to sleep on the prepared futon in the ryokan style room

Location was very near to the Gero station which was less than 5 minutes walk and the hotel also offered pickup service to and fro on schedule. Staffs were super nice, helpful and professional. One of them would guide you to the room and give you clear explanation about the hotel/room and even teach you the right way to wear Yukata. We were in a group of five and the room that assigned to us was superb. It was a ryokan style room with tatami and a garden view from the window. The room was spacious, clean and comfortable. The staffs would also help to make the mattress in the evening. The snacks that were given in the room were really tasty! The hotel was said to have 100 years history but it was really big, well maintained and pretty with Japanese traditional garden in the lobby and lots of arts and decorations in the buildings. There were 3 onsens available within 3 buildings which were all good to try out. I did not try the dinner but breakfast was just so so.

Suimeikan was a comfortable stay halfway through our trip to get away from the hustle and bustle of the bigger cities and enjoy a quiet onsen town. The room was comfortable for 3 people. I particularly liked the tatami mat floor with the futon and the low table. However, I would have liked that area to have the sliding doors close off entirely to have more privacy. I loved that they gave us little snacks every day that they offered at their gift shop downstairs. The staff were friendly and helpful and there was a man able to speak English well to answer questions. The buffet breakfast had a Japanese section and a Western section. We stayed for 2 nights and the breakfast spread was basically the same thing. Would have liked to have some variety. I definitely recommend getting a kaiseki meal at Kita no ryo. The food was amazing and beautifully presented. It was one of our favourite meals in Japan. The flavours were unique and we were so full afterward from it too. We also loved that we had our own private room too. The onsens were great too. With 3 different onsens on site we actually didn't even use our hotel shower once. They were meticulously cleaned and never too busy despite the hotel capacity. We loved that we were able to walk around in our yukatas whenever too. The building itself had really nice gardens/ponds and picturesque areas to take good photos. They also had shuttle buses to and from the station. Though the walk is literally like across the road. It took us less than 5 minutes to walk. When we arrived we saw a man with the Suimeikan sign but we weren't sure if they were meant for us so we just walked. Overall, definitely a recommended stay! Comfortable and not overly priced.

Minutes walk from station, convenient to visit shops and restaurants in town and return if raining. Well lit, pleasant interiors. Comfy clean room and ensuite.Excellent breakfast buffet. All 3 public onsens ( one per tower) open to guests irrespective of which tower your room is. Well landscaped pond garden. There is coin laundry if needed. *On checkout, Train to Takayama was cancelled due to heavy rain alert, but thankfully bus service was not. Something to factor in for travel plans. *There is a large game arcade with many machines to keep kids occupied.

This stay was to introduce my family to ryokan culture and they enjoyed it a lot. It was within walking distance from Gero Station and the rooms were really spacious. The packaged dinner and breakfast were good as well. I wish we had stayed another night to properly explore the surrounds and use more of the facilities but our whole trip to Japan was a brief one. Loved the onsen especially the open air one. It was nice they have hybrid traditional/western rooms as the elderly in my family find it difficult to sit or kneel on the floor. The cafe and small garden at the lounge area were nice to relax at as well.