Iwaso

Fantastic friendly staff, amazing food, excellent onsen - a perfect stay

Iwaso is nestled in a beautiful location at the bas of Mt. Misen and the building itself and the surrounds are very quiet and peaceful. Full credit goes to all the staff at Iwaso, they make you feel very welcome from the moment you enter until you check out and provide very attentive service, without making you feel simply like 'another customer'. Dinner and breakfast were both very good, with the kaiseki dinner having an interesting menu of local seafood. The room was comfortable and well maintained with a good selection of amenities. Overall I highly reccomend Iwaso for anyone staying at Miyajima and will stay here again if I return.

absolutely loved my stay, from the moment we arrived, the staff were warm, welcoming, and incredibly attentive. The location is perfect — tucked into the trees near Momijidani Park, with a peaceful stream running right outside. Everything about Iwaso felt authentic and special. If you want a true taste of traditional Japanese hospitality, this is the place to stay.

Everything was awesome

A beautiful tranquil retreat with excellent Japanese cuisine and a warm Welcome. Highly recommended

Great experience. We stayed in Japanese room in main building on half board. Couldnt fault the hotel. Staff and hotel amazing.

Excellent Japanese ryokan experience. Loved the japanese style rooms. The meals were excellent a d let you explore the many different flavors of japanese food.

A gorgeous property, top notch and caring service, wonderful food and a beautiful onsen. This is a spectacular place for a stay on Miyajima. We arrived early and our bags were quickly stored. Check in was smooth. The room was large and had a beautiful view of the foliage on the mountainside and sound of the nearby creek. It was so quiet and peaceful! We had included dinner which was delicious as was breakfast. The onsen is magical. Everything about Iwaso was fantastic. Stay here for a traditional ryokan experience. Highly recommended!!

Stayed in the old wing

We had a great stay for one night in April. Great place to stay while seeing the local sights.

A once in a lifetime experience!! Impeccable property with rich traditions. Wish we could have stayed longer!

If you're after an authentic tradtional Japanese stay, look no further

Love the location . Kaiseki breakfast was good , dinner was adequate , too many soups & not enough seafood , enjoyed 2 Sake flights , 6 different sake . Enjoyed the Onsen

What a spectacular stay we had. While the property is old and shows its age it is super lovely. Food was fantastic. Onsen was beautiful. Location was excelllent and surrounded by nature. Overall ryoken experience was one of the best travel experiences of my life.

Lovely stay - as a first time visitor to Japan, it was great to have a night at some more traditional lodging. Iwaso was beautiful and the service excellent. The fixtures in the private bathroom in my room were somewhat dated but everything was very clean, and I really used the Onsen anyway - also, the historic/classic styling of the property was what I wanted. I didn’t find the futons particularly comfortable, but am used to western beds. But what I really felt like I was paying for here was location - a short walk to town, beautifully set right along the river. Could hear the stream from my room (which looked out into the trees, I was in the newer/larger building) and loved using the outdoor Onsen next to the water. And, the best part was being up late/early after the hordes of day trippers had left - very peaceful. It also made it easier to get to the ropeway right at opening and avoid the lines (property is along the path up to Mt Misen.) The more expensive lodging options looked beautiful and probably worth the splurge - just outside my budget.

Food was amazing. Best I’ve had on my trip. Loved the area as well.

This is a very expensive ryokan in my opinion, but you're paying to be able to stay in Miyajima after all the tourists leave, so it's worth it. You can get a very nice kaiseki dinner, which if you like Japanese food, you'll like. It's heavy on the fish and shellfish, not surprising since it's an island, so if you have an issue with that, you need to tell them when you make the reservation or at least before you arrive. The room was a basic Japanese room. Really well appointed. My only problem was that it sounded like they were doing laundry in the room below me all night, but then in the morning, I thought maybe it was the plumbing? Who knows. It's centrally located to the shrine, so I got up at 7 and had the place almost to myself - which is the reason why you do this.

Iwaso is a tremendous experience, absolutely recommended in my book. The hotel staff were very helpful and attentive, making sure I knew everything I needed to to make the most of my time staying there. I stayed at Iwaso for one night as a part of a larger trip traveling around Japan, and the room I had here was far and away the most spacious and luxurious of any I stayed in during the trip. Iwaso is a short walk away from many of the main attractions on Miyajima (really short, we're talking sub-10-minutes). However, Iwaso also has a bus that can pick you up from the ferry terminal, which is a big help if you have any heavy bags. (I didn't, but could see how useful that would be.) The balcony in my room overlooked a remarkably calm forested area, with the sounds of wildlife as company while I sat and read. The balcony was enclosed, to prevent mosquitos and other bugs from disrupting your experience. The room also included instructions for the yukata (traditional pyjamas) and for using the hotel's onsen, both of which were very helpful for a foreigner like me who wasn't already accustomed to them! I didn't book dinner with my room, but the front desk staff were able to provide me with a map of the island with some dinner recommendations. And the traditional breakfast was a real treat, wholeheartedly recommended to get a taste for some new Japanese foods.

An amazing experience. One of the highlights of our entire trip to Japan. Miyajima itself is extremely touristy and crowded, but still worth it for the views, shrines, temples, street food and the pesky deer. This hotel is a haven of tranquility amidst the hustle and bustle yet only a very short walk from the action. The staff guide you patiently in etiquette for a Ryokan. Both the evening meal and breakfast are cultural and culinary experiences and the onsen baths were lovely. Sleeping on the futon and tatami mats was much more comfortable than I expected. It’s not cheap by any means, but I think it is well worth it for the overall experience.

Great way to spend an easy getaway from the city. Beautiful nature setting. Got some good bathing in too. Great traditional Japanese dining!