御宿井口 Spa 酒店

Takayama was amazing. The location of this place is hard to beat, impossible at this price. The room I stayed in was ~11tatami mats with two big windows. The have a lovely koi pond on premises. They have an adorable but incredibly comforting onsen on the main floor. It is feet from the river and a 1m walk from the morning market leading in to old town, filled with friendly shopkeepers. Shops close up early, so be sure to get your dinner in before 6pm or head toward the city for food. I never tried the in house food but I'm sure it was good, their kitchen looked well worked. The only issue I could see for some people is the service. It isn't that it was bad, the staff were very friendly and I'm sure willing to help out, but it was mostly a 'do it yourself' type place. They provide clean sheets, towels, yukata, toothbrush/paste, hot water for tea, and cups. This might throw off less adventurous foreigners who haven't used a futon before. If you like being left to your own devices, you'll probably love this system.

Great place to stay. I had a great experience with their Japanese dinner, ¥2000 for a huge meal and they catered to my non-fish diet (although I should have said seafood). Great baths and nice rooms. Slight downside was English level but they tried hard and we always understood basics. Definitely recommend. Great for the price but I think people who like a bit more luxury would still like it. I was surprised by all the extra bits in the room like table, cushions, tea, hot water, heaters, tv, yukata (dressing gown).