Yufuin Onsen Sanso Murata

My wife and I stayed at this onsen for 1 night in December 2023 and we are very happy with our choice. The service provided is exemplary, as the resort provides complimentary taxi around town, and the staff are very welcoming and warm in receiving us. The hotel only has private onsens and there are no public baths, but our room and the decor of the resort is very cozy and the Tan’s Bar provides drinks with a special instrument at night. The lounge is also a quiet corner where guests can play chess and Othello, read books with complimentary coffee. Highly recommended!

I finally get the chance to stay in Sansou Murata with my mother once the pandemic has been treated as endemic. I book again this time for a few accommodations that I stayed in my 2019 trip, only Sansou murata recognized me, by my name & contact info, who have only visited the place once. It’s truly impressive since not all hotels, ryokan or restaurants can achieve the same, no matter how expensive they are. We were, again, warmly welcomed by Mr Shiotani at check-in. He speaks perfect English and is helpful in accommodating guests’ every need. I chose the room“ Hou” which is a 2-story semi-detached house ( shared the same location with “Sou”). The house is connected to the main building with covered pathway. It’s just a couple of steps from tan’s bar, the front desk and the restaurant, Saryou Saihido. The room was spacious with 155 sq.m. and well-maintained. However, the changing room was a tad dated and small with just a single sink, which is lackluster as compared with the one in “Higashi” which I stayed last time, though I like the semi-open bath of Hou more. Needless to say, staffs serving our room were as usual hospitable and attentive. I loved the atmosphere of tan’s bar so I went to have p-roll and caramel ice-cream there before dinner. Service and food quality were impeccable. Dinner was served in-room and was literally cooked in the locked kitchen attached to the house. I really like this arrangement as it makes no difference from dining in the restaurant. It was an enjoyable meal. Breakfast was served in a separate room of the restaurant, table & chairs not sunken Kotatsu, which was great for elderlies. Western breakfast was not available this time and many facilities such as the Theo tea room and art museum were closed on weekdays, guess the pandemic has really hit the business hard. I stayed in 4 ryokans during this trip and at least three of them were top-tiered. My mother liked Sansou Murata the most. She couldn’t identify the exact reasons but one thing for sure, sansou-Murata was the only facility that served without any hiccups during our trip. To me, everything was fine except that the 2nd floor (where the bedroom and 2nd toilet were located ) was kind of creepy and spooky to me. It’s dark even when all the lights were turned on and I just didn’t like going upstairs, personal problem, I must admit. Anyway as long as my mother likes it, purpose is served. After check-out, as planned, we went to the souvenir shop for some shopping and then walked down to Fusho-an for lunch. Table was reserved, the same delicious soba and great service. After lunch, we just had to notify the servers, a taxi loaded with my luggage was there in a few minutes to take us to the Yufuin station. Seamless and hassle-free, kudos to the team of Sansou Murata. I won’t hesitate in returning should I plan to visit Yufuin again.

The three of us (including Mrs. KI-NRT and her mother) spent the final 2 nights of our Kyushu sojourn at in Yufuin, and through extensive research we settled on Sanso Murata, which appeared to be the most unique and luxurious ryokan in the area. We also chose two rooms that were adjacent to one another - "Sou" and "Hou," due not just for their proximity, but because their design aesthetic was most appealing to us (choose carefully, because each of the 12 rooms have their own unique characteristics, and because guests staying there have the option of having dinner served in their rooms. They appeared to be the most modern and Western in decor and furnishings compared to some of the other rooms, which were more traditional Japanese in look and feel. The property sits up on a small hill above Yufuin's main area (about a 5 minute drive away), which is a plus or minus, depending on what you're looking for. Given that we had our own vehicle and parking space in Yufuin is rather abundant, we felt that it was worth staying in a secluded spot when we weren't out on the town. The ryokan itself is surrounded by various galleries and a few cafes, although it was in a very sleepy part of Yufuin and was devoid of many tourists. This included several that were owned and/or operated by Sanso Murata itself, including Allegro and a Soba noodle restaurant, both that are within a short walking distance from the ryokan entrance. Both the property grounds as well as the immediate vicinity is not particularly picturesque. It's a serene and calming place, but it's neither immaculately manicured nor does it have much character. Rather than exuding luxury in an awe-inspiring way, Sanso Murata makes up for it in its indoor charms. It's neither traditional Japanese nor is it ultra modern, but somewhere in between. However, it does not feel outdated, because it's well maintained and the decor is more by design than a function of its age. Both the "Hou" and "Sou" rooms were generously proportioned (155m² and 130m², respectively), and were Maisonette-style, with the bedroom (with two Western style beds as well as one of the two toilets) on the upper floor and the Western living/dining room, a separate Japanese tatami room and the main bathroom, shower room and Onsen bath all on the ground floor. It was tastefully decorated, and with the option to spend time in either the Japanese or Western living rooms, it offers something for everyone's tastes. The Western living room furnishings don't scream "high end," but was functional and more than served its purpose. The Onsen (natural hot springs) bath in the room is of the semi open-air variety in that it's technically indoors, but you can slide open the glass doors if you choose to be exposed (somewhat) to the elements. This was a nice option to have, because it was relatively warm when we were there, so it was good have a a breeze flow in from the outside while enjoying the Onsen. So far, so... decent, right? The key to Sanso

非の打ち所がみつかりません。 訪ねてこちらがいろいろと勉強させられるような素晴らしい宿です。 決して価格は手頃では無いので度々は利用出来ませんが、過去三十年の間に5回ほど行きましたが、毎回大満足です。 佇まい、清潔さ、調度品のスキのなさ、スタッフの練度、もちろんお料理も。 創立した方はお亡くなりになられたようですが、その後受け継がれた方々の気持ちの強さを感じる素晴らしいお宿です。

去年5月に引き続き2回目の冬の訪問でした。 お湯良し、お料理良し、施設良し、サービスもいつも素晴らしいです。バーも静か、素敵な調度品に暖炉で落ち着きがあります。 先の東京のホテルの不手際で到着が大幅に遅れた事を気にしてくださり、なんとレイトチェックアウトをさせていただきました。 非日常の空間で行き届いたサービスと最高のお宿です。

私が今まで宿泊した施設の中でお気遣いが最高の宿でした。お値段に劣らないお宿です。是非また行きたいと思わせてくれるほどのんびり過ごすことが出来ました。 家族に左利きの物が２名いたのですが、朝食の時は箸が左利き用に並べられておりました。また私は洋食、ほかの物は和食を朝選んだのですが、洋食のスープを見て娘が一口頂戴～～って言った際、お持ちしましょうか？とすぐ対応してくださったりと。。 夜も、父のお祝いをしたのですが、祝服を持って来てくださって、ケーキも、お箸も頂きました。３年ぶりに逢えた海外在住の娘や孫たちと最高の時間を過ごすことが出来ました。

先日、家族4人で記念旅行で宿泊しましたが、部屋のテレビに不具合があり2時間程、ホテルの男性スタッフが部屋を出たり入ったりとされ、まるで家に電気屋さんが来られているようでした。 その間お風呂に入ることもできず、家族で寛いだり、会話もしにくい状況でした。 せっかくの滞在時間に、このように部屋内にスタッフが何度も出入りすることにホテル側は何の問題も感じておられず非常に残念でした。 トイレにはペーパーの予備もありません。 暖房器具のコンセントはソファー裏側で抜けたままになっています。 次のお客様が入る前の室内の点検が不十分です。 トラブルがあったことは仕方ありませんが、その後、満足して過ごせるような接客を心がけている姿勢は感じられませんでした。 データー管理での見せかけの接客ではなく、心のこもった接客を望む方にはお勧めしません。 一人、一泊6万円の価値はありません。