Ryokan Matsusaki

This was my first time staying here. It is a hot spring inn with a history. I usually stay in a hotel because I am a food secessionist, but I decided to enjoy the hot springs and kaiseki for the first time in a while. The room was spacious and relaxing, although it felt old. For dinner, we were glad to have some local and seasonal ingredients that reminded us of orthodox kaiseki cuisine. Breakfast was mainly blackthroat - the hot springs at Forty-Five have a regular public bath and an open-air public bath located elsewhere. But the best part was the outdoor bath in the room! I went in again and again ♪ The quality of the spring is alkaline which is kind to the skin, and the water temperature is right! It was great 😀

Wherever I start with the review, I only see positive things in my memory. The Matsusaki Hotel gave my family and me a very warm welcome at the beginning of September 2023. We were looked after in a pleasant and loving way. The building itself looks very traditionally cozy from the outside as well as the inside, and this coziness noticeably sets the pace in the house. You simply forget all stress and let yourself slip into a sense of well-being. Our carer Natalie caringly introduced us to Japanese clothing and customs. She was always there when we needed advice and help. She responded empathetically to our wishes and needs. She had such a winning manner that we quickly felt at home in the very tasteful rooms. We slept very well in the beds, enjoyed the hot baths, the hygiene in stylish surroundings and found a wonderful selection of gifts in the hotel shop. The crowning glory in this idyllic hotel was the food. There was an abundance of exceptionally delicious and varied finely decorated dishes. The menu was carefully coordinated in a sequence that seemed to go on forever. Each course was an artistic act. The food was of high quality and excellently seasoned. Our supervisor explained the individual dishes to us in detail so that we received plenty of nourishment for our bodies and minds. We were particularly grateful to Natalie at the end of our stay for her commitment to arranging private transport to the airport very early in the morning when no official transfer was available. It was a wonderful time with only very friendly and nice people around us.

We booked this hotel as our “nice getaway in Japan”. We spent months planning and chose this hotel based on its stellar reviews and picturesque photos. We said “treat YOSELF” as we paid the high rates. Arriving, we entered the facility with excitement and were heralded to our rooms to a “welcome tea ceremony” that felt chaotic, rushed, and left us bewildered. There was only one staff member who spoke English, and while she was exceptional, she also seemed to be overworked and spread a little too thin. She was called anytime we needed anything, and I’m not sure she was given any time to think or sleep. After check-in, we were welcomed to dinner which was held in a weird, sparse, conference room with fold out tables and chairs and very little decor. The dinner was also chaotic and the food was not great. We made it through dinner and tried out the private onsen. It was fine. All of it felt super outdated and while the price tag felt luxurious, the experience felt like a sad budget nursing home. We ended up leaving early and spent our precious and limited vacation time exploring more of Japan. Best decision we ever made.