Hotels in Arima Onsen Hotspring, Kobe

This hotel is quite good. Its prime location in the Arima Onsen resort area is a major draw. A significant highlight is the hotel's own onsen, featuring the unique 'Kinsen' (Gold Spring) and 'Ginsen' (Silver Spring) waters, which are a rare find elsewhere. Additionally, the hotel has a swimming pool, with free access for children, adding to its overall value. Perched on a hilltop, it offers fantastic panoramic views. While some facilities might be a bit dated, the overall experience was very pleasant, and it offers excellent value for money. I would happily return to this hotel given the chance. The buffet breakfast was satisfactory. A thoughtful touch is their arranged shuttle service for guests departing at 7 PM. Finally, the Japanese staff at the front desk were incredibly friendly and enthusiastic, which is definitely worth commending.

1. After getting off the Shinki Bus at Sannomiya Station at Arima Onsen (Taikobashi), I called the hotel and they picked me up for free. The wait was only about 5 minutes. 2. The hotel was not crowded. The dinner set menu and breakfast were both excellent. 3. The hot springs also have private bath reservations, which was very comfortable. I will come again next time.

The environment and dishes are quite satisfactory. The rice is as delicious as ever, but the overall price is not high. It may be that the reputation of Ma Hot Spring is great, and the boss is really big (there are many celebrities in the store to take photos).

I booked this hotel because it was touted as one of Asia's top 100 onsen hotels for 2025. However, apart from the hot springs being decent, every other aspect of the service was a massive letdown. To begin with, both the kaiseki dinner and the breakfast the following day were truly subpar. The room was dreadfully small. Furthermore, despite inquiring about kimonos (as there were none in the room) with both the front desk manager and a server, who assured us they would send them up shortly and even took our sizes, not a single kimono materialized by the time we checked out the next day. We paid over 7,000 RMB for a family tatami room for four, including breakfast and dinner. At this price point, anyone staying here is simply getting ripped off. There will absolutely not be a second visit, and I also sensed a certain unfriendliness towards Chinese guests.

The hotel is located on a slope behind Arima Onsen street. The actual distance isn't far, probably just over 800 meters if you take a leisurely walk through the hot spring town. While there are many hotels on this slope, carrying luggage uphill can be a bit tiring. So, I'd recommend contacting the hotel in advance (or via Ctrip) for their pickup service. A hotel shuttle will quickly pick you up from Arima Onsen Station, and the ride takes only about five minutes. The hotel is situated by the Rokko River. The rooms have been renovated and are quite clean. There's a Japanese-Korean izakaya on the first floor, open from 5 PM to 11 PM. This is very convenient, especially considering that many restaurants in the hot spring town tend to close early. I must especially praise their hot springs! They offer both 'Gold' (Kinsen) and 'Silver' (Ginsen) springs. Guests are generally well-spaced out, so there's often no one else around when you're bathing – many times, I had the springs entirely to myself. The springs are absolutely fantastic, making it completely unnecessary to pay to visit the 'Gold Spring' in the main hot spring town, as the spring sources are reportedly the same. Arima Onsen street isn't very large; you can comfortably explore the entire area in about an hour. If you have some spare time, you could also go for a hike in the mountains behind. All in all, the hot springs are the definite highlight here.

Arriving at night, you'll need to walk for around 10 minutes from the train station to reach the hotel. They offer a free ride to the station only after check-out, so if you want to explore the area before leaving, you'll need to store your luggage at the station. The hotel is overall very nice, comfortable, and offers a substantial breakfast.

A great hotel, the hotel is very quaint and has a Japanese style. The room is large, the mattress is very comfortable, and the sleep is good. The staff is also very friendly and kind. The hotel's breakfast and dinner are also very rich and delicious. The hot springs are rotated every day, so you can experience them all.

This was our second visit here. The staff is very helpful, and there is a free transfer not just to and from the station - if you want a pickup from the town or the ropeway during your stay, they will help too. The private baths are beautiful and very well maintained, and the reserve-next-as-you-leave-the-previous system is very convenient. Overall, great experience.

A lovely traditional hotel with a few rooms in a secluded quiet location at the end of the village near the funicular. Very friendly staff. We were greeted with a cup of tea and local waffles. The traditional kaiseki dinner and breakfast was an unusual and interesting experience. Spacious traditional room with access to a garden with a pond with koi carp. The pool with golden water is nice. The pool with silver water in a regular room.

The front desk service is very good. The room is very good, the floor-to-ceiling corner window has a beautiful view outside the window, the room facilities are very new, the room facilities are very complete, the room coffee and the refrigerator are very rich, the drinks are full, very considerate. The shampoo, conditioner and body lotion are all Bulgari, the experience is very good. They also thoughtfully prepared men's and women's skin care travel packs, which is very attentive. I would like to especially praise the staff of Hiroko-san who has been serving us since we received them during our stay. They are very enthusiastic, very attentive and very nice. The experience brought to us during our stay was very comfortable and very good. I look forward to meeting Hiroko-san again next time I stay.