Wakaura Holidays from NZ$2,048

The hotel is beautiful! The entrance, lounge area and rooms are spectacular and well kept. We were a family of 4 and stayed in the 4 bed room. The onsite onsen is also a must do. There is also a guest lounge area in the basement with drinks and snacks that we found useful. The previous reviews about the smoking smell in the elevator and hallways are on point. The smoking room is behind the check in desk , a small room and they open the door to clean it up … the fire station across the street could also be a problem in the event of an emergency at night: we did enjoy the firemen morning drills and fire Marshall salutations they had while we were there… The check in staff were not friendly: I asked for a room on higher floors away from the smoke and not facing the fire station. They gave us a room on the second floor and facing the station. They also tried to tell me that our luggage is already in the room and it will inconvenience them to change it … I insisted and it turns out our luggage was behind the counter … they upgraded us to the fourth floor, still facing the fire station… the location was 15 minutes walking away from attractions and close to subway station. This hotel would easily be a five star if the smoking room is eliminated and the check in staff were friendlier.

The breakfast selection is generous and I love the grilled sardines. The outdoor onsen is a wonderful experience. The only negative is no restaurants were opened for dinner during our stay so we have to live on our choc and snacks bought in Kyoto