Tsurunoyu Onsen

First visit, July 2025 The only good thing about this place is the hot springs. Those with positive reviews are mostly day-trippers. For overnight stays, please refer to the negative reviews. The customer service is awful. There's absolutely no sense of hospitality. The rooms are hot because the air conditioning doesn't work properly, partly because the filters are never cleaned and are covered in dust. The hallways are also extremely hot without air conditioning. Someone else said the landlady was talking to a local man, saying, "For this price, our customers are happy! The food is delicious, too!" It was just an endless loop of elderly people saying the same thing. The local man was probably a caterer. There's no French chef who just left. I ordered the expensive seasonal kaiseki meal, but it was all just a weird dish, like a side dish made after a home-cooked meal: pork hotpot, grilled chicken, snail-like shellfish, Japanese dishes like canned tuna, and terrible tempura. We also ordered Kumano beef teppanyaki, which cost 2,400 yen for one portion of three slices of lean meat. I think they were probably just lying about using random meat, but if this was really Kumano beef, it must be a really high-end brand and taste terrible. I wonder if this public facility is run by a designated manager. I will never stay here again.

I stayed here for business on a weekday, with two meals included. The hot spring was very good. The source appears to be a cold spring, but the water was quite hot. I would have preferred it to be at least as warm as the open-air bath. The meal was described as kaiseki cuisine, but it really shouldn't be called kaiseki. Soon came sashimi, a superb gratin, a small hot pot, kamameshi (rice cooked in a pot), and dessert...that was all, really. The only saving grace was that the sashimi was delicious. Also, almost all of the food was catered, brought in from another inn in town. Time management was lax, so the meal didn't start on time; the kamameshi, which had been cooked first, was finished first. (lol) Breakfast was the same, so it didn't start on time. To top it off, the rice was clearly cooked the day before and wasn't very tasty. Also, I noticed a large number of ants on the table this morning, which surprised me; cleaning is a basic requirement for running an inn. Apparently, the current manager took over about three years ago. Since it also serves as a day spa, I think it would be better for people working in the accommodation industry to quit.

We stayed for one night as a group of two in mid-November. We were very satisfied with the food and hot springs. Thank you very much. I had read various reviews, but we were able to choose a meal time when we checked in. When it was time to eat, our plates and food were already set out. We were able to start eating as soon as we sat down. The authentic Wakayama mozuku seaweed, hot pot, corn rice, soy milk and kudzu chawanmushi, homemade pudding, sashimi, and more were all delicious. The hot springs warmed me from the inside out. Apparently, they'd been featured in a newspaper article, stating that the hot springs have a very high concentration of mineral elements. We used the air conditioning in our room. It took a while to warm up. The toilet in our room, the floor of the large bathroom, and the washing area were all clean. I could hear my neighbor snoring, so the walls might be a little thin. Surrounded by mountains, the idyllic atmosphere was very comfortable. The staff who helped me at check-in and check-out were very friendly and made me feel warm and welcome. Thank you very much.

I feel bad even thinking about it to write a review. Simply put, the service was terrible. To top it off, the person in charge was awful. Because the person in charge wasn't at the inn, I was put on the phone with the person in charge (the president) when I checked out. They didn't seem sorry for the other party's mistake (the discrepancy in the invoice amount) and instead made excuses, blaming the invoice on an employee who wasn't very good with computers. I have no interest in knowing what the other party's situation is, and when I told them about the lack of apology or attitude, they replied, "I'm on the phone, so I can't see you bowing. I said I'm sorry, didn't I?" Other than the discrepancy in the invoice amount, the other low-scoring reviews are the same, so please take that into consideration. I'll skip that. I don't recommend staying here at all, except for a day trip to the hot springs. It's a complete waste of money. If you want to feel like you've wasted your money and see just how terrible the service is, I recommend you try it.

I only used the hot springs for a day trip, but it felt really nice. The water is brown and apparently rich in iron. There are plenty of amenities, and they even provide cream and lotion for after you bath. I think the shampoo and conditioner were horse oil? In these times when prices are going up everywhere, the price of 600 yen is quite reasonable. My skin became smooth, and the old man working there was very friendly and nice. I'd definitely like to come again. I feel like I've found a great little-known gem♪