Kakehashi Onsen (Kakehashi Onsen)

We are so glad we ended up at this Ryokan. It's a 10-minute (~2700 yen) taxi from Kiso-Fukushima station (best way to get there) and the staff offered to drive us back to the station each day and at the end of the stay. The onsite onsen was great (cold and hot baths) and the food was exquisite. (Best food of our whole 訂房網站!) Seems that there's only one choice for booking meals via 訂房網站.com and that meant we got the top food package (which was delicious but, honestly, too much food for us!) Apparently, if you book locally, there are multiple food plans. It's in a beautiful location and the view is great from the riverside rooms. Yes, the building is a bit run down - water stained carpet in the hallways could stand to be replaced, etc. but the room was clean and the hospitality was warm & felt genuine. (Google translate came in very handy!) The pillows are traditional buckwheat pillows - and I think we were a little bit allergic to them - but it wasn't enough to take away from the experience. (We improvised with clothing wrapped around blankets after the first night.)

Beautiful location overlooking the river. Excellent service. Fantastic meals. Onsen/baths are good. Beds were a little uncomfortable - the futons were a little thin, and the pillows were very uncomfortable - like bags of beads.

The staff really went above and beyond to make two ignorant Canadian tourists feel extremely welcome at a traditional Japanese Ryuken. Though there was a small language barrier, we never felt that we could not communicate our needs. The hot and cold onsen was very refreshing after walking post towns along the Nakasendo Way. The river next to the hotel made for a relaxing experience and deep sleep. Somehow, I missed the option when booking to select the dinner option, there is really no other food options in the area, and the clerk (owner) said he would put a 'simple meal' together for us for a small charge which we found acceptable. The kaiseki that followed was some of the best and most authentic Japanese food we experienced in our two weeks in Japan. The woman serving us was an absolute gem and the cat that ran the establishment was adorable. Our room was very comfortable and had a nice sitting area with a view of the river. Only points of contention would be that that it's a little out of the way if you don't have a car, but is conveniently accessable by bus with ~10 minute walk. The facilities are a little dated, the onsen is discoloured, but I assume that is from the natural minerals. There was a stale smell (smoke) in the rooms which is a bit off-putting to non-smokers. It would appear smoking is allowed in the facility which might be a plus to some.