Hotel Miyako Hotel di Nara

From the moment we arrived at Mikasa in the hills above Nara, we knew that this was going to be a special place to stay. The staff had arrived out front to greet us and assist us with our luggage. Our name was up on the board of arrivals, and after handing over our passports, we were quickly ushered into their main seating area off the lobby for some Ocha and a view of Nara below. My assumption is that they were doing that additional check-in procedures and verifying the room was ready during this time, so it was a nice touch to be able to relax while waiting. The ladies in our group were then given their choice of Yukata. For whatever reason, the men's were already in the room. We were then shown the facilities on our way to the rooms and given the information as to how the bathing worked. It was a lot of information to digest, but not unreasonable. The rooms were larger than expected, with the traditional tatami matting and our own private onsen on the porch. The room had HVAC, which was nice as it was quite chilly outside and it kept the room the perfect temperature. Not long after we arrived, it was time for the traditional Japanese dinner. We arrived slightly early to our reserved time but were delighted to find that our own private dining room had already been set up for our dining experience. We could not believe the amount which had already been laid out for us. It was a delightful mix of colors and aromas, and provided a precursor for the several courses which were to follow. The food was amazing. Even when there were dishes that were not to our liking (due to palette, not quality) , we dud enjoy the presentation. Although there was a bell to ring for service, our host always seemed to know when we were finishing and was ready with the next course. It was quite the experience and would recommend to anyone to ensure you get the traditional dining options. From there, we retired back to the rooms to get ready for the onsen, which was open for longer hours than expected. I believe they closed at midnight and opened back up at 05:30am. Some opted to get up early to enjoy the relative privacy of an early morning soak before breakfast. We again went the traditional route for breakfast, and while it was a bit more adventurous than we were used to, it embraced the mornings offerings of seafood, savory proteins, and intriguing fruits. The quantity of food was comparable to the dinner the previous evening, which is to say, a lot of it. After that, it was time to check-out as we had elected for just a 1 night stay, though we would all have liked to stay another night. The best part was, for check-out, they would take you bags and drop them at the Ryokan's information center allowing guests to spend their day in Nara without the hassle of dealing with luggage. Definitely a 5-star touch. Please note that there was some confusion about the location of the info booth as both times we were pointed to different spots on the map, neither of whi