Hotel Dengan Pools di Gifu Prefecture, Japan

Pros: - Shuttle bus waiting right in front of the train station - Shuttle bus drop-off every hour in the morning till noon - the room we booked is really spacious with a western-style room and a Japanese-style room and a private bathroom - the view at our room balcony is a big bonus - There are 3 onsens in the hotel which all are good - Nice buffet breakfast with variety of Japanese food Cons: - only one drawback during my stay is other groups of guests whom spoke loudly while using the onsens

This is likely the grandest hotel with the best views along the Nagara River, a true five-star property. The rooms are quite spacious; river-facing rooms offer views of Gifu Castle, while those on the other side overlook the stadium. It was undoubtedly the best value-for-money hotel I stayed at during this trip to Japan.

The assigned room was not the one I booked. Instead of East Wing with a mountain view, I got assigned to South Wing, not sure if it is a mountain view but definitely not what I expected (I will attach a photo). But generally, I still had a fantastic experience there. The location is great for me because it is near Shinhotaka Ropeway. The open air onsen was beautiful, I liked it a lot, and went every night. The food was fantastic too! I am not well versed with Japanese food culture, but basically it was the traditional course meal (only dinner) you probably will have in a decent Japanese restaurant. I am a vegetarian, the hotel is prepared for my diet every breakfast and dinner. I must say I am really amazed with their food culture and knife skill. Their front desk was helpful with my needs too like a nail cutter, plaster etc.

Check in very convenient when we arrived about 8pm, the staff are very friendly, helpful and speaking English. Takayama Bus Center and JR Takayama station only 5 minutes walk. Check some day tour that available from Takayama Bus Center which is very easy to join. Many restaurants nearby and souvenir shops at the main street. Big room and more than enough space to put our 2 big luggage. A bit unstable hot water from the shower but overall is no complaint and we have a pleasant stay at this hotel.

What a satisfying trip! The duplex room had a living room on the lower level and a bedroom, bathroom, and open-air bath on the upper level, fulfilling my long-held dream of staying in a duplex. The hotel was huge, with public baths on the 2nd and 8th floors respectively. Both were large and very comfortable to soak in, but the open-air bath in the room was even more convenient and relaxing, especially in the morning while enjoying the view – a wonderful experience. The room was fully equipped. Dinner was arranged at the Western restaurant, and my husband said the sound system there was incredibly expensive. Breakfast was a buffet, mainly Japanese-style, which didn't quite suit our tastes.

The hotel is very nice, located in the mountains, quiet and peaceful. The riverside park nearby is very large and well maintained. The room is large in Japan, the price is reasonable, and you can soak in the hot spring at night, which is very comfortable. However, you can only drive here by yourself, it is very inconvenient to get here without a car.

Our room was spacious and presented with a private onsen of which we can use any time at our convenience. Because of that, hardly anyone uses the shared private onsen, though the view there is better than that in our rooms. Also, there was no elevator at the hotel, so we had to carry our luggages up and down the stairs, thankfully the hotel only has 2 levels, and the hotel staff were nice enough to help us carry our luggages up into our rooms. Free parking is available, which is essential as the hotel is not situated nearby any public transport. But it is within 15 to 30 min drive to nearby attractions. The hotel was quite strict on the meal times as dinner and breakfast are served at 6pm and 8am sharp respectively. We arrived the hotel late on our first night (around 7pm) and almost missed our dinner (and almost got our room cancelled). We were served hida beef in different cooking style at dinner for both nights of our stay, one steamed and one grilled. Both tasted delicious! All the staff were very friendly and always wearing a grin on their faces. Overall we had a pleasant stay.