Hida Takayama Washington Hotel Plaza

However, the room was comfortable; yukata, slippers and soap made available as well as 1 toothbrush per night. The only issue, the window could not be opened for fresh air. Breakfast : one has the choice between continental or Japanese breakfast which was good. Advantage : very close to railway and bus station and a 10 Minutes walk to the old town. Recommend only for short visit.

We only chose the hotel when our other choice was fully booked and it was the most expensive, but worst hotel we stayed in. The male 'receptionists' were the unfriendliest Japanese people we met in one month's travel. When we pay over AU$310.00 for a hotel room we expect to receive quality toiletries but all we received was a plastic dispenser of soap, shampoo and conditioner. The beds were rock hard and the one pillow provided appeared to have been stuffed with corn husks. The air-conditioning didn't work but we were able to open the window to let fresh air in. The escalators weren't working on one occasion which necessitated walking up to the reception area on the first floor in order to gain access to the lift to one's room. My husband paid for breakfast on a couple of days and said it was adequate. Breakfast was included in several hotels (which cost much less) and was buffet style rather than a tray. The close proximity to the train and bus stations, and walking distance to the old town, were the only redeeming features.

The hotel's greatest (and only) advantage is its excellent location, a few minutes walk from the JR station and the bus terminal, a walking distance to the old city and main attractions. The hotel is located on the main street but you could not hear the street noises inside. It is surrounded with many shops, restaurants and amusement places. Our room was very small and basic. We needed to work hard to find a place for our luggage. The bed was hard, the pillows were hard on one side and harder on the other side. Luckily we were tired enough to fall asleep in spite of the above. The aircon sounds as if it was working but practically was not. The attempt to at least open the window to let fresh and coolish air in,failed as it was locked. The front desk is located on the first floor and can be accessed by an escalator from the front door on the ground floor. The staff at the reception were efficient but we found it weird that on check in they personally handed over to us two sets of disposable toothpaste and tooth brush and a disposable razor. Beside of that, the bathroom in our room was not equipped with anything else but shampoo, liquid soap and conditioner dispensers, not like in all other Japanese hotels we stayed in during our trip. Breakfast (the European style) was really poor. The "built-in" breakfast on a tray included samples of an egg, salad, sausage, toast and jam. You were not allowed to order extra beside of toast and coffee. We chose the hotel in spite of the bad reviews because we visited Takayama during the autumn festival and this was our only available choice, nearby to the train station. If you have another available choice, take it.

The hotel is 60 m from the train station and Tohi bus terminal and about 2 km from the main temple. The rooms are very very small. We had 3 rooms (Family of 6) and because check out was at 10am, we asked to keep 1 room only until 11:30t 10:00 and was denied. I think it's more a business like hotel than leisure, more formal than others we used in japan. We chose it since it wasn't expensive and we arrived 2 days before the Takayama's Festival, otherwise would probably go with bigger rooms and perhaps closer to the old area and temple.

The hotel has a nice location for exploring the city. The hotel is in the center of the city with lots of rest and very near the train station. The room is adequately sized with nice twin beds. However the hotel is old and just updated but the staff was very accommodating. the breakfast was adequate.

As has been said by others, this hotel is in a great location, right in the centre of town, close to eateries and the rail station. Another great plus was the polite and helpful staff. We didn't know how to work our air conditioning ... it turns out there is none, though the dial by the bed says "air conditioning" - it just means heat. And when we asked at the desk for ice, they gave us a good supply of ice in an ice bucket - no charge. The hotel registration desk and lobby is on the second floor, accessed by an escalator from the street at the front door. The room is so small, we had to set aside the TV and clear away the kettle to make room for our luggage... there is no floor or closet space that can accommodate a regular piece of luggage. There is no night stand, but a small desk with a stool tight to the bed - served as a luggage rack. There is a small fridge, but it was not turned on; the sign advised to turn it on, but we couldn't see any switch to do so. The room came equipped with a tea-making kettle, hair dryer and a humidifier. There are lots of outlets for electrical use, and a central panel between the beds that adjust lights and heat, and has plugs. Wi-Fi is available and free. Luckily, the window does open, and it was a welcome relief for some fresh air. Our experience with the beds (2 singles) was that they were very comfortable. The pillows are pretty standard, small and hard on one side, harder on the other. The towels and linens were also high quality, and we thought that the shampoo, liquid soap and conditioner dispensers were excellent. The toilet again came with a bidet and heated seat options. There was terrific shower pressure, and the shower head had both a high and low placement holder. Breakfast was included with our room, and we had a choice of Western or Japanese breakfast, served plated, on a tray. You could ask for more coffee or toast. Good service.

This hotel is very old and dated, the bed is as hard as concrete, the room stunk of cigarette smoke and the man at reception didn't seem to care about anything when we checked in. The only saving grace is there is free room wifi and the hotel is in a great location, walking distance to transport, shops and sites

Only saving grace of this place is the location which is right across the JR station and bus terminal which we took a bus to Shirakawago. This is about the only hotel out of the 30 other hotels we stayed that provided no amenities and I guess very basic. The receptionist was an old man who wasn't at the desk when we checked in and had to holler before he waltz out and with no greeting or expression. Overall, can't complain much given the price and location but don't stay too long I guess. Oh and it's about a 10 min walk to the old town which is good too.

We were a group of 6 on a trip to Shinagawa-go for a photo expedition. The location is perfect, directly opposite the JR train and the bus stations. These are the main transport hubs you need when visiting this area. Most (if not all) tours run from this bus terminal. The city's attractions are of walking distance from the hotel. The famous morning markets were less then 10 mins walk. The parks were less then 15 mins. The climate was cool enough for the strolls we took during our 3 day stay. The local (Japanese) breakfast was excellent. All seafood, eggs, veg & rice were agreeable to our muslim dietary requirement. There was a 'western' option, but really, while in Japan.... The hotel is not however in the middle of their commercial district. There were the Family Marts and 7-Elevens located around the hotel (being next to the train and bus station definitely helps. Around the corner 3 blocks down, we found a halal Thai restaurant too. The rooms were however, slightly dated. You could feel the age from the design of the room's facilities. They were clean, and bathroom amenities were replenished daily. The bed was a bit too firm, but was agreeable to our backs after the numerous walks we took. Overall, it was a good stay. I'm planning to take the family to this hotel this year.