Tsubakiso

What People are saying

5 Star Hospitality

allanmcon 30/11/2016 23:05

This property is not your standard hotel experience, it's a character filled home with a very interesting and friendly owner, who goes out of her way to make you feel welcome.
Rooms are a bit tired, considering the property is 85+ years old that can be expected.
The Japanese breakfast on the first day was outstanding.
Get involved in local life and stay at Tsubakiso. it's an easy stroll from the station and surrounded by shopping and restaurants. Nara Park came be reached in 10-15min walk.
I highly recommend this place for the adventurous traveler, it's like visiting a long lost, friendly relative (who just happens not to speak the same language)..great stay.

A very basic Ryokan , but well located.

European123on 06/11/2016 12:20

The place is fine for just sleeping and within walking distance of all the attractions.
However , it is not very clean and expensive for what it offers.
The lady who owns the place speaks little English, but is very friendly and helpful.
She offered to do our laundry which was appreciated.

a small ryokan

CodyKowon 23/10/2016 14:54

owner stays on ground floor. very friendly lady. the room is small - not for more than 2. felt crammy. owner did offer another small room for 1 on ground floor. however, as family with small kid, we thought it was better staying together. the ryokan had seen better days and coukd do with a bit of sprucing up.

Friendly, hospitable owner in a lovely little ryokan

Kelvin89on 23/11/2015 11:26

I stayed here for 2 nights and must say the thing that makes this ryokan better than any other is the lovely host that is Noriko. She is hospitable, charming and very welcoming into her home that she loves and has looked after for years. If you're looking for something modern and new, then this wouldn't be the place for you but in a town like Nara, this is the perfect place to stay to take in the sights and sounds of the town. There are signs of aging in the building but this is expected in such an old building. I had no issues with the location and found it very easy to find. It was easily within walking distance to Nara park, Todaji Temple and Isuien Garden (which was absolutely beautiful). I stayed in a twin room with a patio view and it was clean and comfortable. I had breakfast both mornings and the Japanese breakfast was perfect! On my check out, Noriko gave a small parting gift which goes to add to her kind nature and how much she does appreciate people sharing her house which she holds much pride in. If you want to stay somewhere out of the hustle and bustle, then this is perfect for you.

Charming option

sixtysix66_66_66on 12/11/2015 06:49

We recovered from a negative first impression of this inn to enjoy our stay here and would recommend it to others. I wouldn't feel right giving this inn an excellent rating given that the condition of the place and the quality of the furnishings etc is not up to the standard one would expect of accommodation in this price range. But everything else was truly magical and exceptional. I wouldn't say as one reviewer did that this place is overpriced. This was the only place we have stayed at in Nara but I did quite an extensive search through listing information and reviews for Nara and am pretty sure that the price is in line with the others. I conclude only that Nara is an expensive place especially in November as it is high season. But first the positives

1. Location - close to both train stations, the sights and restaurants. We especially liked Kichiza Den-emon which was very close.
2. The breakfasts were exceptional - fine restaurant quality and beautifully served in the magical separate dining room in the garden.
3. The owner was very friendly - one day she met us with her homemade plum wine after we got back from sightseeing. Her English wasn't that good but communication was not a problem except when I called from the train station to ask if we could drop our luggage off early.
4. I slept the best here of all the places we stayed at in Japan. Even though the walls were paper thin, no one in the house made much noise and we were well protected from any street noise. The futon looked similar to those we had in two other traditional Japanese rooms we stayed in but it must have been much higher quality or doubled up as the difference was noticeable.
5. The free laundry - no ironing - was a real treat. Didn't sound like much beforehand but it was so nice not to have to pay a fortune, have the clothes leave the premises or worry about finding an empty washer/dryer, detergent or coins.
6. No problems with water temperature for the shower or the wifi.

This is an old building which in the case of the separate dining room added to the charm. However, it appeared to have been redecorated in a very cheap looking style some time ago and was very cluttered. The first day I felt like I was walking to our room through the owner's very cluttered messy living room - like many very low end places we stayed in when we were younger. The next day I realized it was a common living room area - which made me feel better even though it was still very unattractive. The room was adequate even though dated. Everything in it was also dated and cheap looking (furniture, towels, iron, etc.) and the toiletries in the bathroom were all big bottles of cheap brands. Somehow a half full bottle of Listerine didn't look too inviting! Some other quibbles - not too important but worth mentioning. Both mornings she said 8:45 am. quite a few times, but then called shortly after 8:30 and then banged on the door to get us to come. Second, the breakfast options kept changing. Supposedly you have to reserve - only necessary to order the night beforehand. The wonderful Japanese breakfast was massive - 2500 yen per person. Delicious but way too big - I would have preferred trying the items over 2 days. We had the option the first day to have a complimentary continental breakfast. So for the second morning we asked about the complimentary continental breakfast but it had turned into a 2000 yen per person extravaganza. We pared it down to a 1000 per person more continental style breakfast. I guess the dining room is small and can't accommodate all the guests if the inn is full and that is why the options change.

So all in all I would recommend Nara and this place - both magical especially after the day tourists leave. I just think it would have been more enjoyable to have been better prepared for the reality of the place.