Overall, my stay at Yufuin Baien was quite disappointing.
I originally wanted to book a room with a private onsen, but none were available, so I had to stay in an annex building. To my surprise, for a hot spring ryokan that wasn't cheap, the independent rooms in the annex didn't even have basic showers. We had to use the shared family bathrooms. There were only two family bathrooms for multiple guest rooms, operating on a first-come, first-served basis with no reservations or time limits, and no staff cleaning in between uses. After dinner, I waited over two hours in 4-5 degree Celsius weather to get my turn. While changing after showering, I found a stranger's women's underwear in the laundry basket, which was absolutely disgusting and unsanitary.
The ryokan's location is a bit remote, about a 10-15 minute walk from Yufuin's main shopping street (Yunotsubo Kaido). There was no shuttle service provided, and a one-way taxi ride costs about ¥1000.
On the positive side, the surrounding environment of the ryokan is beautiful, with fresh air, and the Japanese decor created a nice atmosphere. There was a complimentary drink bar in the evening, the food was decent, and the staff were generally polite.
In conclusion, the facilities, hygiene, and transportation convenience of this ryokan were somewhat lacking. Compared to other hot spring ryokans in Yufuin at a similar price point, the value for money is low, and there are definitely better options available.
Original TextTranslation provided by Google
