Sanso Murata

My wife and I stayed at this onsen for 1 night in December 2023 and we are very happy with our choice. The service provided is exemplary, as the resort provides complimentary taxi around town, and the staff are very welcoming and warm in receiving us. The hotel only has private onsens and there are no public baths, but our room and the decor of the resort is very cozy and the Tan’s Bar provides drinks with a special instrument at night. The lounge is also a quiet corner where guests can play chess and Othello, read books with complimentary coffee. Highly recommended!

I finally get the chance to stay in Sansou Murata with my mother once the pandemic has been treated as endemic. I book again this time for a few accommodations that I stayed in my 2019 trip, only Sansou murata recognized me, by my name & contact info, who have only visited the place once. It’s truly impressive since not all hotels, ryokan or restaurants can achieve the same, no matter how expensive they are. We were, again, warmly welcomed by Mr Shiotani at check-in. He speaks perfect English and is helpful in accommodating guests’ every need. I chose the room“ Hou” which is a 2-story semi-detached house ( shared the same location with “Sou”). The house is connected to the main building with covered pathway. It’s just a couple of steps from tan’s bar, the front desk and the restaurant, Saryou Saihido. The room was spacious with 155 sq.m. and well-maintained. However, the changing room was a tad dated and small with just a single sink, which is lackluster as compared with the one in “Higashi” which I stayed last time, though I like the semi-open bath of Hou more. Needless to say, staffs serving our room were as usual hospitable and attentive. I loved the atmosphere of tan’s bar so I went to have p-roll and caramel ice-cream there before dinner. Service and food quality were impeccable. Dinner was served in-room and was literally cooked in the locked kitchen attached to the house. I really like this arrangement as it makes no difference from dining in the restaurant. It was an enjoyable meal. Breakfast was served in a separate room of the restaurant, table & chairs not sunken Kotatsu, which was great for elderlies. Western breakfast was not available this time and many facilities such as the Theo tea room and art museum were closed on weekdays, guess the pandemic has really hit the business hard. I stayed in 4 ryokans during this trip and at least three of them were top-tiered. My mother liked Sansou Murata the most. She couldn’t identify the exact reasons but one thing for sure, sansou-Murata was the only facility that served without any hiccups during our trip. To me, everything was fine except that the 2nd floor (where the bedroom and 2nd toilet were located ) was kind of creepy and spooky to me. It’s dark even when all the lights were turned on and I just didn’t like going upstairs, personal problem, I must admit. Anyway as long as my mother likes it, purpose is served. After check-out, as planned, we went to the souvenir shop for some shopping and then walked down to Fusho-an for lunch. Table was reserved, the same delicious soba and great service. After lunch, we just had to notify the servers, a taxi loaded with my luggage was there in a few minutes to take us to the Yufuin station. Seamless and hassle-free, kudos to the team of Sansou Murata. I won’t hesitate in returning should I plan to visit Yufuin again.