The Iwaso clearly was a highlight of our 3-weeks honeymoon in Japan. The staff was very sweet and incredibly helpful. The restaurant makes delicious dishes, with several options for breakfast, and if you stay two nights like we did, don't expect to have twice the same meals! My husband got the best meat of his life (the best wagyu beef he had during the trip), as well as blowfish, and several oyster-based dishes (locally grown oysters, of course). The restaurant staff even adapted to my dietary requirements (vegan) and was able to make very, very delicious dishes with all kinds of seasonal products. Regarding the room! A spacious, very pretty and neat room with view on the Torii. Watching the sunset slowly darken the mountains and the Torii while drinking great tea and sitting on tatamis in the comfortable kimonos lent by the hotel was priceless. Ah yes, and as a tea lover, you actually have great tea in the room (two types, including genmaicha, in leaves in nice tea boxes, not teabags). And what can I say about the location? The park in front of the hotel is full of momiji trees, which become scarlet red in late November. Across the park lies the ropeway to get up the mountain, but you can also take the hiking path like we did, and reach the summit within a bit more than one hour, to get a great view over Hiroshima bay. Last but not least: the hotel is only a few minutes away from the beach, the shrine and the Torii! I'm a morning person, and I woke up naturally at 5:30 and was able to quickly walk to the beach to watch the sunrise behind the Torii and visit the shrine alone at the opening. An incredible moment, I will never forget this.

Everything was perfect!

First of all the transfer from the ferry platform to the hotel was super convenient. As was sent to us in the message, we asked a service woman on the platform to call the hotel and immediately after the call we were told that the transfer was on its way. The location of the hotel is excellent and requires around 3 minutes of walking to reach important places on the island. The room was very large and had everything you need in the room. When you check in at the hotel, they bring you green tea and famous local cookies - very pleasant.

The dinner was very specific, therefore, in the hotel's requests, write in detail what you don't like and don't eat. I wrote limited details, so I got things I like less.

Sara was our guide on the trip and she was absolute wonderful in explaining and answering all our questions. She was very entertaining and patient, my parents loved chatting with her when we checked in and during our meals. The baths were really relaxing, breakfast and dinner were really pretty and delicious. The location was very convenient and the hotel was lovely and accommodating for picking us up from the port as well as holding our bags after we checked out.

It felt like there was limited space to put our luggage in the room when sharing between 4 people.

A beautiful traditional hotel. The room and facilities were comfortable and well-thought out. The bathrooms were rather dated yet spotlessly clean. The staff were all extremely polite and catered for our needs. It was a bonus to have an inclusive taxi service to the ferry terminal. Iwaso is in an ideal location, right on the edge of the forest, close to wildlife. An easy walk to nearby visitor sights, cafes and restaurants day or night. At night the setting is particularly spectacular.

As a vegetarian my partner didn’t enjoy the traditional breakfast – perhaps having a simple option would be useful.

It was our "baby moon" and our stay was so relaxing and peaceful. The hotel was in such a beautiful location with the running river. The onsen was amazing (due to being pregnant I mostly enjoyed the outdoors onsen and sat with only my legs in the water, and drank lots of cool water to avoid over-heating)! I also loved pampering myself with all the lotions and potions in the changing room after drying off. My husband has a few small tattoos and was told it was OK for him to go in the onsen without covering them (although we had brought waterproof bandaids just in case), so that was nice for him. The meals were amazing, especially enjoyed by my husband who had no medical issues at the time (unlike me, see below). The staff were so friendly and helpful. The room was so beautiful. We had a view of the river and the ocean! We loved the genkan (entrance to your room where you remove your shoes) and engawa (little alcove that acts as a porch). We slept on futons on the tatami-matted floor and it smelled amazing and was very comfortable. We had a private toilet and private shower/tub, both off the genkan. Also, the staff went beyond expectations when I had a medical need: I was 4.5 months pregnant and suffering from pregnancy-related digestion/gastrointestinal issues (already when I arrived). I informed the staff and they gave me stomach medicine and prepared a special dinner for me of steamed vegetables and fresh fruit, which was delicious and provided me with the fiber and gentle digestion I needed. I am so grateful to the staff for their sympathy and for taking such good care of my stomach/digestion! And everyone showed such concern for my well-being, I really appreciated it!

This isn't the hotel's fault, but in the future I will avoid accomodations with meals included when I'm pregnant, as I was disappointed that I couldn't enjoy the same amazing meals as my husband. Also, there was a slight diesel smell when we opened the window and the onsen was open/on (we were right above it), and so we had to close the window again, which was too bad because we were enjoying the sound of the river. Not a big deal as we had to run the A/C for my husband to sleep comfortably anyway.

The rich history

As a Western solo traveler, there’s a lot about food etiquette that isn’t very obvious. Namely, kaiseki style dining and how it’s eaten. There were multiple times I was eating things “incorrectly” or too soon (e.g., I thought that the six plates on a tray brought to me were all the food there was so I start eating but then someone comes with two other rounds and expected me to have waited for them, or there was small pot of stew that was supposed to be cooked in front of me but it appeared to have been cooked before I arrived so I almost ate raw seafood on accident). It was a wonderful experience but i just feel the dining experience was a bit more stressful than it needed to be

What did we like? Everything. From the pick-up from the farry to the drop-off after they had stored our luggage for the day Everything was first class. After check-in we were served tea in our rooms and given a run down on the facilities of the accommodation. Our rooms were clean and comfortable - japanese style tatami with futons set up while we were at dinner. Dinner was awesome. We were given some dining information and guided through the multi courses. We chose the paired wines which worked beautifully. Breakfast mirrored dinner, there was guidance about the different courses. And the balance of flavours was spot on. Would be very happy to have the privilege of returning.

The room was lovely, comfortable futons, quiet with a wooded outlook. The staff were extremely friendly and helpful. The food both dinner and breakfast was amazing. Everything spotlessly clean.

No shower or bath in the room which unfortunately could be a dealbreaker. The receptionist was apologetic and said this was one of the main complaints they get but of course it’s an old building with not much scope for improvement. This I can understand but still disappointing as not everyone is confident enough to use a public bath.

Amazing. The dinner and breakfast were absolutely fantastic. It was amazing to sit in the onsen and watch the deer go by. Probably one of the best stays I have ever had in my life

Nothing

- The staff were unbelievably polite and accommodating - room was impeccable, so relaxing - Onsen was fantastic Perfect place to stay when on Miyajima

Breakfast was difficult to stomach. Thats my issue being a westerner but a Japanese breakfast of things pickled, mustard, fish etc at 730 is difficult. Would have been good to have an alternative but I accept that is a typical Japanese experience with a Ryoken so I can’t fault it for that