Historically renowned and famous hotel right on the fringe of Nara's peaceful park. Impressive building both inside and out, with many beautiful features and displays relating to its past. As expected, staff were exemplary in terms of politeness, efficiency and professionalism. I was pleased on arrival to see that it still felt like a Japanese establishment and hadn't been Westernised to the point of being sterile. Gift shop with many interesting traditional crafts. Rooms were large and well equipped, although fading a little in terms of grandeur. Option of Japanese or Western breakfast, the time is chosen on arrival; the Japanese breakfast was very impressive with high quality ingredients, presented impeccably. Hotel is 5 minutes walk to the park's entrance, and the temples within. Ample parking on site with helpful staff to guide you to a free space. Also close to the Harushika Sake brewery.

Rooms in the newer section of the hotel felt dated, and the basic bathroom which was showing its age (chipped bath etc) could do with an upgrade to more modern fixtures, it felt somewhat 70s/80s.

The staff at Nara Hotel offers a level of service that has disappeared from most more modern hotels. As we were climbing the hill pulling our bags behind us, one of the support personnel saw us and immediately came to our assistance. Inside another helper took charge of taking our luggage to our room. We felt pampered and relieved. The same sort of attention was offered enthusiastically by the dining room servers. The front desk personnel also went out of their way to help us.

Closet space in the room was somewhat limited. The interior of the hotel seemed to me a little frayed around the edges. I'm thinking of carpets, door fixtures and so on. This did not distract from our enjoyment of the service, the excellent meals and the prime location, but more discerning guests might be put out.

This is a grand, historic hotel, and staying there gives an insight into part of Nara's 20th century history. The location is great - a lovely easy walk to Nara Park. The room had a grand old-school feel to it, and was very comfortable, with a lovely view. The staff were excellent - extremely helpful (including coming down the driveway to take our bags for us when they saw us coming), and very friendly. We enjoyed looking at some of the features of the grand public rooms, and one of the staff noticed and brought us an English-language guide to what we were seeing, which was lovely. And who does not like seeing the very same piano that Albert Einstein played when he stayed here in 1922? We had a lovely time in Nara - thank you!

I wish I had known about how to get the shuttle from the station on the way there, as it was a longer walk with luggage than we anticipated. But this is a very minor quibble

Beautiful traditional hotel. The rooms are large. Nice breakfast (no buffet but plenty served directly at your table). Very polite and attentive staff. Shuttle service to the train stations. Direct access to the city from the grounds.

For this kind of hotel I would expect access to foreign TV channels, Netflix or a possibility to mirror your apps on the TV screen. My room was in a new aisle and dark (low level behind trees). To get the full experience, it’s worth checking where the room is located and the floor.

We stayed in a Japanese style room for the experience. It was fun, although definitely felt like a tourist-sanitized version. That was probably better for us anyway, which is why this is going in the positive category. The staff is great and the location is very good for exploring the shrines and museums of Nara.

While the location was good for touring, it was a long walk from the train station. There is a shuttle bus, but it was too full both ways for us to take.

What an incredibly special historic hotel. It really made our trip to Nara. The staff was kind and helpful and the hotel and grounds are just beautiful as well as conveniently located. Visitors should expect a historic building with the usual eccentricities, but the rooms are both beautiful and comfortable, not to mention immaculate.

The breakfast was perfectly fine, but just ordinary rather than extraordinary (especially the Western breakfast which is maybe to be expected :-)

loved loved loved the heritage of this hotel. it literally oozed from every timber beam (of which there are many!). charming and beautiful both the interior and exterior and superbly located for both Nara park and local eateries and walks around the old town with beautiful buildings. beds are very comfortable. would definitely stay again

nothing to be honest but if wanted to be a bit petty some of the furniture (like the wardrobe) is at odds with the old style (I’m an interior designer- what can I say!!)

Old world charm…staff were very attentive There was a shortcut access to the old city which was very useful The train station bus

I was there four nights and couldn’t get a reservation at the restaurant (Japanese) on any night. The hotel should offer pre booking at the restaurants for hotel guests to ensure satisfaction

Rooms, location, and staff are exceptional. One of the best hotels I have stayed at in a long time. The proximity to other Nara attractions and small shops to wander around in is perfect. The hotel also has an impressive history that is well displayed. I highly recommend this hotel.

A beautiful and cozy hotel you can relax in. The room in the main building was large, quiet, and had a lovely view. The tearoom / bar area is a perfect spot to relax. The restaurants on premises are lovely. You will need a reservation for meals, I had no issues booking these on the day. The gift shop has great souvenirs.

It was just lovely, nothing negative to add.