Spa Terrace Shisui in Kobe

excellent onsen hotel! despite its difficult location, they provide shuttle service probably from anywhere around arima station (but you gotta have a JP phone number and you speak japanese).

the hotel is beautiful. combined modern and traditional wooden japanese style. once checked in, they serve welcome drink and snacks at the lounge and immediately we felt ourselves in another world. very relaxing. alcoholic drinks available too.

the room is big and clean, the one i booked has no shower facility but we can use the onsen bathroom downstairs.

there's a restaurant enclosed but you must reserve dinner when the time you made your room reservation, they need time to prepare in advance. however if you'd like to dine outside, they're happy to arrange pick up service to and from.

the staff cannot speak much english but they're equipped with the little translation machine. they're very friendly indeed.

and for breakfast, they don't serve in-house, but they will send you to the cooperated Sora Cafe which is only a few mins drive apart.

overall we had a really nice stay here. great environment (it's up on a little hill), great service. we're happy to come back again in the future!

Pleasant stay. French style dining was impressive.

During the trip to Kansai, I experienced the legendary Arima Onsen. I chose the Japanese-style room package of Zicui with one night and two meals. I can only say that my expectations were too high, which led to a gap in the experience. The cost was close to 1,500 per person per night. The room was nice and new, but there was no shower room, which was a bit inconvenient.
The bath area was on the underground first floor. Zicui's bath was ordinary and there was no scenery to speak of, but it was convenient to take the elevator down to take a bath. Each person can go to Zhaole next door to take a bath. Zhaole's bath is better than Zicui. The open-air bath has a wider view and a wider view, but there is only one chance to soak. But it's quite cold to go out in the winter. But when I was changing clothes in the men's locker room of Zhaole, a Japanese aunt actually entered the men's locker room to collect towels as if no one was around, and there was no intention to avoid it. It was really speechless.
Then, because we went in the off-season, the hot springs were basically half-booked, so there was no need to book a private hot spring. However, you can take photos in the private hot spring, which costs 4400 yan. Whether it is worth it is a matter of opinion, but with only 40 minutes, including the time to change clothes, you can't soak for long. ❌❌❌The biggest difference in experience is the dinner experience. The quality of the dishes and the dining environment are completely unworthy of the price. First of all, the main dish beef feels like it is made from refrigerated fried beef patties in the supermarket. I don't know if there are 3 pieces of seafood in the seafood hot pot. It is far from the experience of staying in a seaside hot spring in Kagoshima a few years ago. The dishes are not delicate, not delicious, and the portions are surprisingly small. The dining environment is the restaurant next to the check-in in the lobby. There is no view and it is not a private room. Overall, this experience is as the title says, "You can go but there is no need to go specifically."

The environment is very good, very comfortable, and the service is good. The only thing is that it is not close to a convenience store. If you want to buy snacks, you have to buy them in advance before checking in.

Although the facilities are old, they are clean and tidy. The hotel environment is very elegant, one night stay and two meals, the food is very rich and tastes great. The hotel staff is enthusiastic and has a good sense of service.

It is about ten minutes away from the station, but the hotel is on a very steep slope. It is difficult to get there with luggage without the hotel's special car. It is a annex of Zhaole and shares a shuttle bus with Zhaole's guests. After arriving at the station, you need to call them to pick you up at the station, but it is difficult to communicate. They can only understand simple English words and then talk to you at cross purposes. Another thing to note is that the hotel can only check in at 3 pm. If you go early, you will not be allowed in. We can only put down our luggage first and then drive us to the town to kill time.
Compared with Zhaole, Zicui's facilities are much newer. There are Japanese-style rooms and Western-style rooms. The hotel has indoor baths and open-air baths. The indoor one is silver bath and the outdoor one is gold bath. They are not big, but there are not many people. They are very new and clean. In addition, Zicui's guests can go to Zhaole to take a hot spring bath during their stay. There will be a small card in the room. You can walk there through the small door on the 3rd floor with it, but please note that its indoor bath and open-air bath are separate, which is equivalent to putting on clothes after taking a bath indoors, and then taking off clothes in the open air, which is inconvenient.
We booked a one night, two meals package. The dinner time will be confirmed with you when you check in, and you can go directly there when the time comes. Compared with the traditional hot spring hotel's Kappo cuisine, Zicui's is a fusion of Japanese and French. The portion may not look large, but you will rub your stomach after eating. The taste is also quite in line with personal taste. The service is also impeccable, polite and very measured. They will disappear after the dishes are served, and will appear again when you have almost finished one dish.
Overall, the price-performance ratio is good, and I can try another one next time.

Dinner was amazing, breakfast was traditional, and the environment was quiet and comfortable

Very comfortable and clean. The hot spring bath is great. There is a free shuttle to the station.

Love the hot spring it’s really nice and comfortable. Free parking and the meals provided were excellent