Japan essential
Dormy Inn: the best value onsen hotel chain in Japan
The sweet spot between affordable and a proper onsen: Dormy Inn is the chain I keep coming back to.
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Why Dormy Inn
If you’re on a mid-range budget (means you are not looking for the cheapest options but still don’t want to spend hundreds of euro’s on a hotel), the Dormy Inn Hotels ドーミーインホテル are highly recommendable. Even though rooms are often small, there are other reasons that make us go there over and over again:
It's a Japanese chain I keep coming back to, and here's why:
- Almost every property includes both an indoor and outdoor onsen, free to use from check-in
- Hotels are typically well located, close to the train station or in the city centre
- Free yonaki soba noodles are served in the restaurant between 21:30 and 23:00
- Free popsicles in the evening next to the onsen and free Yakult in the morning
- Free coffee in the lobby, usually from around 14:00
Onsen indoor and outdoor
What sets Dormy Inn apart from comparable chains like Toyoko Inn, Tokyu Rei or Daiwa Roynet is that almost every property — around 99% — includes both an indoor and outdoor onsen. It's free to use from check-in until midnight or later, which makes it easy to fit in a soak after a long day of walking or hiking. On rainy days it's reason enough to stay in. Some locations even use natural hot spring water pumped directly from the ground.
Hotels are spread across Japan — you can find the full list on the Dormy Inn website.
