Kongo Sanmaiin

All except the first Monk I met.

Monk at front desk look like hurry not try to answer the question.

The beds were comfortable, the onsen was lovely. The morning prayer was interesting, the grounds beautiful and all round an interesting experience.

The food is very plain and basic, feels good and healthy but would not want to stay too long

Excellent location and Koyasan cemetery was a real treat just 15 mins walk away You are literally in a Buddhist sanctuary so getting a real experience which was great Food was pretty good but don’t expect meat as it’s Buddhist after all The rooms were comfortable and warm given it was November The Onsen was good Another good experience seeing the monks worship at 6.30am

It’s pretty expensive so paying a premium for the experience which given the standard of accommodation and food seems a little steep but still no regrets as the other places are equally expensive Having read the reviews, customer service was high up on the gripes ... I’m all for fitting in with their timescales and the fact that English isn’t their language, but a few manners would go a long way - we found it pretty funny being angrily waved away when we took the wrong path to the Buddhist temple but given we’re paying and there were no signs a lesson could be learnt Also agree that it would be nice to have a piece of paper in English explaining what is going on during the monks morning ceremony - doesn’t need to be word for word but teach us to learn what is happening

We had an amazing time. You’ll enjoy staying here if you really want to experience something different. I thought it was a real honour to be there, and my husband and I went in with the expectation that we were guests who worked around the monks and the temple rather than the other way around- and that was really refreshing and gave me a better understanding of the culture and traditions. (Don’t go here if you’re looking for five star pampering or vip treatment). The monks were pleasant and fair- I read quite a few reviews saying that the staff were unfriendly but in my mind they were just direct and to the point, and not rude. I enjoyed the fact that we had to fit around the meals and the morning prayer, and found the whole thing really peaceful, and inspiring. The temple and surroundings are so quiet and beautiful. The actual rooms are just across from the Temple- I probably wouldn’t stay more than two nights as once you’ve seen the cemetery there’s not a huge amount to do as far as I know but so pleased we did it and it was one of the highlights of our trip. I slept so well and loved every moment of being there. Our room was great, and we were given some lovely tea when we arrived. Possibly a little expensive for the facilities but overall loved it.

The breakfast wasn’t really to my taste, but great to try something that felt more traditional, and different.