Review: The Ritz-Carlton, Nikko [Japan]
| Positives | Negatives |
|---|---|
| Beautiful surrounding nature | Dinner options outside of hotel can be very limited |
| Great minimalistic but modern designs on the property | |
| Great breakfast | |
| Nice potential for 85k certificate redemption | |
| Beautiful bar | |
| Fantastic onsen facility |
The Ritz-Carlton, Nikko has been a property that’s on my radar since I love going to Japan and try to explore new regions inside the country on each visit. Nikko fits the bill on being a new place I haven’t visited yet and it has a Ritz-Carlton to satiate my love for luxury hotels.
I’ve stayed at a few Ritz-Carlton properties in Japan like Ritz-Carlton Fukuoka and Ritz-Carlton Tokyo. Ritz-Carlton Nikko blows both of them out of the water! I even enjoyed it slightly more than Hotel the Mitsui Kyoto, my previous best hotel in Japan that I’ve stayed at.
Ritz-Carlton, Nikko- Booking
I booked a 2-night stay using 146,000 Marriott points. Cash price tend to be around $1000 per night so this is a great property to use to get more value out of your Marriott points.
Ritz-Carlton Nikko is also a Category 8 hotel, so there’s a good chance that you can use 85K Free Night Certificate earned from the Amex Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card and/or The Ritz-Carlton Card if you’re willing to plan at least a part of your trip around this hotel.
Ritz-Carlton, Nikko- Location
The hotel is located in Nikko’s western outskirts right by Lake Chuzenji and a dormant volcano named Nantai. It’s situated perfectly between the lake and Kegon Waterfalls.
Going to Nikko from Tokyo can be done with Tobu Railway Limited Express train from Asakusa Station. After getting off the train at Tobu-nikko Station, then take the Tobu Bus (YK) to make way for the hotel. If you’re unsure, Tobu-nikko Station has a tourist information center for directions to the Ritz-Carlton.
The bus journey then takes around 45 minutes to complete to the bus stop right at the front of the hotel, including a section of long winding roads. It’s amusing that ads for Ritz-Carlton Nikko starts playing right as the bus goes along the winding road.
Keep in mind that the bus stop right in front of the hotel will only be for the bus going from Tobu-nikko. To go back to the train station, you’ll need to wait at the bus stop by the Kegon Waterfalls, which is just less than 5 minutes walk from the hotel. You’ll also be using the Kegon Waterfalls bus stop for other sites in Nikko like Toshogu shrine.
Ritz-Carlton, Nikko- Check-in
I arrived at the hotel at around 4pm. Check-in process was quite personal, and I sat down in one of the sofas in the library while the staff brought me hot towel, tea, and dried nuts while I wait.
During check-in, I was asked if I’d like to have breakfast in-room or at the restaurant. Time is more constrained for in-room breakfast, but I managed to get it at 7:45am.
I was also informed that dining options outside of the hotel is limited since the schedules of nearby restaurants are very inconsistent and that they may close earlier than usual. So, be prepared to have dinners in the hotel rather than going out when you stay at this property.
However, the hotel can try to get you a reservation at Sushi Kurosaki which seems to be quite good and popular with guests of the hotel since it’s located just across the hotel. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get any reservation at all so it’s something to be aware of if you want cheaper option for food near the hotel.
Ritz-Carlton, Nikko- Hotel Grounds
Below are assorted pictures of the hotel grounds on the ground floor.
By the entrance, there’s a gong with a hammer that you can play with. Water bottles are also set on a table for incoming parched guests. The winter weather and aluminum bottles made them extra cold.
The Lobby Lounge is where Afternoon Tea takes place from 12pm-4pm, though I didn’t get the chance to try it.
The outdoor portion at the back of the hotel is an open grassy area with fire pits and a view of the lake and mountains.
Some of the grounds covered in snow makes for a pretty display.
Ritz-Carlton, Nikko- Lake Chuzenji View Suite
I was upgraded to the 1 Bedroom Suite with Lake Chuzenji View in Room 413 thanks to the Nightly Upgrade Awards that finally did something useful! 4th floor is the highest of this hotel, and this room will offer some of the best views.
The suite is massive with its 115sqm size, and comes with a separate grand living area and a master bedroom section.
After opening the door, slippers were placed neatly by the foyer and there’s a place where you can sit down and put your shoes on. Getas (wooden clogs) are also available underneath the bench.
Living Area
The massive living area has L-shaped sofas and animal skin chair with a wooden table in the middle.
Behind it is the pantry with the minibar and Japanese tea sets. Only the bottled water are complimentary, however.
The honor bar booklet will have the prices for items in the minibar.
Next to the living room is the lounging area just before the balcony. There’s a big sofa bed that’s great to laze around or for extra guests to sleep in. It’s definitely a cozy fit for two small adults.
A welcome gift of local Tochigi strawberries were presented in a wooden box after entering the room for the first time. They look like gems and were the best strawberries I’ve eaten!
Outside of the lounging area, there’s a balcony with a chair and round table. It would’ve been a nice spot to have in-room breakfast on, but winter made it not ideal.
The view is stunning with frontal view of the lake and Mount Nantai. There are snow-capped mountains in the background beyond the lake as well.
I also include the view of the mountain once the weather cleared up.
Master Bedroom Area
Next to the living area is the master bedroom. The king-sized bed is comfortable and it didn’t feel as hard as the beds of many other Japanese hotels. The pillows were nice as they’re memory foam.
Light controls and USB-A plugs can be found on the nightstands with power plugs embedded to the headboard behind the phone. Bluetooth player is also by the bed to play out custom tunes.
Across the bed is another TV installed on the opposite side of the TV in the living room.
To the right side of the bedroom is the wardrobe section where there’s also a big desk and a large mirror.
The wardrobe section has a toilet room.
Yukatas and robes are ready for use, and you can freely use them in property grounds except for the Lakehouse Restaurant and The Bar.
Pajamas are also available.
Walk-in closet next to the foyer cuts through the bedroom’s wardrobe section.
By the walk-in closet is another toilet room.
Master Bathroom
To the left of the bedroom is the main bathroom. There’s dual circular sinks and mirrors complete with dental kits, mouthwash, razors, and so on.
The wet room consists of separate shower and bathtub with small wooden stool and bucket.
Bath salts are placed on the tub’s edge. The rosy smell is delightful.
You can enjoy the outside view from your tub, and you can even open the door to let fresh air in. It was nice to do in the winter with hot water filled in.
Though to be honest, I didn’t end up using the showers much since I used the onsen facility as much as I could, and there are sit-down showers to clean up there.
Evening Turndown
For evening turndowns, snacks like savory chips, chocolate covered nuts, and dried fruits will be left in your room. Charging cables will be neatly wrapped up with Velcro as well which is a nice touch.
Ritz-Carlton, Nikko- Breakfast
This hotel will let you have breakfast inside your room or at The Japanese Restaurant for the same price of 7800 yen. There’s pros and cons to each choice, but it’s definitely unheard of to get in-room breakfast at the same price as the restaurant’s.
In-Room Breakfast
On the first night, I decided to try out breakfast inside my room. One catch to in-room breakfast is that you have to reserve ahead of time, usually the day before, so you may need to work with less ideal times if the hotel has high occupancy.
I chose to have the Japanese breakfast for the first night. It comes in a huge bento box filled with assorted dishes like roast beef, sashimi, chawanmushi, grilled fish, and onsen egg. It also comes with a bucket of rice that fills up to two servings inside a rice bowl.
The staff who brought it to my room sets up all the things nice and efficiently. She was very quick that I didn’t realize that she was done that fast as I watch her set it up.
It was very filling and everything felt high quality and tasted great! A downside of in-room breakfast is that you’re limited to just one drink you order (iced latte in my case). But, it’s a tradeoff I’ll take everyday as I enjoy a very nice view while eating in private.
Breakfast at The Japanese Restaurant
On the final day, I had breakfast inside The Japanese Restaurant next to the Lobby Lounge.
I love how this place looks, especially with the kumiko patterns on the ceiling and wall panels.
An upside in having breakfast at the restaurant is the addition of small buffet section that you can have on top of your main breakfast. Though they are mostly sweets and drinks. I really liked the bottled cold milk coffee drinks.
The Western breakfast also comes with a bento box, and there were few items that are shared from the Japanese breakfast like the roast beef. You can also customize the egg dish and the ingredients that can come with it. I chose to have an omelet for this occasion.
The Western breakfast also comes with freshly baked pastries like milk bread, croissant, and pain au chocolat. They come with fruit jams freshly made from local Tochigi ingredients. On top of that, you can request refills on the pastries as much as you want, and the type you want. So if you only want the milk bread, then you’re welcome to do so. However, I can’t see the refills happening if you choose to have in-room breakfast.
The Western breakfast overall is pretty tasty as well. I still prefer the Japanese breakfast, but the pastries from the Western breakfast would convince me to switch it up if I’d stay for longer.
Ritz-Carlton, Nikko- The Bar
Because of limited dining options outside of the property (and it’s also dark with icy roads), I chose to eat at The Bar for dinners since no reservation is required here.
A standout display of the bar is the grand whiskey collection among other alcohol bottles that glow at night with special lightings. I regret not taking a more centralized picture, but it certainly is beautiful!
The bar has a separate whiskey menu and they do have rare bottles like the Hibiki 30 Years Old. I don’t know much about whiskey as I’m not much of a drinker in general, but I do find it amusing that a glass of Hibiki 30 costs as much (sometimes more) than the hotel room.
For first dinner, I ordered the hotel’s signature ramen. Very delicious with its chicken-based shio broth with splash of yuzu citrus. There are samples of toppings you can add to play around with the taste. Very savory and the noodles have a nice al dente texture. The portion is surprisingly quite large too. However, it costs 5800 yen and it’s the most expensive ramen I’ve ever had.
You can definitely get ramen in the same caliber for much cheaper in Japan, but it is the Ritz-Carlton after all, and dinner options outside of the hotel is limited.
With the ramen, I ordered two drinks as well like the Sober Monkey and Kegon Falls. If you enjoy banana milk, then you’d like the Sober Monkey.
Then, I ordered the Kegon Falls. It’s inspired by the nearby waterfall, and the presentation sticks true to its name. Super cool effects with the dry ice!!The drink’s taste is great as well… a sweet sake cocktail. I bet it’s one of the more popular cocktails in this hotel.
On the second night, I had margherita pizza for dinner. It was pretty good, and even cheaper than the ramen (3800 yen). The quality was comparable to the one I had in The Prince Gallery Tokyo Kioicho.
The drinks I ordered along with the pizza are the white lemon cola and Altitude 1300 cocktail. The soda is alright, and the Altitude 1300 mixes whiskey, sake, orange, and wasabi. The wasabi was very noticeable, but I don’t think I like it in a drink. Still interesting though, but the Kegon Falls definitely beat it.
The food at the bar are overall good, and the cocktails are interesting. Definitely be prepared to eat the hotel for dinner. But if you’re looking for easy and most affordable option, The Bar is it, and it is tied with in-room dining.
Fortunately, the hotel’s website allow you to see their restaurants’ menu so you can know what to expect on the food and beverage prices.
Ritz-Carlton, Nikko- Onsen
The onsen is by far the best facility of this hotel. In fact, it’s the only Ritz-Carlton in Japan that comes with natural onsen. It’s on the ground floor and you’ll have to navigate through an outdoor walkway to enter another building.
The onsen opens from 5:30am to 11pm, but it will close from 12pm-2pm for cleaning and maintenance.
Obviously I cannot take pictures inside, but once you enter, you’ll be engulfed with smell of sulfur. The onsen comes with indoor tubs, shower sit-sown stalls, sauna, and cold water pool. Last but not least, there’s an outdoor open-air onsen that’s just heavenly. Words aren’t enough to describe how awesome it is to dip yourself in hot springs while snow surround you! I miss it very much and would love to go back here just for the onsen alone.
Ritz-Carlton, Nikko- Gym
The gym is located in the same building as the onsen just after you enter the building from the outdoor walkway. It’s open 24 hours and come with assorted cardio and strength training machines.
Ritz-Carlton, Nikko- Titanium Elite Benefits
Marriott Titanium Elite gets some unique benefits for this hotel like on top of the standard 1000 points Welcome Gift for Ritz-Carlton Hotels like:
- 15% discount on spa service
- 10% discount on Ritz-Carlton merchandise
The hotel sells Ritz-Carlton merchandise like lion plushies, incense sticks, and diffuser sticks. The yukata lion caught my eye and I ended up buying it. It’s so cute!
Conclusion
After checking out, I was given a good luck charm, and I believe all guests will receive it on their way out. Pretty neat!
Ritz-Carlton, Nikko blew my mind on how fantastic it was. I can say with great confidence that this is the best Ritz-Carlton I’ve stayed at!
The onsen rejuvenates me after traveling in Japan in the cold, especially for someone like me who rarely see snow in his life. I loved the hotel’s design from the lobby to the rooms.
Hopefully for my next visit, they would follow the trend from Ritz-Carlton Kyoto and Tokyo in offering elite members free breakfast which would be too awesome.
It’s realistic to redeem 85K certificates with topups at this hotel for the time being. So it’s worth having this hotel in your radar and plan a part of your trip around it. If I would visit again, I would like to try out the activities offered from this hotel to get better insights in culture and history of Nikko!
Just be prepared to eat the hotel for dinners, which you can expect higher prices compared to eating out of the property which can have inconsistent schedule especially for off-season travel times.