Absolutely fantastic stay here for my birthday. So many amenities and things to do! Gorgeous room with a stunning view. The night tour is a must, as is the rooftop bath (you can reserve your space so it is private). Marshmallows to roast at night and the pool was a welcome sight after a hot May day exploring Nara. Staff were kind and helpful.

“The highlight during my trip to Nara was not the deer, but the experience I had staying in Ando Hotel”

The property provides amazing view, service was impeccable and staff is very thoughtful with their suggestion for stargazing and private bath time slot. Dinner and breakfast was amazing as well

Exellent

“4 months waiting for promised partial refund, still not received.”

We were promised a partial refund, as the hotel explained it aligns with their policy and agreed to issue it. However, I have not received it for the past four months, and my messages are being ignored.

“Exceptional calm quiet escape. Excellent value for money.”

I travelled with my elderly mom (77) and sister to Japan for celebrate my sister's 50th birthday. The Ando Hotel Nara exceeded our expectations. The Ando Hotel, is a wonderful quiet place, away from the beautiful but busy town of Nara with its charming population of deer. We found the hotel be excellent value for money. Our room rate included an exceptional 5 course Kaiseki dinner, transfers to and from the from the train station, a complimentary night tour to see the deer and view over Nara, Japanese breakfast, smores, complimentary drinks by the fire place and a private sunset onsen bath. This hotel is a 5 star plus plus, with beautiful calm rooms, thoughtful, kind, highly professional staff and beautiful views over Todai-ji Temple and Nara. Exceptionally professional staff add to the calm quiet ambiance of this hotel. The dinner was exquisite, the best meal we had in Japan and it is served in an elegant restaurant with a view over Nara. The kind and professional staff explained each seasonally inspired dish which was beautifully presented. My sister is vegetarian and I contacted the hotel prior to our stay and they were very accommodating. Thank you to Mayuko who served us at dinner and presented us, with a beautiful kind hand written note (in English) on our departure. The hotel is a short taxi drive from the centre so we used a taxi to visit Todai-ji temple first thing in the morning. We only stayed one night and wished we had stayed longer. If you are flying into or out of Osaka to visit Kyoto I highly recommend this hotel at the beginning of your trip to ease into Japan or as a post Kyoto stay. Thank you to all the staff who worked so hard to make our time so special.

“Excellent!”

Rooms were well appointed, and staff were very helpful. Dinner was good.

The room itself was gorgeous with the panoramic view. The staff was very nice and the meals were great (although breakfast was challenging for us and our western pallet). Dinner was spectacular.

“I hope to visit again.”

The hotel exceeded my expectiations. A gorgeous location in the park of Nara. Beautiful rooms and delicious food. I hope to visit again.

“Great stay with an amazing position”

Food

The view was amazing. Dinner was spectacular. The staff were friendly and attentive. It was an absolutely lovely stay.

“It was a really special place with an exceptional setting.”

The views, the staff and the restaurant were really exceptional!

“Very high quality service and friendly staff. Clean spacious rooms”

The indoor pool/spa was very nice

“Our stay at the Ando Hotel in Nara was unfortunately disappointing and did not meet our expectations.”

The hotel itself is nicely designed and located in a very quiet, natural setting, but it is extremely remote with no shops or restaurants nearby. Surprisingly, despite being surrounded by nature, there are restrictions on walking or exercising in the area, which was inconvenient. While the hotel aspires to offer a luxury experience, it doesn’t truly meet that standard, especially considering the value for money. The breakfast is very minimal and not worth including in your Booking reservation. Any small change or request, such as switching to a Western-style breakfast, comes with an extra charge that feels excessive. The biggest issue we faced was with the miscommunication and unexpected charges for dinner. At check-in, the staff clearly told us that dinner for three people would cost 14,000 yen in total – which also matches the Booking.com rate of around €81 for half board for three adults. However, at check-out we were unexpectedly billed 14,000 yen per person. When we tried to clarify this, the staff were very rigid and refused to reconsider, insisting it was correct. Unfortunately, the staff’s English level was very poor, making it almost impossible to resolve the misunderstanding. When we tried to appeal the charge a day earlier, the staff member, Tanaka, who initially explained the rate was nowhere to be found. And at the very last minute, when we were about to leave, they called Booking.com, which was far too late to help. The most shocking and unacceptable part was at the end: since they denied us the scheduled transfer service, we called a taxi ourselves. When the taxi arrived at the hotel, we got in, but the staff physically prevented us from closing the taxi doors and leaving, insisting we could not go until the bill was paid in full as they demanded. This behavior felt extremely aggressive and completely inappropriate for a hospitality setting, causing us to miss our train and adding unnecessary stress.

“Peaceful but a bit restricted”

Being amongst the trees, the night tour up the mountain and the onsen baths

“The best of the best without a doubt!”

This property is an absolute gem. Fantastic rooms with amazing views, amazing authentic cuisine, and fabulous open air private onsens all set in a national park overlooking the city of Nara. The free excursions to see the night sky and the fireflies are great little bonuses. The rooms are very roomy, comfy beds, and huge picture window. The staff were brilliant and super helpful. This hotel has become my most favourite hotel ever. Just amazing in every sense. And Nara is just an amazing place.

“Everything fantastic except for the beds”

The staff were absolutely amazing, very helpful and friendly. The shuttle bus service to the top of the mountain was great and the staff member was extremely knowledgeable during his speech. The private hot tub on the upper floor was amazing.

The location, views and the restaurant was surperb. Just missing the final touch on the facilities.

“A lovely stay in Nara”

The property was lovely , the food outstanding and the hot tub on the roof amazing!

Perfect location and very friendly personal. The rooms are great, nice view. Perfect to relax after sightseeing. Private onsen on the top floor for good value.

I loved the beautfiul night time star gazing trip, the private baths and the room was beautiful.