Kowakuen Haruka

The cleanliness, the well arranged bedrooms, the balcony views

I had modest expectations for Haruka as the room was quite reasonably priced compared to some other onsen hotels in the area, but every thing about our stay here was exceptional. Upon arrival we were greeted by a staff member who spoke fluent English, which made the check in process and explanations about the hotel very easy. The hotel occupies a prime position in Dogo, up on the hill with a commanding view of Matsuyama city, but with a little "secret passage" foot entrance that pops you out right next to the Honten and covered shopping streets. Onsen was one of the best I've ever used, very nice inside with many places to wash and large indoor and outdoor baths. As it's up on the 8th floor, there is an amazing view from the outdoor bath. Highly recommend. Interestingly, this is one of the few onsens I've been to that doesn't have "no tatoos" signs up everywhere... Not sure if they are softer on that front or they just think it goes without saying. I covered mine anyway out of respect. Breakfast buffet was also great, wide spread of Japanese and western cuisine. Window seats offer a nice view of Dogo in the morning too. Room was very nice, just booked one of their "cheap" western style rooms. No view but we were really only in it to sleep. Bed was comfy. 11am check out meant we had time to go for a bit of a wander around Dogo after breakfast before moving on.

Onsite onsen and family rooms possible for a fee. Balcony and bathrooms were awesome in the rooms. Also whoever did their windows I would love to hire for myself - they have a cool sliding screen door and all kinds of door/window glass things. So you can sleep with the window open. Our room was the best with overlooking dogo onsen building from the balcony. You could also see matsuyama castle.

Excellent location, with direct access to the shopping arcade and Dogo Onsen. The hotel also has its own very good public bath. They provided lots of amenities and robes and footwear, which made visiting Dogo Onsen easy and convenient. Parking was provided just next to the hotel. Excellent, helpful and prompt service from the staff, who were able to communicate in English. We enjoyed the piano entertainment in the lobby in the evening as well. Decent, buffet style breakfast.

Stayed here for 3 nights with my mom and splurged for the balcony room which we found totally worth it. The hotel is situated above the Dogo area so the views were amazing. The room was the perfect size for two people and the onsen was great. They have an elevator to reach the ground floor right by Dogo onsen so it’s very easy to get to the Main Street.