Hotel Setre Naramachi Review: Great Location for Sightseeing in Nara

Hotel Setre Naramachi (pronounced as se-to-re) is a charming boutique hotel with just over 30 guest rooms in Nara. We booked a two-night stay for our return trip to Nara at the end of November, and here is our detailed review of our experience.

Location

This hotel is located in a scenic and quiet corner of Nara, right in front of Sarusawa Pond. Across the pond is a Starbucks building and its reflection in the pond together with the fall foliage created a calming scene.

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Design & Atmosphere

The design of the hotel is a modern take on traditional Japanese aesthetics. Much of the interior features natural wood tones and minimalist furnishings. Some walls and surfaces are textured with earthen or stone-like finishes, giving the space a hand-crafted, organic feel. Plants and greenery are thoughtfully integrated, bringing the outdoors in and accentuating the serene atmosphere. Although it does not exude the luxuriousness of Shisui Nara, its design made us feel welcoming and relaxing.

The hotel seems very popular with Japanese families. During our stay, we noticed many Japanese families with young children, more so than at any other hotels we have visited in Japan so far. While this sometimes led to a bit of noise, it was never too overwhelming.

We landed at Kansai International Airport early in the morning and arrived in Nara by train around 9:30 am. Knowing that early check-in is not very common in Japan, we stopped by the Setre Hotel just to drop off our luggage and complete all other check-in procedures.

Hotel staff explained to us all amenities and services available to guests at the hotel. They also asked us to choose our breakfast time, the onigiri for breakfast (each person could choose two out of eight possible fillings each day). We also needed to decide in advance whether we wanted full or light daily housekeeping service.

Admittedly, I’m not a fan of making so many decisions like these at a full-service hotel. This was the first time we were asked to choose a specific breakfast time outside of a ryokan, and I didn’t quite understand why we had to pick our onigiri fillings the day before – they are not that difficult to make. This felt like small inconveniences, but no big deal anyway, we gave them our choices and then headed out for sightseeing before returning at 3 pm.

We booked a Japanese/Western type room called Suou. This room is 34 m2 and provided decent space for us. The hotel has different room categories with different layouts so keep in mind that your experience may vary depending on the room type you choose.

Our room features natural wood tones, creating a gentle ambiance. The sleeping area consists of twin mattresses placed side-by-side on a slightly raised wooden platform. The mattresses are on the firm side, but not the most uncomfortable ones we’ve come across in Japan. So while we would prefer fluffy cloud-like bedding, we were still able to sleep fine.

The bathroom felt a little tight in space with a vanity area and the toilet and bathtub behind a frosted glass partition. There is no separate walk-in shower, and if we stay at the Setre Naramachi again, we will choose a room with a separate shower. We didn’t see bathroom amenities such as cotton buds, combs, or cotton pads.

The restaurant of the hotel is not large but it is bathed in plenty of natural light, thanks to floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the courtyard garden. The setting feels airy and homey. We were pleasantly surprised to see the chubby resident chickens of the hotel wandering near the outdoor seating area during our breakfast.

Breakfast at the Setre Naramachi is a simple Japanese set meal featuring grilled fish, salad, pickles, tamagoyaki, miso soup, and your choices of onigiri. While not as elaborate and well done as the Japanese breakfasts we’ve had at some places like Shisui Nara or The Thousand Kyoto, it was freshly made, filling and highlighted local ingredients.

We liked some of their rice ball fillings, such as ginger beef, salmon, ground chicken, bonito and pickled plums. However, the rice grains were slightly firm for our likings. We appreciated that the grilled fish changed on our second day, from salmon on the first day to sawara. Overall, decent breakfast and efficient service.

Hotel Setre Naramachi has a cozy lounge area adjacent to its restaurant area. Guests can enjoy unlimited snacks (like nuts, cookies, cheese) and drinks (including some alcoholic options) for free either in the lounge or in their own rooms. We didn’t try anything as we often came back to the hotel feeling full or preferred eating fresh fruits we bought from local grocery stores.

Another complimentary perk is a one-hour morning walking tour. Foreign guests are grouped with an English-speaking guide. Our guide didn’t speak great English but we still learned some interesting facts and discovered Ukimido Pavilion as a fantastic spot for fall foliage in Nara.

Guests can also borrow bicycles from the hotel to explore Nara at their own pace. Overall, despite being a small boutique hotel with just over 30 rooms, Setre Naramachi Hotel was able to offer quite a bit of extra perks for guests.

In general, I would not hesitate to recommend the Setre Naramachi for those who want to stay overnight in Nara City. Compared to the Shisui Nara, the room rates are more affordable. However, if you are looking for a luxury stay, I recommend the Shisui Nara (Booking.com | Agoda.com).

We’ve said it before and will say it again: Nara deserves more than a day trip. For us, a fun part of the traveling in Japan is trying local hotels that place emphasis on designs and aesthetics. If you share this perspective, the Setre Naramachi is definitely worth considering.

Additionally, we really like the location of the hotel. The only thing we wish to change next time is booking a room with a separate walk-in shower. Again, please note that this hotel has quite a few room categories with different configurations, your experience may differ based on which room you choose.

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