Private Onsen/Rent a Car :)

[spyder]

I am my girlfriend are on the look out for a Private (read: not with strangers) Onsen to goto on Valentine's Day. Does anyone know of any websites which could give me some good information on prices/locations etc. I was think Hakonen would be the best place to try. I have tried all the brochures from the stations, but they are all dated, therefore the prices are no longer current.

Also, we will be hiring a car. I know there must have been some people on here who have done that before. Are there any things that I should watch out for besides the "young driver etc" thing? And what sort of prices would we be looking at for say 2 days for a regular car. (websites would be great if you have some off hand!)

Thanks for all the help guys!

[Taro Toporific]

[Greji]

She invited me to her reserved a onsen "family bath" for herself ....and I discovered her students--- ten college coeds were already in the tub.

Did they complain about your snorkle and mask?:D

Sometimes, it is a bit easier to pay the extra money and book your reservations through a travel agency. You can at least get your wants explained and they can provide you with the entire trip, to include the car. Obviously, this depends on your budget, but it is by-far the easiest and probably the most dependable. You can also use them for the information, by telling them what you want and asking what they would charge for it. Then backtrack their recommendations to see what you can obtain the same services for if you do the reservations yourself!

If you're going to do it on your own, the prices will obviously be cheaper, but short of going to the place in advance to check it out, you are still at the mercy of the PR ads as to whether you get what you are expecting. Prices are also seasonal depending on the area.

Renta cars are all over. You just have to keep pricing them to find the cheapest and/or those that might be offering a special bargin for the time period you are wanting the car. A lot of times you have to go to the shop itself to get the best deal, which maybe better than what their on-line site advertises.

[Kanchou]

I had meant to post this before, but since you're obviously planning a romantic-ish trip, you might want to consider renting a convertible... seeing as how you'll probably have to take the scenic route (ie, a mountain pass) to get to wherever you're going anyway.

I think you can rent Mazda Roadsters (MX-5) from this site for a price that's not too terribly bad per day...

http://www2.tocoo.jp/english/

Seems like it would be more fun that way...that is unless either of you are terribly heavy packers

Either way, just something to consider.


edit: I take that back... the prices are pretty damn high. It would cost more per-day than most mid-range hotels.

[samuraiwig]

Toyota Renta-car are everywhere and I've always found them easy to deal with, even when I wasn't great with the lingo.