After arriving at the station it takes time finding the way, up-hill with a bag-pack isn't ideal. 2nd timd though I called from the station and one of the staff came to pick me up.
Got a room for myself even though it was a dormitory.
Staff was nice enough...
Room was very cold at night.
All in all, if you don't mind the distance its a great place for what you pay.

This lodge is just charming, full of warmth and character. It is about 15 mins walk from Nikko station, but the other Nikko lodge near the station will look after your baggage and there are free transfers a couple of times per day. Breakfast and dinner can be purchased at the lodge and this was just delicious. Try the Zen Set! There is a lovely common lounge/dining room with a fireplace, comfy couches, wireless internet and good music. Nikko itself was a pleasure to visit, the Tobu free pass was great, you can travel around of this for a few days seeing the beautiful sites and hardly spend anything.

I stayed here for 1 night with my husband, while we enjoyed the Autumn leaves of Nikko. Very friendly, english speaking staff. The rooms were adequate, not large but not tiny. The ensuite bathroom was very samll, but also adequate. The only problem we had were the beds were very hard, but I think this is a Japanese thing.
We had dinner and breakfast at the hotel. Food was good and plentiful. My husband had the ZEN dinner and was very happy with it. Breakfast was either Japanese or Western. The lounge/dining room was very homely, with a fire, computers, and TV in.
It is in a very quiet area, nice for staying and walking.
We found this to be very comfortable and adequate in relation to the price paid.

My friends and I spent two nights here in one of the four bed dorms. The hostel itself is very charming: from the outside the building is quaint and looks very rustic, complete with what I guess you'd describe as a turret (sort of!), and arched windows. Inside, the living / dining area is cosy; there's a log fire and two big comfortable sofas covered in floral throws. In the evening, this was a nice place to sit and relax, although with lots of other guests it was a little crowded. But this area was definitely one of the hostel's best selling points - it felt more like being in a big living room than a hostel, which was a great atmosphere.

I can't speak for the private rooms (although from photos I've seen online they look quite nice), but our four bed dorm was rather cramped. The corridor leading to it is definitely in need of a facelift - the carpet is old and faded, and the walls need repainting. It's a bit of a sad change from the lovely living area, but an issue that could be easily rectified with a little TLC. Our room had two sets of bunkbeds, but because the room was quite small there was just a small gap between the beds that you had to squeeze through to get to the main bit of the room. There was a little sofa in the room, but as there was no storage space we couldn't really use it as all our stuff ended up piled on top of it.

There was an ensuite bathroom but again this was incredibly small, even for Japan. There wasn't really enough space in the bathroom to get dressed in private ... so if you are a solo traveller and a bit shy about changing in front of strangers, you may find it a bit awkward. We had no problems in this respect, however, but be advised! Towels aren't provided, but there's soap and shampoo.

The room was clean, although again quite tired-looking with a worn carpet. The beds themselves were incredibly comfortable, with huge soft duvets and also electric blankets, which was a nice touch as it's getting a bit chilly in the evenings now. We had to make up the beds ourselves, which is always a bit of a downer when staying somewhere ... I mean, yes, this is a cheap place to stay by Japanese standards and it's not a hotel, but is it really so hard to have the beds made in advance? It's just not what people want to have to do after lots of travelling (in our case, a 7 hour drive from the north). This aside, I slept very well both nights of our stay, and I wish I could have brought the duvet with me! My bedding was very clean, although my friend found some hairs on hers (but I think these must have been picked up after being washed, as the sheets themselves were spotless).

There are several breakfast options available for an additional cost. We had breakfast both days and it was very nice as our other option would have been to drive to a combini and get something unhealthy. The price is perhaps a little steep for just toast and scrambled egg, or porridge, but it was filling and set us up for the sightseeing ahead. You can also have dinner at the hostel - there's curry, spagehetti and a special 'Zen' menu that's entirely vegan - a real rarity in Japan and quite exciting for me as a a vegetarian. I didn't have this though as it had to be ordered in advance; but the vegetable curry was very tasty. It was nice to not have to search around the town for somewhere to eat, and just come back to the hostel for dinner.

The staff were very friendly. The owner speaks good English and was helpful, pointing out places on a map and suggesting where we should visit.

Location wise, I guess this is a bit out of the way for those who don't have their own transport. It's apparently a twenty minute walk from the station, up a fairly steep winding hill. We had our car with us so it was fine, and the free parking was an added bonus. As we had the car, the location wasn't an issue at all. It's fairly close to the temples as well, even if you walk ... just down the winding hill and you're basically there. It's in a quiet, wooded area, and there's a small onsen a five minute walk away - it costs Y400 and also has a small outdoor pool. It was lovely to relax in the onsen after dinner, and then stroll back and go to bed feeling all warm and clean!

Overall, this was a really nice place to stay and I enjoyed my two nights here very much. Plus points: the cosy atmosphere, the comfy beds, the delicious food (with vegetarian options). Negatives: breakfast perhaps a bit expensive, no towels provided, if walking a bit out of the way. Nonetheless, if I return to Nikko at any point I'll probably stay here again.