Good Onsen in the mountainous part of North Osaka, excellent food and nice bath, complete with winter sakura blossoming at the outdoor pool. Only 10min walk from a wonderful temple with rare Buddhist art and autumn foliage. Transportation with a hotel shuttle from the Ikeda town, which has interesting Rakugo Museum with English videos and old castle ruins, close to Minoh Expo park.
The staff was very friendly and the view from our room was amazing. We didn't end up getting to use a lot of the hotel's amenities, including the open-air bath in our room, but we loved the quiet location of the hotel.