Nara - Nara Hotel - Exquisite ambiance of the Meiji era

This beautiful hotel is located right on the edge of Nara Park, home to the sacred deer who freely roam there and the monumental temples. Built in 1909 as a guest house for visiting foreign dignitaries, the hotel boasts an impressive lineup of distinguished guests ranging from royalty to movie stars. For our family, this hotel was the preferred lodging for my father in his student days. An extravagance that I’m not sure if I should be proud of or embarrassed about. More recently we stayed there on a family vacation. The turn of the century architecture shows the Meiji era style where traditional Japanese elements were married with the new influx of Western influences. To this day, the hotel embodies the meeting of two cultures. Guests can dine grandly in the restaurant with a choice of top Japanese or French cuisine. The photo shows the roast lamb served on the night of our stay. And the next morning, we were spoiled again by breakfast served to order with enough choices to satisfy the most demanding diva.
http://www.narahotel.co.jp/eng/history.html