This hotel is located in a beautiful scenic area with great views of the mountains. The service was polite and friendly. We enjoyed the onsen - very relaxing. The breakfast also was decent with a combination of choices. There were some odd things like the door to the cabinet would fall off.
Overall, a good experience with some minor flaws.
Check on the hotel website or just type in shuttle bus, with the hotel name and Karuizawa train station, and it will show you the times for the free shuttle to the hotel from train station. Cab ride might cost you a bit. At least a 20-30 min. ride by bus.
Just under a year ago, since last time I stayed here. And am very disappointed in the way the hotel is looking. Things are slowly breaking down, looking rough, and the rooms are no better. The room I had was a great room, but I noticed that furniture was damaged (not fixed), our room was freezing (staff had to bring in an electric heater to help heat up our room), and the floor was dirty. The cleaning staff does a pretty good job on keeping it clean with what they have to work with.
I paid a good price for this large room and was extremely disappointed, and far from being worth the price. Also from walking around this hotel, because it is somewhat isolated from anything, which isn't a bad thing, but non the less, I notice areas around the hotel are slowly looking worn, broken, and not kept up. The smoking area is a disaster with ripped carpeting/ furniture, and broken furniture. I looks like management and or owners are slowly letting this hotel run to the ground. Which it is sad to see. Because this hotel has a ton of potential and does have a lot to offer.
For being isolated, it is a nice get away from the busy hustle/ bustle life style of the big cities, and offering for places to ski, during the winter and other things around the area, during the other seasons. Just a great place to just relax and get away from it all.
I did notice last April, that things were looking a little worn, but I was also expecting that they were issues that would have been looked after. And my stay back then, was much better than this time around.
The only good thing, that I will say, is that the food at the buffet was pretty good, the amenities you get in your bathroom was excellent, and if it were not for the staff at this hotel, this hotel will fall flatly on it's face. By one of the dining lounges, there was a live band playing Christmas music and other various songs. They were awesome to listen to, even thou I wasn't eating in the lounge, I still could sit close and listen to them. Also the souvenir shop at the back of the hotel had a lot of nice goods to buy. A lot of great foods and treats, made from what's in the area, and also regular snacks and neat souvenirs.
The staff are what keeps this place going. Just my opinion, on how I see things. The staff are very friendly, extremely helpful, very polite and courteous. And I am speaking from all the different areas in the hotel. Cleaning, front desk, greeters at the door, bus driver's, cooks, waiting staff, gift shop, etc.
Class act all the way and deserve top kudos. At least they made my stay at least more enjoyable, than the sight of the slowly deteriorating hotel.
I don't like to give a bad review, but I also want to be very honest about my review, and again, this is only my opinion on what I experienced, when I was here.
The territory of the hotel is great, very picturesque. The food (buffet) was ok. But...
Our room was awful! The furniture was broken, the walls and sofa dirty and shabby. It was unpleasant to stay there.
Moreover the swimming pool is not free for hotel guests, we had to pay for using it.
So I don’t recommend this hotel, there are better hotels for the same price.
I came here in December with my family. They turned a suite into a family room with 4 beds. 2 beds in a room and 2 beds in the hall but still managed to have a couch at tv area. Very spacious. We loved the onsen. Big place with indoor and outdoor onsen. There was even a kid's onsen so little ones can join. The buffets for dinner and breakfast were excellent with good spread. There was Christmas performance at restaurant when we were there.
I booked this trip for my partner's birthday, the idea was to be in the mountains and relaxed. Couldn't have been further from. It was a large hotel, incredibly confusing layout with absolutely no soul. Only single beds, no double or queen. It was a long way from town, with multiple tolls to get into town. Breakfast was horrible, the fruit laid out on platters was frozen in parts, melted in others, eggs were inedible. It is nothing like it is represented on the website. It is so overpriced for what it is.
