Hoshinoya Karuizawa

Karuizawa is already gorgeous, but this ryokan elevates the experience by offering amazing comforts and timeless, understated luxury in the Japanese tradition I'm personally very fond of. Unlike a typical hotel the rooms are spread out in little villas across a large park, so you do need to be comfortable walking. With scenery so amazing, I enjoyed every minute of leisurely strolling around the park. I stayed in a room at an elevated position, offering a great view, but also some stairs to climb. The room itself was immaculate, clean and very comfortable, with a large balcony and a wooden bathtub.||I was picked up at the train station and taken right to the entrance; the ryokan is a little bit away from Karuizawa proper so you might want to get a taxi if you want to explore the town. However, there is a small terrace with decent restaurants and shops only a few minutes away on foot, and a 7-11 within easy walking distance. You can also easily reach some excellent nearby nature trails and sightseeing spots such as the Stone Church without needing a vehicle. There are some nature activities you can book, but I didn't feel it necessary. There are two nearby onsen which I strongly recommend visiting.||As for food, I had the seasonal "Alpine Kaiseki" dinner and was very impressed with both the food and sake pairings. The staff took great care to introduce each dish and drink despite speaking limited English. All my interactions with staff throughout the visit were very pleasant, including when I made special requests. In summary, I really enjoyed my stay here and would love to come back.

My wife and I spent two nights here as a special birthday treat. We had a great time and the experience overall was like a dream. It was one of the nicest hotels we'd set foot in - let alone stayed at. Very expensive, but felt worth the price. If you'd like to eat at the main hotel restaurant, I suggest booking early. We weren't able to secure a reservation, but were very pleased with the in-room breakfast and the more casual dining options near the hotel.

My girlfriend and I had a wonderful time here! Seeing the stars and night and being able to walk to the terrace market nearby was a gem. We enjoyed the onsen and the complementary sparkling wine in the afternoons! The room was wonderful, in particular the hinoki bathtub was absolutely my favorite part! This is an expensive hotel, but worth it for very special anniversaries or celebrations!

Hoshinoya Karuizawa is the worst price-to-value hotel I've stayed at in Japan. I was optimistic given the high price point and marketing material, but I experienced many of the same downsides that other reviewers noted. A few of the lowlights:||Service: The 'bad service' story starts at check-in. Once you check in at reception, they give you a map and your key, and send you on your way. No offer to help with bags or to show you to your room. This is fine for a lower-end hotel where there's not an expectation of decent service, but for a place with the Hoshinoya price point, it's just embarrassing. This strange level of discourtesy popped up a few more times when interacting with staff, and it was confusing because I'd literally never encountered that at any hotel I've stayed at in Japan.||Mold: Significant visible mold in the room. Particularly bad in the bathroom, near the glass doors, and near the bed.||Room service and access to food: One of my most bizarre experiences in Japan was calling the hotel's room service line at ~4:30pm, and being told that they were out of food for the night. The nearby restaurants were also booked with 1h+ queues, so our best option for food was to walk to the nearby konbini. This is hilarious, sad, and embarrassing for a luxury hotel. ||Prior to booking my stay, I had skimmed some of the negative reviews here. I decided to take a chance on a short stay anyway, and it was a very poor decision.

It is located in a serene and beautiful nature. The facility is not brand new, but well maintained. Staffs were very attentive and kind. We enjoyed Harunire Terrace and bird sanctuary nearby.

Such a beautiful hotel at a beautiful location. Our stay was wonderful and I loved all the amenities. They have a free shuttle dropping you off at the plaza nearby or to the station if you reserve in advance and it’s walking distance to the nearby public onsen and restaurant as well. They have snacks and drinks available and private onsen as well. I also loved the hinoki bath inside our bathroom. Lovely place, 10/5. I also enjoyed having dinner there as well. The meat quality of the shabu was fantastic.

Karuizawa is already gorgeous, but this ryokan elevates the experience by offering amazing comforts and timeless, understated luxury in the Japanese tradition I'm personally very fond of. Unlike a typical hotel the rooms are spread out in little villas across a large park, so you do need to be comfortable walking. With scenery so amazing, I enjoyed every minute of leisurely strolling around the park. I stayed in a room at an elevated position, offering a great view, but also some stairs to climb. The room itself was immaculate, clean and very comfortable, with a large balcony and a wooden bathtub. I was picked up at the train station and taken right to the entrance; the ryokan is a little bit away from Karuizawa proper so you might want to get a taxi if you want to explore the town. However, there is a small terrace with decent restaurants and shops only a few minutes away on foot, and a 7-11 within easy walking distance. You can also easily reach some excellent nearby nature trails and sightseeing spots such as the Stone Church without needing a vehicle. There are some nature activities you can book, but I didn't feel it necessary. There are two nearby onsen which I strongly recommend visiting. As for food, I had the seasonal "Alpine Kaiseki" dinner and was very impressed with both the food and sake pairings. The staff took great care to introduce each dish and drink despite speaking limited English. All my interactions with staff throughout the visit were very pleasant, including when I made special requests. In summary, I really enjoyed my stay here and would love to come back.

Having stayed at Hoshinoya Oirase and Fuji, I had high expectations for Hoshinoya Karuizawa, but unfortunately, my experience fell far short of what a luxury resort should offer. For a five-star property, the service was surprisingly lacking in several key areas.||First, the shuttle service to and from the train station is extremely limited. Given the remote location, one would expect a resort of this caliber to provide more frequent and convenient transportation, but instead, guests are left waiting or forced to arrange their own transport.||The check-in process was also disappointing. Unlike other five-star resorts, where staff escort guests to their rooms and assist with luggage, Hoshinoya Karuizawa simply handed over the room key and expected us to find our own way. To make matters worse, no transport was offered, even though the resort is spread out with rooms located in various areas. This lack of hospitality was especially frustrating as we had a 70-year-old guest in our group, who was made to climb steep stairs just to locate the room. It was unacceptable and showed a complete lack of consideration for guests with mobility concerns.||Additionally, the resort required us to fill out a detailed allergy and dietary preference form before our stay, yet when it came to meal accommodations, they were extremely inflexible. Despite noting dietary restrictions in advance, the staff seemed unwilling or unable to prepare a simple vegetarian meal. This kind of rigidity is baffling for a luxury resort that claims to offer personalized service.||Overall, I was extremely disappointed by the lack of proper guest assistance, poor transport arrangements, and inflexible dining options. Hoshinoya Karuizawa markets itself as a high-end retreat, but the service fails to meet even basic luxury hospitality standards. I would not recommend this resort, especially for older travelers or those with dietary restrictions.

The first Hoshinoya property, this is a mountain retreat built for getting away. I came in the winter and even with the bare trees, the grounds were beautiful, which leads me to believe there probably isn't a bad time of year to visit. Each room type is unique and compelling in its own way, and though many will argue for the riverside views, I opted for a higher mountain view room, which I didn't regret, especially for privacy and the views after it began snowing on my last day there. Adjacent to the lobby, the restaurant is the perfect place to take advantage of the Japanese style breakfast, which is a real treat in a phenomenal setting, with the sun coming through the soaring windows. And up the stairs from the restaurant is the library lounge in the main building for relaxing, sipping tea, coffee or blueberry and ume juice, where you will likely find yourself multiple times a day gaffling the cute snacks. The on-site meditation bath is impressively mystical, with the main chamber branching off into a path just large enough for an adult to wade through to the final tiny room, lit only by a few underwater lights. Be sure to walk or get a car ride down to the nearby Harunire Terrace for its shops, cafes, and restaurants. Though most will flock to the Japanese and western style restaurants, do not miss Sajilo Cafe, which was my favorite meal here, hands down. Though it did not ruin an otherwise luxurious stay, it unfortunately has to be mentioned that parts of the rooms are aging, and none more so than the toilet rooms, which have a very noticeable musty, old plumbing/public restroom smell. I raised this twice with the staff, understanding there was not much they could do, and they helpfully let me borrow a deodorant spray. Sadly, holding my nose every time I walked in there ended up being the easiest solution. As with the Hoshinoya Tokyo, service is above and beyond. At every turn, the staff are there to make your stay as perfect as they can, whether it's picking you up from dinner (and then patiently waiting as you dart in to buy a last minute souvenir) or accommodating a request to handle check out the night before you leave. If you are going to Karuizawa, this is an amazing place to make some very special memories.

I would say this is a great spot for relaxation. If you enjoy nature and hot spring, I would def recommend this place. However as for room quality and price, I think it is on the stiff side. Room did not meet my expectations. We also got a reservation for dinner at the lobby area. Service was fantastic, every staff was super nice. Food was also delicious and have the best plating. It is a prefix menu comes with different sets of dishes. My favorite is def their beef shabu. Beef in Japan never disappoints me. It was melting in my mouth. However some dishes were not really impressive and flavor was lacking like their bamboo rice and some appetizers. Overall, I enjoyed the facility and nature of this place but in terms of price point and food, I probably won't return.

Hoshinoya Karuizawa, one of the highest quality resorts in Japan, has 77 guest rooms in a small, newly created village. Rooms are arranged in lines along a pure stream running through a valley between hills. We got up early and had a nice walk in the morning, then went out and spent time outside the village on bicycles. We came back to the village in the afternoon, and then relaxed at the spa and library. This is what Hoshinoya looks like and feels like: https://youtu.be/kzWWDbXD-h8 This is their food selection: https://youtu.be/ewR3LGTqGx4