Hotele z: breakfast w Nagano Prefecture, Japan

Genuinely the favorite hotel I’ve ever stayed at in Japan. The overall level of comfort is exceptional. The room is a good size, everything is well maintained and fully functional, and the baths are fantastic. There are also so many complimentary services and thoughtful little details throughout the hotel that really make the stay special. The food is decent, although not the highlight for me. What I really loved is that this place feels genuinely Japanese and is clearly popular with locals. During our stay, we only saw one or two Western tourists. It doesn’t feel like a typical tourist-oriented hotel at all. If you want to experience a truly authentic Japanese onsen hotel, don’t miss this place. Highly recommended.

It's quite convenient for Tateyama Kurobe, about a ten-minute drive. It offers good value for money, though the room was a bit small, making it difficult to fully open my suitcase. The cleaning was a bit perfunctory; I noticed hair on the walls and in the corner of the bathroom. The hot spring was a nice touch. However, they barely refilled the breakfast items in the last hour.

First of all, the two staff at the check-in counter showed a very strong sense of job burnout on their faces, and the whole check-in process was not very pleasant. However, the next morning during check-out, the ladies at the counter were very professional and everything felt fine. After entering the room, I found it to be very stuffy and hot. When I turned on the air conditioning, it was only heating. Since the weather outside was quite cool, I understand that the system is centrally controlled and set to heating. I then tried opening the window, but it could only be opened a small amount. For some reason, no fresh air was coming in, and the room still felt very stuffy. Later, I went down to the counter (again, the same two male staff from check-in) to ask if the air conditioning could be switched to cooling, but my request was rejected. I then asked if it was possible to borrow a fan, and they refused again with a very impatient attitude. Overall, the stay was not a very good experience. The room itself was actually fine, but it was too stuffy. I hope this review can be helpful to others.

Located in the heart of Shibu Onsen, Kokuya is a traditional Japanese inn that has been operating for over 400 years. It's the only inn in the area with its own six different 100% natural hot spring baths, featuring eight public baths and ten rooms with open-air hot springs. It has been passed down through 16 generations. Furthermore, the central area of ​​Shibu Onsen boasts a 1300-year-old hot spring town with nine public onsen (hot spring baths) for hotel guests and residents. The ninth onsen is the largest, featuring a golden bath and a sauna. Next to it is a hot spring shrine and foot bath, right next to Kokuya. Kokuya's hot springs are rich in minerals, beneficial for improving muscle, joint, and skin problems. A free shuttle bus (approximately 3km) takes guests to Jigokudani (Hell Valley) to see snow monkeys and enjoy the hot springs. A free shuttle bus connects to the train station, and freshly cooked onsen eggs (100 yen each) are available at the inn's entrance. The hotel boasts a clean and elegant interior with maze-like corridors and wooden staircases. There are dedicated luggage handlers (three floors in total), creating a perfect setting for a period drama, reminiscent of Yubaba's old house in Spirited Away… The hotel also offers traditional Japanese kaiseki dinners with over nine dishes. Ingredients are freshly delivered from Nagano. The menu changes monthly according to the season. Vegetarian options are also available (please inform us in advance). All guest rooms are designed in a traditional Japanese style, featuring Japanese-style bedding and a bathroom with a sink, TV, safe, refrigerator, towels, and yukata. Ten guest rooms have private outdoor baths. The hotel is surrounded by several temples of varying sizes and different springs nestled in the mountains. The water temperatures of these springs vary, with the highest reaching 56°C. Municipal water supplies are provided to each household. Several bridges connect the two sides of the river in front, including a red-painted bridge that resembles a scene from Spirited Away. I suspect that Miyazaki Toshiro may have drawn inspiration from this place… A very nice hotel and hot springs; the staff are polite and attentive.

The location is a huge plus, right opposite Nagano Station's Zenkoji Exit. The room was clean and tidy, and the bedding was soft, so I slept really well. My only minor gripe is that the AC vent was directly over the bed, and the airflow was strong and hard to adjust. It made my trip very convenient, definitely recommend it.

Overall, this was a rather disappointing hotel stay. Before our trip, our plans changed, and we asked the Trip.com concierge to help with cancellation/modifications. However, they were unyielding, and we couldn't cancel for free, so we had to proceed as planned. After checking in, I waited alone in the waiting area for a long time, expecting a staff member to accompany me to the room and explain the facilities. I waited for half an hour with no one attending to me. When a large group of tourists arrived, the front desk became crowded. After inquiring again, I was told there was no escort service to the rooms and I had to find my way myself. At 3:30 PM, housekeeping was still ongoing in the room areas. The room space was cramped, and the view was unremarkable. For a room rate of over 4,000 yuan, the hardware and service provided were far from satisfactory. The hotel's Italian restaurant had decent food, but it wasn't positioned as a high-end restaurant, and the wine list was very limited. The next day, I asked the front desk to call a taxi to the restaurant. For some reason, perhaps they didn't understand English, there was a long delay. After further communication, a car was arranged half an hour later, which was baffling. Considering all these experiences, I will not choose this hotel again in the future.

The room was a bit old but well-cleaned. Unfortunately, when I checked in, only smoking rooms were available, so there was a cigarette smell in the room. However, the staff was helpful and provided a scent spray. The breakfast was delicious and very diverse – I was really impressed! There's parking available next to the hotel for 750 yen per night.

We had a wonderful stay at the Mampei Hotel. The hotel is beautifully designed inside and out, the staff are fantastic, and the meals we had for breakfast, afternoon tea, and dinner were all delicious, as were drinks at the iconic hotel bar. Highly recommended and we will definitely stay again.

I had a large tatami room with side sitting area and sink as well as an ante-room. I had three delicious Japanese meals at the ryokan that were served with polite elegance. The two in-house onsen baths were a joy to use after a day of skiing. The staff was knowledgeable about how to get around by the buses and suggested the best restaurants for days that I did not eat at the ryokan. Senshinkan Matsuya was situated in the center of.Shibu Onsen town next to three of the public onsen. I could not ask for a better stay!

Although the room rate isn't cheap, I think overall it's a hotel with excellent value for money. Firstly, the hotel environment itself is superb. It's spacious with lots of greenery, including a lake, trees, lawns, and small villas, making it very pleasant for a stroll. Secondly, there are hot springs and a shuttle service. Plus, right next to the hotel is a beautiful and very large outlet mall, offering convenient dining options. The shuttle runs in a loop, taking guests to JR Karuizawa Station and the outlets. Even though it's not a far walk to the outlets anyway. The hot springs ♨️ are free for hotel guests and include outdoor baths and a sauna. The hotel also has a golf course, which we didn't visit, but we saw staff assisting guests with their golf clubs in the morning. The only downside is that the hotel is quite large, and some guest rooms are a bit of a walk from the front desk. The West Wing is closer to the shopping plaza, while the East Wing is closer to the ski resort. It seems the West and East Wings are booked separately. The rooms are not small, and the window views are very pleasant. All in all, it's a hotel I would happily choose to stay at again.