Le Grand Kyu Karuizawa

“Very good”

My wife and I stayed here overnight. We usually stay in a ryokan in Karuizawa but we tried this hotel as we had been booked into ryokans in the days before and after, and need a break from all of the food. We had a second floor room facing the main street which is a pretty enough outlook. The ro… more

My wife and I stayed here overnight. We usually stay in a ryokan in Karuizawa but we tried this hotel as we had been booked into ryokans in the days before and after, and need a break from all of the food. We had a second floor room facing the main street which is a pretty enough outlook. The room is huge for Japanese standards about 4.5m by 12m. The beds are good, the appointments modern, the bathroom huge and well appointed. Breakfast is buffet style, a good mix of Japanese and what Japanese tend to think is western food. Very enjoyable. We didn't try the French restaurant as unfortunately (and typically of Japanese hotels) it only has set menus. Luckily though a very good restaurant - Kawakami An - is only about 100m up the road and we had dinner there. The Onsen facilities are on the 3rd floor. Very nice, with good indoor and outdoor baths. The staff are helpful and nice. I saw a review complaining about the check in time of 3, but the corollary to that is that the checkout time is midday. You can't have it both ways as they have to clean the room some time. All up, very impressed, we will be back.

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“Nice hotel”

We visited Karuizawa during its off season and this hotel is very quiet. We can tell from the number of cars that were parked in its car park and from the patronage in the hotel's only restaurant. The hotel is housed in a three-storey building and our room was on the top floor. The room that we sta… more

We visited Karuizawa during its off season and this hotel is very quiet. We can tell from the number of cars that were parked in its car park and from the patronage in the hotel's only restaurant. The hotel is housed in a three-storey building and our room was on the top floor. The room that we stayed in is western style and we have our own balcony. Save an except that we have the view of Mount Asama, there is no view from our balcony other than the main street in Karuizawa. The hotel has onsen facility and is in the vicinity of the Train Station. It is around 2-3 km away from the train station. As it was off season, when we went for dinner at its restaurant, they only have a set menu at 8,000 Yen per head plus 10% service. The food quality was average. We did not try their breakfast as it costs 2,500 Yen per head plus service charge. We found it much better value to go to the shopping outlet near the trian station. Staff at the hotel speaks only basis English but we were able to understand each other. Car parking is free at this hotel but the space is first come first served. They have around 14 car parking space.

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“Recent visit ”

Nicely decorated hotel resort in the woods. Spread over a huge area the hotel encompasses other facilities to cater to wedding functions with wedding halls and chapel. Gorgeous setting. For hotel there are about 50 rooms and we stayed in a large room. Due to large area the room is situated quite a… more

Nicely decorated hotel resort in the woods. Spread over a huge area the hotel encompasses other facilities to cater to wedding functions with wedding halls and chapel. Gorgeous setting. For hotel there are about 50 rooms and we stayed in a large room. Due to large area the room is situated quite a walking distance. But overall service and food is good and nice. Amenities and room provision is good too. Stayed for 2 nights and the area of Karuisawa is definitely a nice and colorful place to visit esp during fall season.

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“Decent hotel with spa facility”

We stayed here for two nights. Check in was at 3pm and we arrived around 12pm, but there was no early check in. As we waited for our room, we were given welcome drinks. We booked a large double room, which had two queen size beds; a sitting table with two chairs; a TV and large cabinet; and wardrob… more

We stayed here for two nights. Check in was at 3pm and we arrived around 12pm, but there was no early check in. As we waited for our room, we were given welcome drinks. We booked a large double room, which had two queen size beds; a sitting table with two chairs; a TV and large cabinet; and wardrobe. There was an Apple TV, which is useful to people who subscribe to those services. However, it didn’t work so they had to replace it with another unit. The room had a large bathroom, with a separate tub and shower cubicle, toilet unit and sizeable sink area. The toilet is a modern Japanese one with various functions you can press that will make more of a mess if you don’t understand the language. We did not use the shower and bath as we used their public spa facilities. The spa is on the top (2nd floor) and includes hot bath and shower facilities as usual in these places. There is also an outdoor bath as well. They have the usual amenities. The hotel is walking distance from Karuizawa Station but could be difficult if you have heavy luggage. There is limited to no transport choices given by this hotel (could be the norm in Japan). They do a buffet breakfast that had hot Western and Japanese food (also Chinese Siu Mai as well). Western food was scrambled eggs and small sausages. There are pastries and fruit as well so there’s enough food for a sufficient meal. Overall a good stay was had. Hotel is nice and room was clean. The staff are friendly enough, if English levels were of varying standard.

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