LONGINGHOUSE Kyukaruizawa Suwanomori

The room was decent for the off-season price, but the details didn't hold up under scrutiny. The 'library' was more for show – just a few shelves of identical, unreadable books, and the diffuser was completely dry without being refilled. In room 828, it took ages for the hot water to come on, so I had to wash my face with cold water, which was a bit annoying. The pillows were so hard I had to remove them and sleep flat – a first for me in any hotel. I checked with Ctrip and found out the hotel doesn't offer pick-up service, but they do have two drop-off services to the station daily at 10 AM and 11 AM, which was helpful. The hotel isn't too far from the station, but it's an awkward distance to walk with luggage. If I come back to Karuizawa alone, despite the complaints, I'd still choose this place for the genuinely good single-person price. However, if I'm with family, I wouldn't return.

This British-style hotel in a quiet part of Old Karuizawa was absolutely wonderful, with a calm and elegant atmosphere, and the food was incredibly delicious. The room was very clean and beautifully decorated, and the private bath was a nice touch. The staff were all friendly and pleasant. It's also conveniently located about a 5-minute walk from Kyu-Karuizawa Ginza Street. I really loved this hotel and would definitely want to stay here again.

The location was great, very close to Old Karuizawa. Free parking was a huge plus, and they even had two types of hair irons (curling and straightener), a hairdryer, and even the shower head, all from ReFa, which was fantastic. It seems the restaurant gets fully booked, so reservations are recommended.

I've never stayed in such a terrible Japanese hotel. Cons: 1. **Filthy!** For a 2600 yen-a-night hotel, I booked it specifically for the private onsen. I reserved it half a day in advance, only to be shocked when I arrived that evening: the trash can was still full of various garbage from previous guests! Pushing further inside, there were even several used towels thrown next to the bath! When I called to inquire, they said it was because all the slots were booked, so there was no time to clean. You can imagine how dirty that onsen must have been! 2. **Chaotic management!** When I called the front desk, they kept saying the problem was due to having only two private onsens that were fully booked. They completely dodged the fact that poor management and cleaning were the real reasons this incident occurred! 3. **Incapable of resolving issues!** The solutions they offered were either to bathe at 10:50 PM or for us to go to another hotel (the outdoor temperature was 3 degrees Celsius, and it was a 10-minute drive away, making it a half-hour round trip – are you kidding me?). Besides that, guests were expected to just deal with it themselves! For a 2600 RMB-a-night room, consumers are left to sort out their own problems! 4. Even after Ctrip intervened, the hotel said, "How about we let you check out an hour later?" Thanks, but no thanks. I wanted to escape the moment I woke up, not wanting to stay an extra second. Never again.