5-Star Hotels in Nagano Prefecture, Japan

Location: The hotel is situated at the foot of a mountain in Satoyama, a considerable distance from JR Matsumoto Station. However, it offers a unique charm with panoramic views of Matsumoto Castle from the hillside. Transportation: Unless you're driving or taking a taxi, here are your options: 1) The hotel provides a shuttle service to and from JR Station. There are two morning departures at 9 and 10 AM, passing by Matsumoto Castle before heading to JR Station. Return trips are at 4 and 5 PM. The pick-up point is at the temporary parking area to the right of JR Station Matsumoto Castle Exit (not a bus stop). 2) You can take the Meigahara Onsen bus line from the bus terminal downstairs at Alpico Plaza, opposite the temporary parking lot of JR Station, and get off at Fujii Station. You can find the bus schedule on Google Maps. Service: There are English-speaking staff at the front desk, but no Chinese speakers. Simple communication is not an issue. The service was impeccable. Dining: The breakfast is a buffet style with both Japanese and Western options, very extensive and delicious. There are also welcome drinks, including ice cream, juice, coffee, hot tea, and even draft beer! P.S. There are not many dining options near the hotel, so you might want to eat near JR Station before returning to the hotel, or dine at the hotel. I booked one of the few rooms with a private onsen. Soaking in the hot spring while enjoying views of the Northern Alps was incredibly relaxing. The hotel also has a large terrace, perfect for enjoying a drink during the evening 'blue hour' – truly one of life's most comfortable moments.

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.

This hotel is definitely one for the bucket list! The service is excellent, and the food is delicious. They also offer a shuttle service to Karuizawa Station, with a polite driver and soft music playing in the car. My only minor complaint is that the hotel doesn't provide bicycle rentals, but you can easily find rental shops nearby.

Hotel La Vigne Hakuba was a wonderful place to stay. The hotel has a beautiful minimalist design and feels clean, cozy, and very welcoming. Both the lobby and rooms were pleasantly scented, creating a relaxing atmosphere. The concierge team was extremely helpful and the overall service throughout the stay was excellent. The room was spacious, very clean, and thoughtfully designed with a very functional layout. The bedding was also very comfortable. The hotel also provides excellent facilities for skiers, including a dedicated storage and locker room for ski equipment, as well as a separate shower room where guests can freshen up and change after skiing on the day of check-out. Overall, a fantastic stay at Hotel La Vigne Hakuba — highly recommended.

Except for the inconvenient location, everything else is good You must drive to get there! Their service is superb! The room is very large and there is a fire in the hotel

This hotel is very close to Kumoba Pond, only a few hundred meters away. Renting a bicycle really enhances the experience. The overall room facilities are excellent, with hot spring water at around 42 degrees available for soaking all day long. The bathing area is also very private, allowing you to fully enjoy nature. The rooms were renovated within the last two years, so the facilities are very new and the aesthetic is sophisticated. The hotel's private hot spring uses a wooden tub, which offers a more traditional beauty compared to plastic tubs and also sets a higher bar for cleanliness, but the overall hygiene is excellent, and the bath is spotless.

The hotel facilities were fantastic, I absolutely loved them. However, after dragging my luggage to the train station, I spent a long time looking for the hotel shuttle because the instructions didn't clearly state which exit to use. I had to ask many people before I found out the shuttle was at a different exit. Then, when I finally saw the hotel shuttle driver, he didn't stop and just waved for us to wait further away, which was really confusing. I suggest the hotel clearly specify which exit at the station is convenient for boarding the shuttle. The hotel staff were excellent, very polite and patient, and could assist in English, which was great. The location is on the edge of a forest, and the surroundings are beautiful. The only downside is that if you go out for dinner and don't use the shuttle to the train station, you have to walk quite a distance, which is a bit inconvenient.

Highly recommended! The hotel offers a shuttle service, and the surrounding area is very pleasant. Both breakfast and dinner are exceptional and unique. I hope to have the chance to visit again in the future. The rooms are spacious and comfortable, all with wooden structures that give a very calming feel.

The room terrace during the autumn foliage season is truly dreamlike, beautiful in different ways both at night and during the day! It's worth coming just for the terrace and garden alone! A special highlight was leaving a note on Trip.com hoping for a room on the second floor. I didn't have high hopes it would be seen, but they actually arranged it! The service attitude is excellent. After arriving at Karuizawa Station, you can call the hotel to pick you up, and they're very quick, arriving in about 5 minutes. The only minor drawback is that there was a noticeable humming sound in the room, whether it was the heater or some other machine running. It was loud enough that I could still hear it even with earplugs in. I tried turning off all the appliances I could find in the room, but it was still there. At the time, I thought maybe I was just too sensitive to noise, but there was no such sound at the other hotel I stayed at the next day.

Le Grand Karuizawa Hotel & Resort is a perfect place for great views, relaxation and luxury retreat. We stayed on the top of the resort where the view of the Asama Mountain is breathtaking. The room is spacious but cozy. The dinners were very good. We stayed two nights (half board), the two fine-dining French dinners with local ingredients we had were superb. The courses served at the dinners didn’t have any repeat. I will definitely come here again for other seasons.