Fujikawaguchiko Hotels with Pools

We (3 couples in their 60s from Australia) stayed at this fabulous hotel, one of the best any of us have ever stayed at. The rooms are huge, all different, in traditional Japanese style, and with stunning views of Mt Fuji over the lake. Our rooms all had a private onsen which was terrific. We had a wonderful dinner in a private room, dressed in Japanese clothes provided as part of the deal, and then a superb breakfast in the same room. Altogether a fantastic and highly memorable experience. Top end prices but worth every dollar. Our only regret was having only one night there!

We stayed in La Vista, top level facing MtFuji with private bath in the room for 2 nights. Like: You can take as much pictures at any part of the day/night and never get sick of the magnificent sight of MtFuji. For breakfast, we had buffets, western, Japanese style For dinner, we had Western wagyu beef slice course on first night and Japanese omakase in the second night. Both sets were very filling and taste great although I would have like it if the wagyu was steak..ha. I definitely preferred the omakase where there were cold dishes, sashimi, sukiyaki, tempura and top off with desserts. There were many free services; popsicle in many flavours you can eat after coming out from the public/private baths, free beverages, ie. caffeine, tea from the first level outside the reception. Dislike: The toilet bowl is in a separate room near the entrance of the room and the standing bath with private heart shape tub is in another facing MtFuji

Stayed for two nights and finally I got a much better sleep for the first time on my 2 week trip! Breakfast was ok, not fantastic-the place seems very deserted with many shops shuttered quite early on and streets dark. The bath was decent but nothing to shout about. Overall a value for money place just don’t expect too much

This lovely hotel (its a bit dated, but everything is clean and very nice) is right on the lake, and very quiet. Its 10 minutes driving distance from the Kawaguchi-Ko bus stand/train station and there is a free hotel shuttle every hour. I would definitely go for rooms with a view - either of the lake, or of Fujisan. We went for rooms with lake view, and very much enjoyed it. The rooms are big and very comfortable, with a desk, an armchair and a sofa. There is also a small balcony, with amazing views of the lake. Its so peaceful, especially in the early morning or during sunset. The hotel is located in a large garden. There is an indoor and lovely outdoor onsen, where you can bath in the warm water whilst seeing bamboo and hearing birds. Breakfast is a good buffet. The restaurant for dinner is rather expensive, so i would recommend eating in one of the few restaurants in the small town.

This is the second time staying in Fuji Ginkei, while the first time was in 2017. The reason I chose it when I went to Kawaguchiko the second time was the perfect location, service, and food when I stayed in 2017. First, I should thank the hotel staff. As you might know, it is tough for solo travelers to book a Ryokan room. As a search around the hotel list, which I think is perfect for the stay, Fuji Ginkei is one of a few hotels which said OK. I appreciate it. The location is perfect as you can see the lake and mountain simultaneously. For Kawaguchiko, only a few hotels have this kind of view. When you arrive at the Kawaguchiko station, don't forget to call them, and they will pick you up. However, when you live, if you want to take their shuttle bus, you need to check their shuttle bus schedule. I choose the Japanese-style room which a balcony since I want to take many photos from my room. It is worth it as the view from the room is perfect. I can stay in the room and watch Mount Fuji all afternoon. It even has an individual bathroom in the room, which is kind of rare. If you stay in the hotel in Winter, don't forget to use the outdoor onsen. It will be freezing to get in and out, but it is worth it as you will see a very clear sky and many stars when using the outdoor onsen. You will never forget it. Moreover, don't forget to go lakeside, which is only a few meters away. You can take perfect photos of the lake, Mount Fuji and the stars. It is impressive. Service is as good as before, which you can imagine. When you are having breakfast and dinner, the staff will talk with you, introducing the dish and telling you much exciting and helpful information. For once, I was discussing さかさふじ with them and really learned a lot. The dish is good. As I stayed for two nights, I think the first night's dinner was better than the second. For breakfast, I don't have too many things to say. Overall, the dish tasted good but not as impressive as in 2017, maybe because I tried some Michelin during these years, which increased my standard. Overall, it is an excellent hotel, and the price is not that high compared to other hotels around Kawaguchiko. Once again, is it worthy.

Probably the most stunning location of any hotel I’ve stayed in and one of the nicest rooms - in a minimalist way. No TV but quite the most incredible views of Mt Fuji from the room. The outside seating area attached to the room is so comfortable and for us private ( in many rooms it will be somewhat overlooked as guests walk around the site, but room 303 is on the “front row”. The Hotel reception is in a car park at 2775’ above sea level. Our room at 2910’ asl, dining room at 3026’ asl and the cloud terrace fire pit at 3117’ asl. So that’s 116’ up to breakfast or 216’ up to the terrace from the room - which didn’t bother us at all - and I am sure for less able bodied guests they will happily run people about in the Jeep. The Jeep is used to climb the 135’ up from the reception up to room although we ended up walking most of the time - only need to visit reception if hiring bikes or getting a taxi. Mechanical bike hire is free - we used this to get to the 7-eleven about 3km away for some in room snacks and drinks! Also cycled to ice caves about 15km away - well worth doing. Hotel staff extremely polite - English sometimes a little challenging but this was more to do with them trying hard to understand my wife’s dietary request for “no meat and no fish”. I think this was a little challenging for them to comprehend at times but they did accommodate and I know staff worked hard so to do. We sometimes I felt they over complicated the request by checking what she could: couldn’t eat - Just no meat no fish - simple! ( so no, bacon isn’t ok!). Breakfast was special - different but v good. ESP omelette. We almost got off to a bad start when I asked for only me to have the wild boar / venison dinner. My wife just wasn’t feeling that well and didn’t want to risk eating anything but was happy to join me for dinner and share a bottle of wine. This request was refused ( initially) - either both dine or I could be allowed to dine alone. I suspect they thought we would be trying to share the £70 per head meal - but of course the point was my wife didn’t want to eat - esp not meat! They conceded and I enjoyed an excellent meal and we shared a £70 bottle of wine too. I would have enjoyed the £100 per head Dutch oven experience but they would not concede this point and I would have had to eat alone ! Instead we had curry on 2 nights. A sort of hybrid “heat up your own” on the terrace. Tasty enough and worked well for us. But the hotel lost out by being rigid with the rules as the curry was far cheaper! So very many positives. The meal situation was a bit odd as to how it was handled but was OK in the end and my wife accepts she is fussy - but she can’t be the only vegetarian the hotel needs to accommodate ! It’s a stunning property in fabulous location and do highly recommend.

Pros: 1. The room comfortably accommodated 3 adults, although the bathroom was a bit small even for one person. 2. The overall cleanliness of the hotel was satisfactory. 3. Breakfast met our expectations. 4. The onsen experience was enjoyable overall. 5. The hotel's location is convenient, being close to Lake Kawaguchiko. 6. Free parking area is near the hotel entrance. Cons: 1. We specifically booked a room with a ”mountain view” hoping to see Mount Fuji. Our room was on level 3. Unfortunately, we were disappointed to find that our view only included the tip of the mountain, obstructed by buildings and electric cables. This was quite different from the picturesque view advertised on their website. Considering the high price of the room (SGD$800 per night for 3 persons), this was a huge disappointment. We strongly believe that the hotel should reconsider offering level 3 rooms as 'mountain view' rooms and reserve levels 4 and 5 for this category, as this feels like a misrepresentation. 2. Dinner was a huge letdown. We were served only 2 platters of meat (pork and beef) of average quality and 1 vegetable platter for Shabu Shabu. The selection was extremely limited. Although we were offered a Kaiseki Ryori (multi-course Japanese-style meal) for the next evening, there was an additional charge of over $3000+ yen per person for the upgrade. Despite the extra cost, this option seemed more appealing as we did not want to have the same Shabu Shabu two nights in a row.

For more general details about Fufu Kawaguchiko, please read my review from October 2020... We decided at the last minute to pay a visit to the Fuji Five Lakes area because the weather forecast called for a clear day (and hopefully a clear view of Mt. Fuji.) Thankfully, one room was available, and it was the exact same room as the one we stayed at the first time (Fufu Luxury Premium Suite, Room #408.) It's a top-floor corner suite with a separate bedroom/living room along with an expansive balcony and a free-flowing, open-air Onsen (natural hot springs) bath. As rooms go, it's pure bliss. Modern, tastefully furnished and decorated, bright and airy, and has all of the amenities and features one would expect when staying at a relatively new high-end property. We still feel that Fufu doesn't make the best use of its space - it's a bit busy, and consequently seems a bit less spacious than its specifications suggest (it's officially 136 square meters, although someone we can't help but feel that they're counting the balcony space as part of the overall room size.) It's really less of a ryokan and more of a hotel with ryokan-style elements. Shoes don't need to come off (although you're advised to do so in the guest rooms), they provide ”Samue” (sort of spa pajama/style) outfits rather than the traditional (and albeit more pretty but less comfortable) Yukatas, but still retain some of the common ryokan charms (and a few drawbacks.) The staff are relatively young, hip and ”pretty”, and more casually friendly than the typical traditional ryokan, which is good or bad, depending on your perspective. We enjoyed the high-energy vibe of the place, although we also do enjoy the finesse and quaintness that top traditional ryokans exhibit as well (Asaba is a perfect example of this.) The clientele are also more youthful than most other properties that we've stayed at - this is where the young, wealthy and beautiful go to see and be seen, that's for sure. Again, not necessarily a bad thing, but just a FYI. Not much has changed from our last stay, although I will say that we enjoyed the food offering a bit more this time. We learned that they brought in a new head chef, and while it's not a night-and-day difference, we did notice a quality and creative improvement from last time. A few specialty dishes were once again served, including a unique cheese gratin with Natto (fermented soybeans that is slimy and has a pungent odor) for breakfast - we enjoyed the dish, but not sure how many Westerners can handle Natto, which is a very acquired taste. While we wish there was an option to have meals served in one's own room, we do think that Fufu needs to have more ”ko****su” private dining rooms in the restaurant. They only have a handful of them, and priority goes to large groups or families with small children. When we go to a high-end ryokan, we prefer not to dine in an open, restaurant-style environment. We requested a Ko****su in advance, and were only told we wo