Hotel Laforet Shuzenji

The food situation made this stay especially difficult. Before arriving, we asked about vegetarian and vegan meals and were told there were no suitable options at the LaForet buffet. A ¥9,900 meal at the Izu Marriott Hotel Shuzenji was available only on our second night, so we brought our own food after confirming there would be microwaves. Our room had no cutlery, plates, or bowls, and when we asked for basic items to eat the food we’d brought, the request was refused. The property is extremely isolated without a car, which was a real problem given the lack of dietary options. The internal shuttle didn’t run at the advertised times, and its timetable showed service only from Friday to Sunday. The shuttle to the Izu train station was helpful. The resort also seemed run down, and some of the wood around the spa bath was rotting. We booked a Mt Fuji view room with spa, but the view was only from one side of the balcony and couldn’t be seen from the spa bath. At check-in we were told we’d get a ¥1,000 refund for declining room cleaning. At checkout, this was described as covering taxes, even though our booking confirmation listed taxes as ¥600. That felt unclear and not transparent. Overall, the stay at Hotel Laforet Shuzenji Sanshisuimei fell well short of expectations.

We had seven people in our group and stayed in a large, open-plan Japanese-style apartment over winter. It didn’t look like much from outside, but inside it was spacious, warm, and clean enough. From the balcony we could spot deer in the morning, and the huge windows gave us spectacular views of Mt. Fuji. Breakfast was included and very good by Japanese standards, with lots of choices. The staff cooked the bacon and sausages a little more for us, just how we liked them. I also really enjoyed the onsen and managed to use it with tattoos. I’d suggest not bringing them up and just hoping for the best. The price was very good, and I had a fantastic time staying with my girlfriend and her family. I’d definitely come back, maybe in summer.

The poor service and rooms made an already remote location even harder to overlook. The rooms were dingy and dirty in places, with quite a few bugs inside. I might have let some of that go given how far out of the way the place is, but with the bad location and service too, I’d rather never return. There’s basically no usable WiFi in the rooms, maybe half a bar out of four, so it’s either no internet or just a trickle. When I asked at reception, they told me I could sit in the lobby. No apology or sympathy, just a matter-of-fact offer of two chairs. We spoke in Japanese, and it came across as though they either didn’t care or were tired of complaints about the lack of in-room WiFi. The public streets, trains, stations, and coffee shops around town all had free WiFi, but the hotel didn’t.

The facilities are dated, though they were kept very clean. The public baths are huge and nice, and breakfast at the buffet was quite reasonable for the quality. Public transport isn’t very convenient, but shuttle buses are available to and from the hotel.