Kusatsu Onsen Hotel Sakurai

The staff were helpful and friendly, and there's a free shuttle into the city center. Our Japanese-style room having two toilets was a pleasant surprise. The buffet had lots of choices. The steak was really good, as were the cheese and Parma ham. There was also a traditional Onsen performance, which was fun.

The hotel is big and pleasant to stay in, with a large onsen and friendly staff. There's a souvenir shop inside, and free drinks for guests from 2 to 6 p.m. Both breakfast and dinner are buffets, and the dinner can also be kaiseki style. You can choose one buffet dinner and one kaiseki dinner across your stay, and both are included in the accommodation.

The hot springs were a highlight. Kusatsu's water is known for being very hot, but the hotel's baths seemed carefully managed, so we could relax without worrying about the temperature. We also walked to several local sights, passing souvenir shops and people enjoying street food. We stayed in a Comfort Japanese-Western room in late January. The hotel is made up of three large buildings connected on the same level, which was easy to navigate compared with the maze-like layout of some hot spring hotels. There were room styles to suit different budgets, and the staff were well trained and accommodating. Dinner and breakfast were satisfying buffets, with lots of tasty Japanese ingredients, including sushi and tempura. I was surprised by the separate buffet section for children, which seemed like a thoughtful touch. After dinner, there was a hands-on demonstration where we tried cooling the hot spring water on a wooden board, a distinctive Kusatsu Onsen tradition. Lots of children joined in. We'd like to come back.

The room was large enough, with two rooms, and the location was great, but the hotel itself felt like a zoo. Check-in and checkout both took forever because there were so many guests. Dinner was a crowded buffet, with people almost fighting to get food, so we skipped breakfast. The room was just okay, and next time I'd pay more to stay somewhere nicer.