Yutorelo Garden Kitakaruizawa

The hotel looks beautiful and the service was very nice. They also have plenty of things you can borrow for free. My only reason for not giving five stars is that the hot spring is indoors only. If there were an outdoor bath, I'd give it five.

A lovely place to relax and chill!

The dinner was disappointing in both taste and presentation, and the bathing schedule was limited by hygiene inspections. That kept me from enjoying a bath whenever I wanted. The unit-style toilet and sink area was cramped and awkward to use, and water leaked from beneath the toilet and pooled on the floor. It didn't feel sanitary. One male staff member at the front desk was helpful, but the rest seemed impersonal and unfriendly. Sorry this is such a harsh review, but my stay with my dog wasn't comfortable, and I felt I had to say so.

The front desk staff were chatting among themselves during check-in, which cut my expectations in half straight away. We came to the Karuizawa area with our dog, and while this hotel in Kita-Karuizawa, Gunma Prefecture is less than an hour's drive from Karuizawa, there isn't much of particular interest nearby. Walking around with our dog, we saw many old villas and cottages that looked abandoned. It wasn't quite a ruin, but some had torn, sagging curtains, so the surroundings didn't make for a pleasant escape from everyday life. I know that's not directly the hotel's fault, but it was disappointing as a travel setting. As other reviews have said, it may be best to think of this mainly as a place to stay with your dog. The facility shows its age in several places, and I wondered whether younger guests would find the room bathrooms acceptable. The hotel bath is smaller than it looks in the photos, and I felt it would be full with just 10 people. Meals include a main dish and a buffet. I can't recall anything from the buffet that seemed particularly good after the trip, and the main dishes weren't especially tasty either. That's only my personal opinion, sorry. One nice thing was that dogs can come to the dining area. At check-in they specifically told us, "Dogs are welcome in the dining area. We also have a dog food menu!" That helped us decide to let our dog wait quietly in the room instead. Drinks were priced at Karuizawa rates, but the food didn't quite match Karuizawa standards.