5-Star Hotels in Nagano Prefecture, Japan

Genuinely the favorite hotel I’ve ever stayed at in Japan. The overall level of comfort is exceptional. The room is a good size, everything is well maintained and fully functional, and the baths are fantastic. There are also so many complimentary services and thoughtful little details throughout the hotel that really make the stay special. The food is decent, although not the highlight for me. What I really loved is that this place feels genuinely Japanese and is clearly popular with locals. During our stay, we only saw one or two Western tourists. It doesn’t feel like a typical tourist-oriented hotel at all. If you want to experience a truly authentic Japanese onsen hotel, don’t miss this place. Highly recommended.

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.

We had a wonderful stay at the Mampei Hotel. The hotel is beautifully designed inside and out, the staff are fantastic, and the meals we had for breakfast, afternoon tea, and dinner were all delicious, as were drinks at the iconic hotel bar. Highly recommended and we will definitely stay again.

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.

The room was very spacious, and the complimentary cake and snacks were delicious. The hotel surroundings are beautiful, and in winter, there's a bonfire where you can roast marshmallows, making it perfect for a family trip. Many small details were a nice touch, like the yuzu bath.

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.

There are several Prince Hotels in Karuizawa, and this one is 5-star but a bit old. To get to the hot springs or the outlet mall, you have to take a shuttle bus. The hotel rooms are laid out in a long corridor, so if you're unlucky enough to get a room in the 50s, you'll feel like you're walking forever. The scenery, however, is quite nice, as it directly faces the golf course. Besides providing shuttle buses to the hot springs, outlet mall, and train station, the hotel also offers private car service during off-hours. The concierge also has free bicycle rentals (electric and non-electric). What's really great is that upon check-out, you can arrange to have your luggage delivered directly to a service point at the outlet mall (this is excellent, no need to drag your own bags to catch a ride). All in all, it's still pretty good.

Great! The breakfast is rich and distinctive. It's a bit far from JR station, but there's a shuttle bus. High value for money, but the surroundings are a bit remote, perfect for tourists who like peace and quiet. The convenience store is about 1 KM away from the hotel.

Everything you expect of a 5 star stay, Curio Karuizawa delivered. From fluffy duvets, a superb hospitality and concierge team who went above and beyond to recommend sightseeing visits to local attractions complete with assistance with taxi bookings, delicious breakfast and in-room snacks, the hotel delivered. Only minuses are that the central heating was a bit warm even when tuned to it 21 degrees and the decor is a little dated (but still well maintained). Overall, I enjoyed my stay. Thank you team Curio for taking such good care of us!

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.