Karuizawa Prince Hotel West Review

For those who do, here’s out detaile dreview. We stayed at the Karuizawa Prince cottage and it was an ideal environment to live in the forest, and it was a heartwarming experience.

Cottages surrounded by trees, beautifully laid lawns, birds singing… I’d live there if I could!

In this article, we’ll report on the details of the cottages for those who are considering staying at Karuizawa Prince’s cottages!

Karuizawa Prince Hotel West Cottage A

Below are the conditions under which I stayed.

• Time: First half of June
• Duration: 3 days 2 nights
• Number of people: 1!
• Prince Cottage A: Cottage for 4 people at Hotel West (very close to The Prince Karuizawa)

Exterior view of West Cottage A

The building is a log cabin. The cottages are set in a bright wooded area with manicured lawns and are dotted throughout.

The building is not new, but the dark color of the wood may make it look even older. There are no weeds around the entrance and it is well maintained.

The cottages are a good distance from each other. There are several types of cottages, the smallest for 4 people and the largest for more than a dozen people.

Entrance to West Cottage A

The rooms for 4 people are not auto-locked but cylinder type.

It’s a big key so it might be bulky in your bag.

I had to carry it with me because it was too much trouble to go to the Hotel West building to deposit it.

If you lose the key, you will be charged from 20,000 yen, so be careful!

West Cottage A Room

living

The rooms are also very well cleaned in every corner.

First, when you opened the front door, there was a kitchen, a bath on the right, and a living room. There were two bedrooms on either side of the living room. There’s also a toilet near the living room.

I checked in a little after 7pm, so here’s a picture of me in my room.

It was dark and the room was large and a little disheartening. I hurriedly turned on the lights and TV.

bedroom

There are two twin bedrooms. There was a closet with a mirror in the bedroom and a yukata inside.

bath

The bath was also old, but it was cleaned properly. The bathtub and washing area are separated.

The shape of the shower head etc. was old.

It took a while for the hot water to come out, like I had to leave the water out for about 5 minutes before it finally turned into hot water.

I was there in June so it wasn’t cold, but there is a window in the bathroom and it looks cold in winter.

Perhaps that’s why the heating was also properly installed in the bathroom. The windows also have curtains so you don’t have to worry about the view from outside.

toilet

The bathroom had a bidet. The bathroom was clean and well maintained, but there was a distinctive smell that I can’t describe.

West Cottage A Amenities and Equipment

I had everything I needed to make a living. Here’s a list of the equipment as far as I can think of.

fixtures

• refrigerator
• Hangers, Clothes brushes
• Slippers (not disposable)
• umbrella
• (hand) towel
• Shampoo, conditioner, body soap
• Pot (cup, green tea, coffee)
• plate
• ashtray
• hair dryer
• shoehorn
• yukata (light cotton kimono worn in the summer or used as a bathrobe)
• safe
• electric fan

 amenity

• toothbrush
• rolling pin
• hairbrush
• razor
• shower cap

West Cottage A Breakfast

Guests can choose to have breakfast at either the Hotel West or Hotel East breakfast room.

At first, I thought walking outside to get to the breakfast place was a pain in the ass! I thought.

But walking through the woods, hearing the birds chirping, and the fresh air was really nice! Rather, walking for breakfast was the highlight of our stay at the cottage.

If we had stayed in a hotel instead of a cottage, I don’t think we would have had this forest bathing experience. That would be a waste! This is the best part of Karuizawa, I thought.

There are two breakfast venues to choose from.

• Japanese and Western buffet at Hotel West in New York
• Japanese and Western buffet at Porta in Hotel East

I stayed two nights in the cottage and tried both. Here is my report below.

Hotel West New York Breakfast

It was about a 10 minute walk from the cottage near The Prince. There are signs on the way so we didn’t get lost.

The price of breakfast buffet is 3,000 yen. Both Japanese and Western breakfasts are well prepared. From rice to bread, everything is available. There is also a corner where they cook omelettes right in front of you.

The restaurant is larger and seats more people than Hotel East’s Porta.The golf course spreads out outside the large glass-walled windows. The open view gives you a feeling of freedom and comfort on a fine day.

We went to the breakfast room at about 7am on a weekday morning in June and were seated immediately.

Hotel East Porta Breakfast

It was about a 15 minute walk from the cottage near The Prince. If you walk fast, you can get there in about 10 minutes. The breakfast room is on the second floor, and the restaurant has a casual and bright atmosphere. The ski slopes spread out in front of you.

This is also a Japanese and Western buffet.

I didn’t count the number of items, but I got the impression that there were more at the Hotel West, New York. However, there is a basic selection of fish, vegetables, etc.

They cook the omelette right in front of you here too.

What surprised me was that 90% of the travelers were Chinese when I was there. I didn’t see any Japanese customers and I felt like I was in China.

It was nice to be able to use the two restaurants, it was a change of scenery for our morning walk.

Especially near the Hotel East, there were big cottages lined up and it looked like something out of a foreign movie.

I wish I could live in a house like this. It was a fun time to walk around the house, dreaming of the kind of house we would like to live in.

Thoughts on Staying at Karuizawa Prince Hotel West Cottage A

The room was spacious enough, well cleaned and very comfortable.

I stayed alone and it felt too big for me…. It was like my dream of living in the forest came true and I looked forward to getting up every morning.

The cottage is like living in a house. You can listen to your favorite music loudly because it is separated from the next cottage.

If you have children, it’s easy not to worry about them making loud noises.

The windows are low to the ground, so you may be concerned about the view from the outside.

But when I walked outside, I found that the room had lace curtains that didn’t allow me to see inside at all.

West Cottage A Question

How are you going to eat and shop?

There is a shop at Hotel West. You can walk or ask for a pick up and they will pick you up.

Or you can take the hotel shuttle bus. However, buses and shuttles have to be timed, so walking is the best way to get around.

The shop at Hotel West is open until 9pm. They sell drinks, snacks and souvenirs.

The cottage area is dark at night, but there are street lights in places so you won’t get lost.

What about rainy days?

Umbrellas are also always available in your room. Prince umbrellas and umbrella stands are located at the entrance and exit of each hotel, so you don’t have to carry them with you at all times.

They can also pick you up and drop you off between the cottage and the hotel if you call them.

It may be disappointing when it rains and your sightseeing plans are disrupted, but it is nice to walk in the forest in the rain!

On the last day, it was raining hard from the morning, but the rain made the greenery of Karuizawa even more beautiful! It’s nice to walk and be one with the forest while listening to the sound of the rain.

I thought you said you had some bugs.

Yes, sir. And there are bugs! The cottage is surrounded by trees, so no matter how many measures you take, you can’t avoid bugs.

During our stay, we saw ants walking around the cottage 3-4 times in 3 days.

We went in June and didn’t see any mosquitoes or other nasty pests. （I was there in June and didn’t see any mosquitoes or other nasty pests (thank goodness).

Stay in a cottage at a great price!

You can also apply from the official website of Karuizawa Prince Hotel, but the official site is usually rather expensive.

Many websites such as Ikyu and Rakuten offer special deals, so we recommend you check them out.

See Karuizawa Prince Hotel Cottage Plan on Jalan

That’s all I have to report about our cottage stay at Karuizawa Prince!

If you like forests or want to live in a forest, this is the ideal environment for you.

The building isn’t new, but if you don’t mind the little things, ok!

We recommend staying in a cottage for families, those who want to hang out with their children and those who want to spend a relaxing time surrounded by the forest.