Hotel Koryu — Hotel in Fujikawaguchiko

I gave this hotel a very good rating due to the fact that I had scored a last minute deal that is maybe 30% off its regular price. ||||Location: pretty good location about 2-3 km from the entrance point to the lake, most rooms (yes there are a few that are exempted) have lake view. Please note that Mount Fuji cannot be viewed from this hotel. Not quite walkable to train station. However, there is a bus stop right next to the hotel. And the hotel offers shuttle bus (3 time periods) in the morning to take guests to the Kawaguchiko station.||||Service: friendly japanese service as expected at check-in and at restaurant. However something that bugs me is that I chose to have breakfast at 7:30am. When I finished the meal, I was planning to have a short nap before check out as I booked the shuttle bus at 10am. When I got back to my room at 8am, they had already taken away the bedding way before the 10am check out time. Another reminder that if you arrive early and want to have your suitcase stored at the hotel, they don't have a secured area for them. Instead, you are asked to just leave it in a sitting area that is around the corner of the check-in counter. When I arrived, there's nobody manning the check-in counter, so no one is watching the suitcases. Also, the wifi system was down during my entire stay. I'm hoping it's just a one off. || ||Room: my room is on the 3rd floor, that is small in size. It would be a squeeze for 2 people especially if you are bringing any big suitcases. Although the hotel is pretty old, they did a good job maintaining the room. I like they have a remote control for the room lighting.||||Hotspring: I really like their onsen here. There are two bath areas. The bigger one is on the first floor that has multiple pools indoor as well as an outdoor stone-layed pool. The second floor is a smaller one that fits maybe no more than 4-5 people at a time. But it has a nice view of the lake. But I see a lot of spider webs on the ceiling that kind of ruins the atmosphere a little bit.||||Meal: My room plan only came with breakfast. I didn't ask about adding dinner at check-in as I assumed there are restaurants nearby. However, what I didn't know is that most restaurants close very early here (before 5pm). I walked for about 15 minutes from the hotel towards the main entrance area to the lake, only 2-3 restaurants were still open, none of them offered the Houtou (famous local noodle dish). The breakfast in the hotel is pretty standard fare. Nothing fancy. They cooked the egg and sausage in the hotpot prior to the guest arriving, so everything in it was overcooked. But I do like the variety of many small dishes that are included in the set. Keep in mind that the food is mostly Japanese (you may want to ask the hotel if they have alternatives if you are...

I booked a Japanese room with shower without bath for 1 night through Agoda for a preferential rate inclusive of free breakfast (without dinner). ||The hotel itself was a little dated, but the rooms were clean and well-maintained. There were two onsens - an indoor onsen with a small outdoor area on the first floor and a smaller outdoor onsen on the second floor, each of which are segregated by gender. There were only 1 or 2 people in the onsens both times I visited, which was a pleasant experience. ||Breakfast was provided in the main banquet hall with the other guests. It was fairly substantial and tasty. There are three timeslots for breakfast - 7.00am, 7.30am and 8.00am. We did not opt for dinner and instead ate at a restaurant nearby - Hana. I would highlight that there are extremely few restaurants open for dinner in the area, so if one does not opt for the hotel dinner, it may be good to try and secure a dinner reservation beforehand. We walked into Hana at about 6.15pm and the earliest dinner slot available for 2 was 7.35pm. I imagine it would be even more difficult for larger groups. ||The hotel is located very near to stop 10 (Azagawa) on the red omni bus line. The buses are fairly frequent (once every 15 minutes) but they were relatively packed when we visited. It was thus not easy to get up and down the bus with our luggages. The hotel provides pick-up from Kawaguchiko station (only after 3.00pm) and drop-off at Kawaguchiko station (only 4 specified times in the morning). However, as we hoped to maximise our time in Kawaguchiko by arriving in the morning and departing in the afternoon, we did not manage to use the shuttle service. It would have been much better if there was more flexibility with the shuttle timings as I imagine most people would like to arrive in the morning and leave in the afternoon/evening as well. ||The hotel allows for luggage storage before check-in and after check-out, but the luggages are left unsecured in an area without any supervision. You are advised to carry your valuables with you instead of leaving them in your luggage. ||In all, while this hotel has its advantages (mainly the price compared to the other hotels in the Kawaguchiko area, as well as its onsens), it has its drawbacks as well. It is not intended to be a luxurious, but rather a (relatively) more value for money...

Best budget onsen Hotel I've stayed in. Went during non-peak and managed to get a decent price for 1 night stay with friends.

Pros Hotel is near to the station; about 15min walk. You can even shop/ sight see along the way as there are plenty of souvenir shops and restaurants. Optionally, contact the Hotel for shuttle van when you arrived at Kawaguchiko station (take note of the time they offer the bus). Private/ own shower and toilet attached to the room Beautiful view overlooking the lake from our room Very comfortable futon Green tea and snacks ready in the room; complete with yukata 2 different outdoor (rotenburo) onsen and both are lovely although I personally prefer the one on 1st floor, which is bigger Hotel breakfast is good: option of Western/ Japanese Coin laundry available; inform the front desk for laundry detergent (around ￥200 per load/ wash, and another ￥100-￥200 for dryer if i recall correctly)

Cons You'll need to be on time for breakfast. Since it's a set breakfast, if you informed the front desk breakfast time to be 7am, make sure you're down by 7am. Breakfast is served on time so if you're late, your food will be cold. On the good side, the Hotel will give you a call (to your room) if you're not down past 5min the set time. No coffee even if you take the western breakfast. Asked for coffee and was frowned upon (haha!). Not an issue, you can get your fix at nearby shops after you've checked-out. There's not much dinner options. A lot of restaurants are open for lunch yet closed for dinner. There are some options around the Lake but may require you to walk a little further to grab a bite so either have your dinner before checking-in, or opt for full-board to dine in. Sandals provided are not comfortable to wear

Can't really think of anything else. Had a very good stay and will definitely...