5-Star Hotels in Nagano Prefecture, Japan

I highly recommend this onsen hotel, ranked among the top 30 in all of Japan, to anyone visiting Matsumoto! The room views, hot springs, food, and service are all impeccable. Having stayed at many Japanese onsen hotels, this one truly offers excellent value for money. Service: The hotel is a 20-minute drive from JR Station and provides a shuttle service. When you arrive at Matsumoto Station, you can leave your luggage at the ACE Hotel, part of the same group, freeing you up to explore. ACE then delivers your luggage to Shoho by 4 PM, which is a very thoughtful arrangement. The front desk service is warm and friendly. A gentleman named Ito helped us book a restaurant in Ise for the next day, making several calls until he finally secured a reservation, for which we are very grateful 🙏. Ambiance: The 56-square-meter mountain-view room is spacious and comfortable, with views of a small town nestled beneath snow-capped mountains right outside the window. The sunrise and sunset are absolutely beautiful. The large public baths on both sides offer unique scenic experiences and are both worth trying, especially the snow mountain view bath, which provides expansive vistas. Facilities: The room is very well-maintained and fully equipped. The hotel also has a souvenir shop, and complimentary drinks are available in the afternoon. Dining: The half-board plan includes a multi-course kaiseki dinner and a buffet breakfast. The variety is extensive, the food is delicious, and it's well worth the price. If you opt not to include meals, there's a ramen restaurant in the hotel, catering to various budgets.

The hotel environment is great, and the room facilities are complete. The minibar isn't free, but the bedding is comfortable. There's a shuttle bus available, and a supermarket nearby. The only downside is the breakfast, which is quite ordinary and doesn't offer a wide variety of dishes.

This hotel is definitely one for the bucket list! The service is excellent, and the food is delicious. They also offer a shuttle service to Karuizawa Station, with a polite driver and soft music playing in the car. My only minor complaint is that the hotel doesn't provide bicycle rentals, but you can easily find rental shops nearby.

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.

Amazing experience as always with the Fufu brand. We stayed at the Hakone one previously and thought it was one of the best hotel experiences we've ever had. Our trip to Karuizawa this time was driven by our intent to try Fufu Kyukaruizawa, and it did not disappoint one bit. From the zen interior to the most attentive and friendly staff to the never-ending dining experiences (yes, even for breakfast it was a multi course menu), we were utterly blown away by our two-night stay. The fireplace in the lobby and in our room was such a pleasant touch even though we stayed during May, our teppanyaki chef personally seeing us out to the lift and bowing until we were out of sight shows how they go above and beyond, and we really appreciated how at each interaction the staff knew and clarified our coming arrangements, ensuring our entire stay was a seamless experience. Fufu remains our favourite Japanese hotel brand. Just wish they had a loyalty program as we are looking to check off all the Fufu hotels in our lifetime.

I'd seen some reviews saying the facilities were a bit old-fashioned, but I actually found them to be perfectly fine. It was clean and hygienic, and the staff were very welcoming. Since it was winter, there weren't many tourists, so it was wonderfully quiet. We booked two twin rooms for our group of three adults and one child, and we were all really happy with the room views. We booked breakfast for the next day at the front desk when we checked in. It was 5400 JPY per adult, and the food was just average, but we mainly got it for the restaurant's view. The hot springs are free, you just pay a 150 JPY per person tax. You need to take a shuttle to the East or West wing. We had our own car, which made it more convenient, but if you're using the hotel shuttle, you might have to wait for the next one.

Had a great time at this resort hotel! Rooms are spacious and beds are comfortable! Had a great experience with all the ground staff. Breakfast, Lounge access staff were all excellent! Special thanks to Miyata, the lady in short hair with black jacket and trousers. They were lovely and super helpful and friendly.

This hotel is located in Old Karuizawa, about a 15-20 minute walk from the JR train station. They also offer a convenient shuttle service. The room was spacious with a lovely balcony and a small garden view. It's also very convenient for connecting to hikes in Nagano.

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.

The place looks exactly like the photos, no exaggeration at all. The entire house is enveloped by nature. In the mornings, I meditated and read in the garden with birds singing in the woods – it truly felt like my body was completely at one with nature. The owner mentioned that this particular unit boasts the largest garden among all their room types and was designed to mimic the architecture of the Kogen Church. The upstairs features an open sleeping area with four futons, which could easily accommodate six people. Downstairs also offers a tatami sleeping area. One thing to note is that sound travels easily between floors, as they are all open-plan rooms. The bathroom facilities are absolutely fantastic! With a built-in drying system and a hairdryer, the floor dries instantly after you shower. All the room amenities felt like they were from premium brands. My favorite item, surprisingly, was the trash can, haha! It's exactly the kind of setup Shanghai's waste classification system desperately needs. I'm already 'sold' on it and planning to get one myself, haha! Guests can also cook their own meals here. The owner's breakfast was not only generous but also incredibly delicious. I'll definitely have to try the steak for dinner next time – I'm sure it's excellent. The owner was incredibly kind and patient, helping us arrange taxis and even providing pick-up and drop-off services. We're very grateful. Karuizawa's summer weather is wonderfully comfortable and refreshing. The hotel's location is also fantastic, within walking distance of the Wild Bird Forest. Just a quick note: breakfast and dinner need to be reserved in advance!