HOTEL KORYU

I saw Joeman had stayed there, so I thought I'd give it a try. I stayed two nights, one night's accommodation and two meals included. The food was average. Transportation was convenient; the hotel is right next to the Asakawa Station on the Red Line (Line 10), less than a 2-minute walk away. There was coffee and snacks available in the lobby, but the service hours were limited. There was a free shuttle to Kawaguchiko Station in the morning, but you needed to book in advance. The earliest Red Line bus towards Kawaguchiko departs around 9:30 AM; if you want to arrive earlier, you can book the free shuttle.

A shuttle bus operates from 3 PM (?) to 7 PM (?). If you call the hotel from Kawaguchi Station, they will pick you up. In the morning, the hotel runs a shuttle to Kawaguchi Station four times. The rooms are very spacious, and the building is very large. The building houses a manga library, a karaoke room, and a table tennis room. There is a hot spring on the first floor (two hot tubs, one cold bath (?), and one open-air bath) and a hot spring on the second floor (one open-air bath with a view of Lake Kawaguchi (it’s super hot)). I arrived around 7 PM, had dinner, and left the next morning, but I think it would be better to go a little earlier and rest at the hotel. There are plenty of things to enjoy. I was given a room with a view of Lake Kawaguchi, and the third photo is one I took from inside the room. Dinner was included, so I ate it; the menu was quite diverse. It wasn't exactly "delicious," though. I didn't have breakfast, so I can't comment on that. However, everything else was great, so I recommend this ryokan. There is a bus stop right in front.

In the stretch of hotels along the Kawaguchi Lake, Hotel Koryu is the first one closest to the Kawaguchi station. It’s walkable, and just one bus stop away from the ropeway. I haven’t been to the other hotels along the lake, but this one was affordable, clean, and accessible. We enjoyed our stay in a room for 5 people, with 2 single beds and 3 Japanese style bedding that folds up and away. It didn’t feel luxury or upscale, and the facilities were pretty dated, but again, the overall stay was nice and we enjoyed the charm. Example - you use old school metal keys that you need to turn to lock and unlock. There were 2 onsen each for men and women. Both has outdoor onsen. I’m not sure how well the language barrier worked into this, but upon asking at the lobby, we were told that the outdoor onsen on the first floor (the big one) was the only one without any chemicals. But I still smelled some chlorine, so I’m a little skeptical. The onsen upstairs is supposed to have a view, and it kinda does, but it’s blocked by the privacy fence (needed!) if you are in the tub and sitting. So it’s kinda moot. The one downstairs doesn’t have a view but is decorated with rocks and greenery and feels nice. You can also carry a conversation with the guys just on the other side of a tall wall that separates women/men. Oh, and they give you free robes to borrow to wear inside the hotel, and they’re very comfortable to wear around after onsen and while dining. Buffet restaurant serves breakfast and dinner fresh and is good, though not 5-star. The hall is huge and there’s plenty of space. But decor is dated and it just feels like a huge room rather than a cozy or posh place. Not really charming either. It’s just a big room with lots of tables. Efficient, though. And the food is nice. While alcohol is served and unlimited, it’s ok quality. Staff was very friendly when we needed to interact, and though English wasn’t great, we were able to communicate. My Japanese is nonexistent, so I was very grateful. There’s a comic book library in the lobby - check it out. This is amazing! One surprise at the end of the stay - they stay was all prepaid and all I needed to do was check out but they wanted me to pay for a resort tax fee - and would not accept credit card. I didn’t have cash on me, and they were like, ok, then we’ll waive it - but then I found some cash as they were saying it so I paid… but it was per person per day, and if I had not found the cash I wouldn’t have paid it. Afterwards, I was talking about it and thinking about it, and I think I was scammed. Why would that have to be cash only, and allowed to be waived? Hmm. So overall, great stay with a bad taste just at the end, but overall, I have good memories.