Siotubo Onsen

I stayed at this hotel with my wife and two children during a two-night trip to Karuizawa in early February Location: The hotel was off a road with other larger hot spring resorts around 15-minutes drive from Karuizawa station. It was not difficult to find, but you must navigate a narrow, sloped road to the hotel. The road was icy at this time of the year, so you must drive carefully. There is a large 7-eleven close by along with some local restaurants with good ratings. Cleaniness: The hotel was quite old and worn. I think it was clean enough but many fittings were damaged or broken. Service: I only saw two members of staff on the first day I was there: the receptionist and a lady who served dinner both who were quite elderly. The receptionist did not speak English but with Google Translate it was not a problem. He was polite and answered all our queries. Dinner and breakfast was included in our booking so we were served a nice Japanese meal. The waitress was able to communicate with us in Mandarin. Again she was very helpful. Facilities: As previously stated, this hotel is very old and tired. The rooms were large but quite basic. All the furniture and fittings in the room were clean but very worn. I find the bedding on the Tatami floor quite uncomfortable but maybe it is because I am not used to it. As an Onsen hotel, there were hot springs in the basement. Apart from the usual male and female baths, there was also a family bath. The baths were very old. The tiles were and many of them had come off. In the male an female baths, you could bathe outdoors. Overall: This hotel is very old. However, it is cheaper than other Onsen style hotels in the region. The staff are nice and you do get a real feel of what a traditional Japanese Onsen experience. I personally probably wouldn't stay there again but my family quite enjoyed the experience.

I stayed at Shiotsubo Onsen for three nights at the end of November 2023. I was welcomed for early checkin and throughout my stay well taken care of by the highly hospitable staff. The meals were delicious and the service impeccable. The onsite Onsen is very comfortable and accessible. A larger public Onsen is available down the road at Hoshino. For birders / hikers / outdoor enthusiasts this place can't be beat for the location and price!

We arrived at the onsen having booked privately from home as part of our trip around the world. We have been to Japan before and weren't able to get in last time.  We knew that this was popular with birding groups and so this was something of a long standing ambition for us to stay here. We had booked a Japanese style room and so we were expecting the minimalist style and rush mats and shoji screens at the windows etc . We were very well looked after and a kind soul came up while we were out to make our beds for us as this was a bit of an art form.  Our linen including our robes and jackets were changed daily along with the towels (room and onsen), and the fridge/ mini bar was stocked with beer so we felt quite at home! When we arrived we appeared to be the only guests here . I think the chef comes in only when required and we hadn't prearranged dinner.  This was no problem as it is only a short walk to some very acceptable dinner solutions.   We generally stayed out to avoid going back and forth into town and really enjoyed spending time here in the onsen and in our cosy room. The staff here are so friendly and efficient and really went out of their way to make sure we are happy.  Breakfast first day was Japanese style which we enjoyed. Second day the very kind manager offered us toast and coffee which was very sweet as we didn't want anyone to have to go to extra trouble. It is always good if visitors can be a bit flexible in their dining preferences.  The room is very good with nice big windows so has a light and airy feel. Beds are comfortable once we get down to our mattress.  Getting up in the morning doesn't get any easier as we get older but we managed and we actually slept very well during our stay. The room had a very effective heater which kept us snug even on the coldest days. There is plenty of hot water for washing and there is actually an in room individual onsen bath.  We preferred a quick shower in the morning and an onsen soak in the evening   There is a communal  onsen at basement level which is very good. Lots of nice products to use for the shower beforehand and then the onsen bath (single sex) looks out to some well lit bonsaii and is very relaxing. There is another less hot bath in the outdoors which is lovely once you get in and survive the shock of cold air on the body . It snowed on our last day and surrounded by the snowy scene I felt a bit like a snow monkey with the steam rising around me! The public areas are well looked after. Birdfeeders are filled to ensure there is always something to look at on the feeders. For  nature lovers the proximity is ideal as the Kariuwazara bird park is only 15 to 20 minute walk away. Also around 3 miles to the Sengataki waterfalls which is a nice walk with your binoculars and camera. There is a steep path down to the hotel but if the walk is too much there is a local bus stop to take you into the town towards the railway station.