LaLa Gotenba Hotel & Resort

Probably one of the strangest hotels I have ever stayed in. As you approach, you ask yourself is this architectural style working? It is eye catching, but almost entirely dissonant. Maybe, if there was more glass amongst the brutal concrete to catch the reflection of the trees, and surrounding nature. Who knows? I was tired, and had a mountain to climb, so walked towards it... And then you are met with a beautiful approach towards the impressive lobby, and a shimmering light coming through glass doors, and the promise of a perfect view of Fuji on the other side. Check in was smooth and we were given an upgrade to a room with a view of the mountain. A nice touch, but not strictly necessary, as the lounge upstairs which was almost always deserted during our stay had the view as well. Free coffee, water and juice available here as well. The room was tight, but that is normal in Japan. Our balcony was welcome, and it was large and spacious, and looked out over landscaped (to a certain extent) gardens, and of course the mountain. But I wouldn't say it was a pleasant balcony. Just a bit hard and jarring, a little uneasy on the eye. They have a French restaurant here, which is definitely not to our taste. And again, it seemed at odds with the setting. Breakfast was fine, although you are limited to what they bring you to your table. We wandered around the grounds at the rear of the hotel for a while, and looked back at the hotel building, and the view of the place was just plain ugly. Brutal and ugly, with a distinct lack of maintenance. The frontage has a similar feel, but less so. It seems to me that hefty investment might be required, but not even sure that would work. Which is a pity, because when you are inside looking out, it is okay, even good, with the mountain to view, and there are some nice touches and flourishes in the decor, too, and the restaurant/ breakfast room is impressive. But when you are outside looking in... well.... It is almost as though two different teams of designers put in wildly contrasting bids for this place....and neither won, so they combined the two. I should mention that they have one of those public hot bath facilities that are popular in Japan available to guests here, and although this was of no interest to us, it is considered a major plus point amongst those who stay. And if you don't like idea of an overpriced French restaurant, you will need a taxi ride to town to eat. Cost approximately 2000 yen each way.

After a whole day shopping at the Gotemba Premium Outlet and before we move on to visit beautiful Hakone, we decided to take some rest and spend a day at the Rembrandt Premium Fujigotemba Hotel & Resort, a place nearby where you can really enjoy peace of mind and getaway from noises and lights. The architecture of the hotel is beautifully built outside and the lobby has been renovated with marble stones which gives you a comfortable and quiet feeling when checking-in. The hotel is located up in the hill and has a nice view of Mt. Fuji if weather is good. However, it had been raining and cloudy for couple of days while we stayed and we didn't have the luck. We were assigned with room 410, a twin bed room with balcony, and it is spacious despite that the funiture are a bit old. The hotel provides breakfast but not lunch or casual dinner as most of the hotel guests choose to dine out in the restaurants inside or nearby the outlet. If you choose not to go out, the hotel do serve a decent French dinner at 12,000yen per person. So, it is suggested that you buy your own foods before returning to the hotel and enjoy them at the lounge located in 5th floor where you can get free orange juice, Fresh brewed coffee and water. Also, full sets of Japanese comics are provided in the lounge. It will be so enjoyable if you bring your own reading material and music, enjoy a nice cup of fresh brewed coffee from the lounge and in a sunny day, Mt. Fuji may show up through the window to make the day a perfect one. The dinning room on 5th floor serves breakfast in set menu. Foods are really good of it's presentation and taste. The home-made bread that go along with are also wonderful. For relaxation, the hotel do have a public bathing spot separately for male and female. There is also a golf course nearby but we didn't have the chance to pay a visit. When checking out, we were given a postcard of Mt. Fuji (attached) and the picture of it was taken from the big glass window of the lobby where 2 telescopes are provided for hotel guests to watch Mt. Fuji from that spot.

I passed this hotel many times on my drive from Hakone to Gotemba. The building has unique architecture both inside and out. The twin room has a large balcony. There are two keys, which was convenient. There is only one chair in the room, so one person had to sit on the bed. There is a large lounge on the restaurant floor, where you can drink coffee and orange juice. The view of Mt. Fuji was the best from here. However, there are a lot of manga books, so there was always someone there. I think the lounge is more relaxing than the room. The clean large bath has two open-air baths with a view of Mt. Fuji. There are no amenities in the wash area (there are some in the washroom in the room). The Japanese French dinner was divided into three parts. Three types of glass wine that went well with the food were 6,000 yen. Full bottles of wine start at 7,500 yen, so I ordered a full bottle of wine. The amuse-bouche was a seasonal bite, but it was a shame that it was chawanmushi. It was really just a teaspoonful. The cold salmon was also quite ordinary with a tartar sauce flavor. The salted cod and squid ink risotto had a unique texture and flavor. The Hakone pork steak was also delicious, but it was a small steak that lasted about two bites. The dessert was okay. There was also decaf coffee and tea. The portions were generally small. When I asked for a refill of bread with the cold salmon, I was refused, saying that the next bread would be served with the meat dish. I was a little disappointed to hear that there was only one piece of bread each for the cold fish and meat dish. I can understand the feelings of the people who complained about the small portions in the reviews. At the beginning of breakfast, we were told, "Only two pieces of bread per person." Since it's an expensive hotel, I think it would be okay to serve just one slice of bread if requested. Is it a hassle to bake it? At breakfast, it was nice to be able to see the beautiful Mt. Fuji, which I couldn't see the day before. Mt. Fuji quickly disappears into the clouds, so it's best to take photos quickly. When we checked out, the people next to us got a postcard or something from the front desk as a memento of their stay, but we didn't get anything, which left us feeling a bit uncomfortable at the end.