Grand Mercure Yatsugatake Resort & Spa

We stayed for 2 nights and 3 days with our family (with a 2-year-old and a 4-year-old). First, rent a car in Kofu and drive to the hotel via the Chuo Expressway to check in. The room we stayed in was a so-called Japanese-Western style room with a low bed placed on a square tatami mat. Although some facilities have been updated to some extent, the refrigerator is from 30 years ago, the TV is a model from nearly 20 years ago, the plumbing is old, and there were even insect marks on the ceiling light, so given the price, I felt it could have been done a little better. (However, I was able to spend a reasonably comfortable time without any problems with internet connection or cleaning.) The meal was served in a buffet style, offering a well-balanced mix of Japanese, Western, and Chinese dishes made with local ingredients, and since there were many menus for children, I was very satisfied. The large public bath was a hot spring, and they had detox water and a relaxation room, so I was able to relax quite a bit. (However, I felt the hot spring had a slight disinfectant smell.) There was a quite large children's playground on the basement floor, and especially the four-year-old children were playing excitedly. Even the two-year-old was enjoying it, but I got the impression that there were more rides for slightly older children. There are also several small play areas on the third floor. Other complaints include that the number of elevators and parking spaces felt a little insufficient. The staff's response was generally very good. I feel like the evaluation of this hotel changes depending on whether you are traveling with children or adults only. If you are bringing children, I can highly recommend it, but if you are only adults, you might be more satisfied staying at a different hotel in the same price range.

I knew this is a family friendly resort before arrival, but I wasn't prepared to see hundreds of little kids staying here on an average weekday. The hotel was very packed, which was kind of understandable because the price seemed incredibly cheap for what they have to offer, but this is where the problems occur. Overall, the hotel was crowded and filled with little kids. No matter where you go you have to keep an eye on them and you will always hear them. The dining experience was easily the worst one I ever had in any Japanese hotel. It's not because the food was bad (the food was actually very tasty for the price). But the whole system was broken. They made everyone to arrive at the same time, so the place basically turned into a battlefield with a hundreds of families trying to feed their little kids all together. There was even a line to just get the napkins. After you finally get some food you need to get back to your table while evading all the push carts, moving toddlers, baby seats and a maze of tables. Then after you sit down you will be surrounded by dozens of little kids and some of them would surely be crying at any given time. You only have 90 minutes for dinner, and 40-50 minutes of them could be spent in just getting the food. It's even more stressful for breakfast because you only got 60 minutes. One of the main features of the hotel is the Forest Lounge, which is a large Japanese styled room with Mangas, table games and free snacks and drinks. As you may have guessed by now, it was very packed and noisy (at least until they stop offering free drinks at 6PM). The snacks they offer were just a few types of cookies for kids, although they do have some alcoholic options for drinks. A similar option would be offered on the lobby level later at night which was a slightly quieter experience. The public bath area contained several nicely decorated lounges, but the actual bath was way too small for the amount of people staying. People virtually touch each other in the water so I did not feel comfortable to even get in. And finally, the parking lot was packed too. I arrived by 5PM and it was almost completely full. It's best not to arrive the hotel too late. As for the room, I got the Standard Twin room. It was a bit old and simple. For the price tag I don't think I can ask for much more, but the bed was too low and hard for my liking. Depending on your room location (and weather) you may be able to to get a partial view of Mt Fuji. All the complains aside, the main draw to the hotel is all the kids activities. They have repurposed many old banquet rooms and conference rooms into different playgrounds for little kids and they were all free for what I can tell. There were much fewer things for adults to do though. They have a small astro observatory on the rooftop, but it was closed during my stay due to the weather condition. Instead they did an astronomical talk, in Japanese of course so I didn't have a chance to enjoy it. Overall I think the hotel offers great value for money, but the experience can be really bad for someone who is not their target customer.

I stayed because I was attracted to the fact that it was said to be family-friendly, but I was left with a big discomfort in the actual experience. The child cried so hard in the hotel that he had to move to a less crowded area to cope, but the elevator didn't come and it was difficult to get back to his room. In this situation, we were warned by a staff member who had checked the situation once that it would cause trouble for others. I understand the content itself, but I was puzzled by the fact that there was no suggestion of consideration or support in a situation where I was struggling to cope. Also, the dinner was short on time and overall hectic, so it was not a relaxing atmosphere. With children, it is even less comfortable and less satisfying. As we expected the facility to be equipped for children, the gap between the on-site response and the overall service left a lasting impression on me. If you are considering using it as a family, we encourage you to take that into consideration when making your decision.