Mampei Hotel

This is one of the best classic hotels in Japan.  If you love classic hotels, you should stay at Mampei Hotel.  The property is very much Karuizawa.  This is a landmark of this town.  Perhaps, if you are keen on the antique interior, furniture, and architecture, etc., it’s well worth a visit.   Facilities tend to be outdated, but the housekeeping is absolutely excellent.   Then, the software is clearly outstanding.  If you expect 5-star hotel service, I really think you should stay here.  All staff tends to be sophisticated.  Sincere and wonderful hospitality greeted us.  They are the loveliest group.  On the other hand, if you are looking for luxury modern hotels, this is not.  I would rather recommend staying at Kyukaruizawa Kikyo, Curio Collection by Hilton nearby.  Mampei Hotel would be great for couples, solo travelers, small groups, or family, but not families with small children.  The ambiance is serene, tranquil, and relaxed.  The hotel including the restaurants would be great for adults.  Staff can provide baby cots at JPY1,500, though.  Also, you can bring baby food and staff can heat up.  Then if you are going to stay here, I would highly recommend booking a room in the Alps building with a view of the courtyard.  It wouldn’t be user-friendly, but truly charming and quaint.  Then the rooms in the Alps building have no security box.  You might want to ask the staff at the front desk to keep your valuables.  Then all of the amenities are taken care of including minimum toiletries, pajamas, bathrobes, and coffee, tea bags, etc.  There were MARGARET JOSEFIN skincare products in our bathroom.  If you request a DVD player, a Blu-ray player, and a humidifier, staff can provide.  Also, there are some vending machines for beer and soft drinks, and a laundromat for long-term guests in-house.  There is no convenience store nearby.  You might want to buy your necessities before coming here.  Room service is available between 12:00-14:00, 18:00-21:00.  Free Wi-Fi reception was weak at night when I stayed here in 2018.  Then Mampei Hotel is a universal design.  Some wheelchairs are available for borrowing.  If you bring people with weak feet, you might want to inform the staff in advance as they can arrange a room on 1F.  Then this is a dog-friendly hotel.  There is a family-type suite room in the annex where you can stay with your dogs.  If you are interested in the room, you may want to call 0267-42-1234 in advance.  Then the food experience for dinner was wonderful.  There are three restaurants on-site, French, Kyo-kaiseki, and Chinese cuisine.  We had dinner at the French restaurant.  If you are a gourmet, you should try it.  Chinese for dinner starts at 18:00.  French starts at 18:00 or 19:45.  You need to book a table in advance.  After dinner, don’t forget to visit the bar.  The ambiance is very cozy for adults.  There’s a wide variety of whiskeys and cocktails.  Then you can choose western or Japanese cuisine for breakfast.  Alternatively, there are some local restaurants and cafes around the property.  You can go out for meals.  Then don’t forget to take a walk in the garden after dinner and breakfast.  The garden is illuminated at night.  The ambiance would be romantic.  Only my issue is that there is no shuttle service from Karuizawa Station.  That would be inconvenient, especially during the winter season.  We sometimes need to make a line for a TAXI in front of the station, especially on snowy or rainy days.  It takes 5min by car.  If you walk, it takes 30min on foot.  The taxi fare from the station is around JPY1,000.  Also, unluckily, there is no communal bath, no gym, no lounge, or no library, etc., in-house.  Basically, this is a traditional classic hotel.  Then the best season to stay here would be in spring or fall.  You can take a walk around the property while viewing beautiful forests.  *Please note that the hotel is open on weekends only between mid-JAN to mid-March because of the low season.  Then the hotel has a lot of outside guests who use only the restaurants and the café on-site in the daytime.  At last, the hotel is one of the well-known venues for wedding parties.  If you want to relax here in a cozy atmosphere, you might want to avoid staying during weekends and Japan’s public holidays between late April to late Aug, and early Oct to mid-Nov. Traffic would be very heavy around Karuizawa during these periods.  Have a nice trip!  Welcome to receive any questions about Mampei Hotel from the below space.  *All information is as of the date that I posted on my blog.  **Check-in and out times 3:00 PM/11:00 PM.  ***Staff can hold your bags before check-in and after check-out.  As of May 6th, 2020, due to the coronavirus, the property is temporarily closed for the time being.  They have reopened from the 6th of June, 2020.  Check Availability and Pricing for the hotel on Agoda