I Looked Into BEB5 Karuizawa by Hoshino Resorts

On this blog, I've been gradually looking into and writing about inns and campgrounds that seem reachable without a car.

This time, as part of my "Hokansu Side Trip" category, I looked into BEB5 Karuizawa, a Hoshino Resorts hotel located in Karuizawa. I started digging into it after learning it apparently has a room type where the bed and sofa are built into one unit.

What Kind of Place Is BEB5 Karuizawa?

BEB5 Karuizawa is apparently a Hoshino Resorts hotel located in Karuizawa Town, Kitasaku District, Nagano Prefecture. Check-in is at 3:00 PM and check-out is at 11:00 AM, apparently. It has 73 rooms in total, with room types that can accommodate anywhere from 1 to 3 guests.

Reservations are made through the "Availability Search" page on the official website, and both advance payment and on-site payment seem to be accepted. For advance payment, in addition to credit cards, it seems you can also use Paidy, including installment or deferred payment options, so the range of payment methods seemed fairly broad. That said, specific prices aren't listed in the main text of the official site—it looks like you need to check the availability search page for that. Inquiries about reservations can apparently also be made by phone.

Komorin

This was the first time I'd looked into a place where the rates aren't listed on the official site, so it threw me off a bit. Not being able to tell anything until you go through the availability search might mean it's aimed at people who like to take their time considering things carefully.

Checking Out the 'Yagura Room' and Other Notable Facilities

One of this hotel's highlights does seem to be the room type called the 'Yagura Room.' It has a structure where the upper level is a bed and the lower level is a sofa, which might give it the feel of having a small hideaway-like space within the room. As someone who's more of an indoor type, being able to choose based on how you'd spend time within the room itself was a point that caught my interest a bit.

There's apparently a shared space called the "1324h Relaxation Lounge," where you're allowed to bring in your own food and drinks. The entire building is non-smoking, so if you want to smoke, it seems you'd need to use a designated area. Wi-Fi is apparently available free of charge in both guest rooms and common areas, which seems like a reassuring point.

• Pets: There's apparently a dedicated "Dog Room," where up to two dogs weighing 20kg or less are allowed per room
• Parking: There appear to be 52 free outdoor spaces available with no reservation needed, and temporary parking is apparently also provided
• EV charging: There's apparently one 200V/6kW charging unit available 24 hours a day. It seems you need to apply after making your room reservation, and while outside visitors can also use it, guests staying at the hotel are given priority

Within the Hoshino Resorts area, there are also hot spring facilities and the Harunire Terrace, and it seems like a location where you can walk between them. Rather than being just a standalone hotel, it might be more of a facility meant to be enjoyed as part of the whole area.

Rakuten Mobile Signal Conditions

I checked this facility's location using the official My Area Connectivity Simulation tool, but this time no rating at all was displayed—instead, I got a message saying something like "currently undergoing temporary maintenance." It couldn't be classified as either good or poor, so the overall rating ends up being treated as unknown.

It seems this kind of result can happen depending on the address being checked, though I wasn't able to figure out the cause myself. Rather than force a conclusion here, I'll just leave it as an unknown result.

Komorin

This was the first time I'd seen a case where no rating shows up at all, so it surprised me a bit too. Since the hotel's Wi-Fi is apparently free to use, relying on that might be one option.

Looking Into How to Get There

From Tokyo Station, it's about 60 minutes to Karuizawa Station via the Hokuriku Shinkansen, so using the bullet train gives it an almost day-trip-friendly distance from the city center. From Karuizawa Station to the hotel, there seem to be a few options even without a car.

• Bus: About 15 minutes to the "Yugawa" bus stop via Seibu Kanko Bus, with a fare of 500 yen, followed by about a 4-minute walk
• Train: About 4 minutes to Naka-Karuizawa Station via Shinano Railway, with a fare of 230 yen, followed by about a 12-minute walk
• Taxi: About 15 minutes from Karuizawa Station, with a fare of roughly 2,500 yen

I came across some information suggesting there used to be a free shuttle bus running from Karuizawa Station and its surrounding area to the Hoshino area, but as far as I could find, that free shuttle doesn't seem to be running anymore. There is apparently a free shuttle for guests running roughly every 15 minutes within the Hoshino area itself (between BEB5, Harunire Terrace, and the hot spring facility), but since it doesn't connect the station and the hotel, it's probably best to plan on using a bus, train, or taxi from the station. If driving, it's apparently about 20 minutes from the Usui-Karuizawa Interchange on the Joshin-etsu Expressway.

Wrapping Up

Putting it all together again, BEB5 Karuizawa left me with the impression of being a somewhat unique inn where the 'Yagura Room' itself—with its bed on top and sofa below—could well be the whole point of the trip. Getting there from the station seems to involve a paid bus, train, or taxi, but it might still fall into the category of hotels that are reasonably accessible even without a car.

As for Rakuten Mobile signal, since the official tool returned an unknown result with no rating displayed, anyone actually on that carrier might want to check for themselves ahead of time just to be safe. If you're curious, you can check using the official Rakuten Mobile tool, so it's probably worth looking into as a reference when considering a stay.

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Related Links

• Official Site