I Looked Into Hotel Laforet Nasu

Not just campgrounds—I've been running a series on Komorin's Fantasy Travels looking into places that could work for those "let's skip camping and do a hotel getaway instead" kind of days. This time, I've put together another entry in my "Hotel Getaway Detour" category.

This time I looked into "Hotel Laforet Nasu." When I heard it was a hot spring hotel on a hill in Nasu, I figured even someone as indoorsy as me could relax there while taking in the scenery, so I decided to dig in.

What Kind of Place Is Hotel Laforet Nasu?

Apparently it's a hotel built on a hill in the Nasu Yumoto area of Nasu Town, Tochigi Prefecture. It's run by Laforet Hotels & Resorts, and it seems it used to operate under a different name at one point, but it currently runs under this name.

Access is said to be about 15 minutes by car from the Nasu IC on the Tohoku Expressway, but since I'm a driver in name only, what catches my attention in cases like this is info about shuttle buses from the shinkansen station. From what I found, there's a free shuttle bus running twice a day from Nasushiobara Station, and while advance reservation is required, I was glad to see it's possible to get there without a car. Parking also appears to be free.

Check-in is at 3 PM and check-out at 10 AM (11 AM for Deluxe Rooms only), and the entire property is apparently non-smoking. Besides the official website, you can reportedly book through major OTAs like Rakuten Travel and Jalan.net, as well as by phone. Rates seem to vary quite a bit depending on the plan and season—I saw member pricing on the official site starting in the 6,000 yen range, but since the seasonal difference looks significant, it's probably worth checking the latest prices when you actually book.

Komorin

Having a shuttle bus is honestly such a help. For someone who doesn't drive like me, just having that kind of option makes a place jump way up on my list of candidates.

Checking Out the Hot Springs and Room Amenities That Catch an Indoor Person's Eye

The water quality is apparently a simple sulfur spring, said to be good for poor circulation and muscle pain, among other things. The large communal baths are split across the 4th and 5th floors of the hotel building—the 4th floor has a large bath, sauna, and jacuzzi, while the 5th floor has a large bath and a rock bath. What caught my interest even more is that the men's and women's sides are swapped between odd and even days, and the rock bath on the 5th floor apparently offers views of the Nasu Highlands. It seems day-use bathing is also available, so there's a possibility of dropping by without staying overnight.

The room types seem to have quite a range. Roughly organized, here's the breakdown:

• Economy Room: for 2 guests, 17 rooms
• Standard Western-style Room: for 2–3 guests, 36 rooms
• Standard Japanese-style / Japanese-Western style Room: for 4 guests, 22 and 16 rooms respectively
• Deluxe Room: for 2 guests, only 2 rooms, with 11 AM check-out
• Forest Cottage: for 5–6 guests, with a terrace overlooking the Nasu Highlands, 8 rooms total

Rooms seem to come with a standard set of amenities—bath, washlet toilet, refrigerator, yukata robe, hair dryer, and so on—and things like shampoo and body soap appear to be provided as standard as well. Toothbrushes and razors are apparently sold separately, so if you need those, it's probably safer to bring your own. I saw some information suggesting Wi-Fi is free in shared areas and guest rooms, but I couldn't confirm this explicitly stated on the official site, so I'll leave that as reference info only.

Cottages Where You Can Stay With Your Dog, and Ways to Enjoy the Surrounding Area

What personally caught my attention was the existence of "Dog Cottages" where you can stay together with your dog. There are 8 rooms each in Building B and Building C, and it seems you can stay with up to 2 small-to-medium dogs or 1 large dog. That said, certain breeds like Akita Inu and German Shepherds appear to be excluded from staying, and dogs also can't accompany you into the main hotel building's lobby or restaurant, so if you're considering visiting with a dog, it seems wise to check the eligible breeds beforehand.

Nearby, there appear to be sightseeing spots scattered within about a 10-minute drive, such as the Nasu Kogen Minamigaoka Farm, the historic Motoyu Shika-no-yu hot spring, Sessho-seki, and the Nasu Ropeway, giving the impression that you could enjoy more than just the hot springs and venture out a bit further. I also came across some information about restaurants like bakery cafes and steakhouses in the area, but since business status can change, it seems best to check the latest information before visiting.

Rakuten Mobile Signal Conditions

Whether or not I can get signal is one of the things I check when traveling. When I tried to check this location using the official "My Area Network Simulation" tool, no result was displayed at all—instead, it showed a message saying something like "currently undergoing temporary maintenance."

So for this entry, I'll just note that the signal condition is unknown. If you're actually planning to use the service there, it might be a good idea to double-check with your own device and area right before you head out.

Komorin

This was the first time I've seen the tool fail to return a result, so it caught me a bit off guard. Cases like this make me want to get in the habit of double-checking again right before I go.

Wrapping Up

Looking back over everything, my impression of Hotel Laforet Nasu was of a hotel where it's easy to pick a room to match your purpose, with options like a rock bath overlooking the Nasu Highlands and cottages where you can stay together with your dog. There's also shuttle bus info available, which makes me feel like it could easily be a candidate even for someone like me who doesn't drive.

On the other hand, as for the Rakuten Mobile signal conditions, even the official tool didn't return a result, so it ended up being an unknown for this entry. If that's something you're concerned about, you can check it yourself using the official Rakuten Mobile tool, so it's probably worth taking a look before actually making a reservation.

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Related Links

• Official Site