Royal Hotel Kawaguchiko, Japan review

Finding a hotel in Kawaguchiko, Yamanashi, Japan can be tricky especially when you have a big group and a car. Yes, Airbnb was an option but I wasn't in the mood to deal with cleaning up and taking out the trash while I was on holiday. Furthermore, this trip was partly for the Fujisan Marathon and as per my race practice, I wanted an accommodation within walking distance from the start line. 

Fortunately, after a few weeks of scanning hotel options, I settled for Royal Hotel Kawaguchiko and booked a room that could take up to 6 people. It had free parking and onsens for male and female with indoor and outdoor pools. Our room ended up being very spacious for six people with six tatami beds set up in the bedroom space and a big ass living space with a fridge, TV and kettle. We also had yukatas we can wear around the hotel and to the onsens. 

The onsen was open to public for a fee but as guests, our stay included complimentary access to the onsens during its opening hours. My friends really took advantage of this, one even going multiple times a day during her visit. As for me, I preferred to soak in the tub in our bathroom at my own leisure while my friends were terrorising the onsen. 

If we wanted to heat up our packed food from the konbini at the hotel, they even had a microwave on the first floor ie lobby floor with a small dining area. Like I mentioned, they had free parking as well which made it perfect for those travelling about with cars. If you're taking the bus from the station, there was a bus stop right in front of it. 

Its location was unbeatable, being right in front of Oike Park, next to the Kawaguchiko bridge and along a main road that took us to many parts of the area. On foot, it was just a 10 mins walk to the startline of the race and had amazing views of the lake in autumn. I know some people complained about the wear and tear of the hotel but to my group, we barely noticed it. Being an older hotel, there was only one lift so it was a wait to use. If you don't have luggage to carry, you can take the staircase.

I had little issue with the staff there and found them to be professionally friendly. Granted their English was limited but we got by just fine as most of the instructions around the hotel was in English. I booked Royal Hotel Kawaguchiko via Booking.com and communicated with them via the message function with no problems at all. 

For 3 night stay at Royal Hotel Kawaguchiko, with free parking and onsen for 6 people, I would say the hotel was well worth the RM5k plus we paid. I didn't take too many photos of the hotel this time as I didn't expect to be too impressed by it but heyyyy, I was glad I kept my expectations low only to be pleasantly surprised.