Ofuro Cafe Utatane

Location was seemed pretty convenient since it was near a train station in terms of having a car. The parking was OK but pretty tight so just be aware if you have a big car. the hotel itself I would not come back simply because the concept of the hotel seemed good however, the actual state did not match what it was trying to portray. they did have an onsen however I was unable to use it because I have a tattoo which is pretty standard in Japan. That’s why I did bring my own tape. I did present my own tape to the front desk, but they were still telling me that I couldn’t use my tape. It had to be there taped to cover up my tattoo and mine is pretty big so because of that, I was unable to use it that wasn’t a big issue for me. The big issue was one using the QR code that they provide you via bracelet to get in at the hotel. It was very annoying. Too there was a lack of hair dryers in the room. They only had the on ones which was about three, and at the time where I showered, all them were being in use or at least the spots where I could’ve hair dried, my hair, was being taken up by other people. The rooms itself were pretty small similar to APA if you’ve ever been to one, but if I were to compare APA to this one I would say APA is better. also, when it came to showering, there were no showers in your room only a toilet and a sink so you had to ask the front desk to shower and it took about 10 minutes just to get it ready for showering for me and my hubby. and there was only one shower for men and one shower for women apart from the onsen I did like how they provided coffee and tea and they also had massage chairs games, a little café or restaurants at the hotel as well as a massage services however overall, I would not recommend this hotel. It did not seem worth it and was also nonrefundable but if you are in a pinch, I would say that this hotel is OK but I would not come back to it.

Love their tattoo policy. As long as it’s small and be able to cover with bandaids, it’s okay ✅ the other spa totally rejected me for having a tiny star tattoo on chest! It sucks! I LOVE this place so much 💕😊

For westerners... This place is a Spa first, lounge second, then a hotel. If you just want a room as a base to explore the area from, then choosing here is not a good fit. Not at all because it's a bad place, but because it's a really cool place you won't want to leave. I booked this hotel just for somewhere to stay, relatively close to Saitama that looked cosy, quirky and not like other chain hotels. If you're a westerner, this is definitely not like a normal hotel. On check-in you have to surrender your shoes before you can get your key. The rooms are small and not suited for travellers with a lot of luggage. They also don't have showers. In fact the only way to wash (until I insisted) was the communal bath as the private showers were out of service. Fortunately the staff were kind and understanding enough to open them for me. As we all should know about Japan already, don't assume English will get you everywhere. The staff here didn't speak it (and why should they have to!), so interacting was somewhat difficult compared to the larger international hotels. Anyway... all that was specific to my visit which is totally my own fault for not researching enough. This is why I'm writing this review. I would love to come back here just to spend the day enjoying all the facilities, it's such a cool place. Different lounge areas, for games, reading, studying, massage, coffee, brunch, bathing... the list goes on.

Loved it! Great relaxing stayover from Karuizawa to Tokyo..good parking, aesome staff☆

The WiFi in the rooms don’t really work at night when it’s crowded. The sink in the room has boiling hot water so be very careful. There’s no shower in the rooms. It has a lot of common areas to relax and read manga and drink coffee. The onsen is nice but there are a lot of kids. One kid was running around in the locker room and bumping into people.