Highland Resort Hotel & Spa

Everything about this hotel was exceptional. The room beautifully merged 'Japandi' aesthetics, a blend of Japanese and Western styles. This is, by far, my favorite hotel in Japan. Although the staff didn't speak English, their efforts to assist were commendable and appreciated. The hospitality was warm and welcoming. The Onsen attached to the hotel is the best I experienced during my entire trip in Japan. The view of Mt. Fuji on my last day from the window was unforgettable. I will definitely return

The location is ideal if you have a car, as it reduces reliance on shuttles, trains, or buses.

* Highway bus to Shinjuku is literally in front of the hotel. * Fujisan facing view is awesome. Make sure you request for the right facing and opt for executive floor where possible. * Refurbished room is modern, clean, and user friendly for all the essential details which sound trivial but are not such as light switches position, air con, bath water temperature, etc. * Complimentary use of onsen in the next building. * Complimentary admission to FujiQ theme park * 7-11 is within walking distance * Free shuttle to major train stations. It is infrequent but extremely important as it will be difficult to go to the stations on foot due to lack of foot paths. (alternatively, you can always cut across the theme park which is a safer route, but bear in mind the opening hours.)

* Staff are courteous and polite in most of the times. However, things might get a bit frustrating when you hit an issue (I had a minor booking error which was hard to explain) due to limited proficiency of English. Having said that, it is not uncommon among local hotels, so I think it is still acceptable. No drama. Just make sure you have your Google Translate ready and you will be fine.

Rooms was very nice. We booked 36 sqm. one which is big enough to unpack 2 large suitcase at the same time. Amenity in the room is meet our satisfaction. The shower cap is not provided (We asked the staff already) but it's okay. Everything in this hotel is very good – the accommodation, the staff, and the breakfast. It is very impressive. I think if there is a chance, I will come back to stay again, and I will recommend it to my friends as well.

There is a banging sound occasionally, it is similar to the noise of a luggage hitting the floor. It seems to come from the adjacent room or the room above. I think maybe those room are narrow and may not be convenient for large bags.

I was initially dubious about a hotel so close to an amusement park, but it wasn't a problem at all. There was quite a range of rooms with a Fuji view to choose from, and I chose one of the smaller ones on the lower floors. But it was so well designed that the writing bench and the tiny lounge were angled so I was looking straight out at Fujisan whenever I sat in either chair. The adjacent onsen down a covered corridor was wonderful, with free access for Highland Resort Hotel guests, and I had an excellent shiatsu massage there too. The breakfast room had an enormous wall of windows, and most people eating breakfast got up to photograph Fujisan during their meal. The food in the main restaurant was excellent, but the kaiseki meal I had in Kororogi Japanese Restaurant was one of the best I have ever eaten, and I have travelled to Japan many times now.

I can't think of anything

The room was great and comfortable. The view of Mount Fuji was exceptional. The best part of the stay was the fact that we were right next to FujiQ Highland and had early access to the amusement park. It made our stay more enjoyable. The free access to the onsen was also amazing and we went every opportunity we could. It was probably the best onsen I have ever been to. The breakfast buffet was amazing with a great view of both Mount Fuji and FujiQ Highland.

There was nothing to dislike, though there not being a microwave in the room was quite a surprise.

We spent one night as it was convenient for us to go to Fuji Q Highland and take transport to the Ropeway and Pagoda the next day. There were amazing views of Mt Fuji from the Mountain room and breakfast dining room, and great views of Fuji Q Highland from the elevator and lobby. Easy access to get to Fuji Q Highland, the Fujiyama onsen was a good first time experience, although we got a bit confused at times with the process. Great sized rooms and bathroom, very comfortable beds and nice furnishings, good storage space/access to hang clothes/bags. Nice touch with the Fujiyama cookies. Staff were mostly friendly. We didn't end up making use of the bus shuttle due to timing, but that's also a handy option.

The bathroom smelt like shrimp/fish despite it looking very clean. A hook or large towel rail for body towels would be good.

The service was incredible. My dad and I stayed here right after hiking Mt. Fuji, so we were exhausted and showed up earlier than our check-in time. They prepared a room and checked us in early so we could rest. They also stored the luggage we had delivered in advance while we were hiking and had it ready for us when we came - they even brought it to the room for us! The staff were very nice and accomodating. Breakfast was one of the best I've had in Japan. Buffet style with plenty of options - even ready-made omelettes! One of the views looks out onto Fuji-Q, and the other looks out to Mt. Fuji. The connected hot-spring was very nice and easy to access. Fuji-Q Highland Amusement Park was also easy to access. You can buy day passes from the hotel counter and if you want, you can enter the park earlier than the general public as a perk of the hotel. There is also a bus station right outside of the hotel that has routes to many convenient locations for travel.

We wanted to do laundry, but the hotel laundry service would have charged us for each article of clothing. There were no coin laundry machines to do our own laundry, and there were no coin laundromauts in easy walking distance to do our laundry. Getting to the hotel was a little difficult to figure out. It was not easy to walk there from the closest bus station because Google maps tried to take us through the amusement park. We ended up taking a taxi to access the entrance.

The deluxe room on the upper floor with a view of Mount Fuji is absolutely breathtaking. Pictures don't to it justice. The room is beautifully renovated, This specific type of room came with amenties that we didn't expect like a free pastry and coffee in the afternoon, a glass of freshly squeezed juice for breakfast, a free visit to the Onsen and even a visit of the roof of the hotel for a completely unobstructed view of Mount Fuji. Visitors of the hotel may enter the Fuji Q Highland amusement park half an hour early which actually makes a difference when you don't want to wait in a long line for your favourite rollercoaster. The breakfast buffet doesn't offer many Western items but is varied and tasty nontheless. We also tried the Italian restaurant and were pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food. All in all, this was the highlight of our trip to Japan and we cannot recommend it enough.

Nothing beats the majestic view of Mt Fuji greeting us in the morning every time we drew open the curtains. Besides the view of Mt Fuji and Fuji-Q Highland theme park, what we appreciate most was the transport convenience. Theres a free bus shuttle that picks us up from Highland Resort Hotel to Kawaguchi bus interchange where we had the options to hop on various buses that tour around Kawaguchi.

There wasn't much to do after dark though. Not many shops around the property other than the 7-11 just outside the entrance of Fuji-Q Highland.

Absolutely loved my experience at Highland Resort!! Especially if you're going to Fuji-Q, you should definitely consider staying here. There are so many advantages, here are a few: - not only there's a special entrance directly from the hotel to Fuji-Q, which saves you time, but also, you can enter the park 30 minutes BEFORE regular visitors!!!! That means much shorter or even no lines at all!! - the onsen attached to the hotel (which is included in your stay and you can use all your want) is one of the best I've been in Japan (and I love onsen, so I often go to them). - the staff is super friendly and they speak good English. They were very helpful with everything that I needed. - the room is really clean and comfortable, and the view is just amazing! You can choose Mount Fuji or Fuji-Q view. (I chose the park because I'm a parks tour guide so I wanted to have this particular experience). - not sure if all rooms have these, but mine had a massage chair, an awesome shower and even this device that could turn the bathroom into a mist sauna. - breakfast is incredible!! Excellent food and breathtaking views (Mount Fuji on one side and Fuji-Q on the other side of the restaurant). - free parking. Just take the parking ticket to the front desk and they'll validate if for you (you can come and go freely during your stay). - less than 5-minute-drive from Mount Fuji parking lot so it was refreshing to come down Mount Fuji and drive very little to get to the hotel.

The only disappointment was the coffee at breakfast. There were many drink options (juice, milk, water, tea) - btw, try the juice, simply delicious - but the coffee itself was pretty weak.