Hotel Bleston Court is just gorgeous. Set amongst the trees of the Hoshino Resorts complex, every aspect of is designed to make your experience here a lovely, relaxing one.
From the moment you arrive at Karuizawa Station, every detail is taken care of. They have a free shuttle that runs every hour from the south side of the station direct to the sweeping hotel lobby, where your luggage will be taken straight to your room while you check-in.
There are three types of rooms. The standard cottages, which look like log cabins, near the main building, appear rustic, but their picturesque exterior belies the clean and modern interior. With large beds, TVs and couches, these provide the feel of a holiday home.
The terrace villas are further from the main building, set in among the trees for a feeling of peace and isolation. The large French doors onto the private terrace fill the whole room with natural light, and the white bedspread and furniture give the feeling of space and tranquility, and allow the emphasis to be on the natural landscape peeping in the window.
The designer cottages, located in the chapel garden, are simple and sleek, with high ceilings, white walls and marble floors. These rooms were especially designed for marrying couples to begin their lives together in a symbolically clean room.
In all the rooms they provide the bathroom essentials, including some of the nicest hotel shampoo and conditioner I’ve ever used, pajamas, herbal tea in very chic pyramid-shaped tea bags, and the delicious, locally owned Maruyama coffee and French press pot, perfect for starting your day off right.
The on-site restaurant, No One’s Recipe, does an excellent continental breakfast buffet, and also serves lunch and dinner. Yukawatan, also on-site, produces authentic French dinners with a Japanese twist. The head chef there, Noriyuki Hamada, was the first Japanese competitor to place at the prestigious international cooking competition Bocuse d’or in 2013.
Bleston Court is the number one choice for destination weddings in Japan, and it’s easy to see why. With two unique and beautiful churches on-site, the traditional wooden Karuizawa Kougen Church and the stunning Stone Church, and a range of banquet rooms available for hire, it’s the ideal place for a picture-perfect wedding.
Both the churches are open to the public for viewing when they aren’t reserved for weddings. There is also a small building adjacent to Karuizawa Kogen Church where you can write a letter to your loved one, and they will send it anywhere in the world.
There are also plenty of things to do within walking distance of the hotel, though if you don’t feel like walking, the shuttle bus will pick you up and drop you off at a number of points around the resort complex.
You can visit Haruniré Terrace for delicious food and great coffee; you can head to Tombo no Yu Onsen for a delicious dip in the naturally hot water; or you can visit Picchio, the wildlife research center and join them on one of their eco-tours.
Hotel Bleston Court is a gorgeous place to stay, whether or not you intend to get married, so make a plan to head over there to relax among the nature of Karuizawa.
