Kawaguchiko Country Cottage Ban

Great views, but it's a shame the room's view was blocked by the lobby. Nevertheless, the atmosphere here is excellent and the accommodation is quite good.

Excellent value for money! The view of Mount Fuji from the room was truly amazing. The cabin had four beds, perfect for four people. Cutlery and an oven were also well-stocked. Breakfast was quite unique and could be enjoyed inside the cabin! If you're driving and have a group for a BBQ, it would be absolutely fantastic! Overall a great stay, but there are two areas I hope the hotel can improve: 1. There are two windows on the second floor of the cabin without curtains. Even though it's in the mountains, it was still quite bright at night, and I was woken up by the light. Curtains would be a great addition. 2. There's no floor heating on the second floor, and no slippers were provided, so my feet got really cold. If you're sensitive to cold, I recommend turning on the air conditioning on the second floor as soon as you check in.

## Check-in Information **Dates**: Checked in on December 10, 2025, for 2 nights. **Booked Room Type**: N6 Modern Twins (described by Trip.com as a newer room type). ## Actual Situation Upon entering the room on the first night, there was an extremely strong renovation smell. We aired out the room for about two hours, but the smell remained very noticeable and made it uncomfortable to stay. After reporting this to the front desk, the hotel acknowledged the odor issue and moved us to room G1. G1 is clearly an older, more remote room type: * Approximately a 15-minute walk from the front desk. * Outdated room facilities and a very small bathroom. * The bed was also quite uncomfortable. The overall experience was a clear 'downgrade.' ## Communication with the Hotel On the morning of the second day, I contacted Trip.com hoping to at least cancel the second night (not a gratuitous cancellation, but due to room quality issues + room downgrade). Trip.com's communication was unsuccessful. The hotel manager came to speak with me in person. Their main points were: 1) The system couldn't process a cancellation for the previous day, so they couldn't refund the second night. 2) If I wasn't satisfied, they could offer another room change, but still no refund. 3) They stubbornly claimed G1 was a *more* premium room type. During the conversation, they repeatedly told me 'not to get agitated' but offered no substantive solutions. At 9:45 AM, after the manager left, I emailed the hotel describing the issues. At 2 AM that afternoon, the manager revisited, admitted that G1 was indeed a downgrade, and offered to refund me 7,000 JPY for the price difference. I asked why it was only 7,000 JPY since I stayed in G1 for both nights. He said it was because N1 had been used the previous day and needed cleaning. After my persistent questioning, the refund was increased to 10,000 JPY. ## Subjective Feelings This isn't my first trip to Japan, and I understand that older hotels can have their issues, but: * First, the severe renovation smell. * Then, the obvious hardware downgrade. * Plus, the 'constantly using the system as an excuse to avoid responsibility.' The overall experience was very disappointing. ## Advice for Other Guests * If you are sensitive to smells or have specific requirements for room types and facilities, I recommend choosing this hotel with caution. * If you do decide to stay, I suggest immediately checking the room's smell and facilities upon check-in. If there are any issues, address them as early as possible. Emailing seems to be effective; otherwise, it's very difficult to negotiate a refund or compensation later on. ## Advice for the Hotel * Not every guest will make a fuss about these issues, but that doesn't mean the problems don't exist. * Renovation smell + downgraded room type fundamentally deviate from a 'normal stay experience.' I hope in the future, you can offer more sincere solutions instead of just saying 'the system can't do it.'