Taicang Karuizawa Hot Spring Hall

The hotel has its own onsen area that's open to non-hotel guests. So the entrance starts with the shoe cabinets before reaching the front desk that serves both onsen day-use guests and hotel guests. The Japanese themed room was luxurious. Very clean and impeccably maintained, good sound proofing I could hear a pin drop in the room. Double basins, Dyson hair dryer, bidet toilet bowl, standing shower and a huge zen sofa couch area by the window, complete with tea and chess set. Pity there's not much of a view out there. There's also no phone here, just a speaker by the bedside table or one can use WeChat to communicate with the front desk and of course robot deliveries. Bed and pillow was too soft for my liking. Service is excellent and they even provide turn down service. I left the room for onsen and came back to a room where the curtains are drawn, a plate of fruits on the table, floor towel laid out in the shower area with the bath towel, originally under the basin, now hung on the door of the shower. The stay package came with an Afternoon Tea set of fruits, desserts and crackers. The cheesecakes were meh but the pineapple tart made up for it. Fruits were fresh and yums. In-house guests were given unlimited access to the Onsen and I took my time to enjoy it fully. It's a full Jap style onsen, meaning going fully naked. A rather small onsen with just 3 pools but the outdoor one was the best, soaking in 43 degrees pool in the cold. There's a chill out area outside including a lounge, meditation room and a movie-cum-reading room (what an irony though). They also have private onsen rooms for rent at additional costs. Leisurely breakfast the next morning at 930am. Yes, I had to choose a specific hour to be at breakfast as it's a Jap bento set with a partial buffet (of noodles and porridge). Not outstanding for me. But otherwise, it was 5* experience and I recommend this to anyone planning to come to Taicang to experience the onsen.