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WELLIES is a unique small hotel only one hour from Tokyo in Karuizawa. Chris, the British owner offer gastro-pub style cuisine in a relaxed atmosphere. Most of our rooms have cool functional designs and funky British wallpaper. Spend time on the terrace or garden enjoying the natural surroundings (we are very popular with Birders in the winter), or have a drink at the bar with friends old and new. We are only 10 minutes drive from the JR Karuizawa (Shinkansen) , Outlet shopping, Prince ski resort and Kyu-Karuizawa old town. We are less than 5-minutes from Hoshino area (Harunire Terrace, Tombo No Yu hot spring, Stone Church, Seizon Art Museum and Blestoncourt wedding hotel). We are only 3 minutes drive from Naka-Karuizawa station. Convenient for birding. Eat with us or we can give advice on local restaurants and also the inside track on things to do and see in the area. We are about 7 minutes walk from Naka-Karuizawa station. The whole hotel is NO SMOKING inside.
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Wonderful hotel with a delightful owner and manager. Warm and cozy bar-restaurant with great full-course meals, a nice deck to soak in the sun, and walkable (20 min) to the terrace and forest reserve. Beautiful location in autumn.
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Date of stay: November 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:May consider renting a bike or car.
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This was the only English-run hotel we stayed at during our 4 week trip. Stayed for 2 nights. We're English, but even we thought it was eccentric - in a good way! Chris was really helpful beforehand, met us at the station, and then gave us loads of advice and info during our stay, took us places up in the hills so we could walk back, etc. etc. The basics: The rooms were comfortable, spotlessly clean, the food was excellent, interesting decor, great British music and chat ( with some AC/DC from the Aussie chef). Plus: Chef made home-made jaffa cakes which were the best you'll ever have. Turtle Doves on the bird table. All felt very relaxed and easy - just what we needed after our 8 hour shinkansen journey from Hokkaido. Thoroughly recommended
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Date of stay: April 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Everything about this Hotel is fantastic. The owner and the staff go over and beyond to help you. It is well located with beautiful views to Mount Asama. The rooms were spacious , comfortable and very clean. The food is also exceptional , we were a little disappointed that we could not book one of the local restaurants. However after having dinner at Wellies our disappointment tuned to joy. We wished we could have stayed longer.
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Date of stay: September 2022
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The staff were very friendly and helpful. The room was clean and comfortable, with all proper amenities. The atmosphere of the whole hotel was cozy, intimate, and quaint, with an interior as one might expect at a country hotel in England. The owner, Chris, very kindly gave us a ride to the train station as we went sightseeing on our first day as well as after we checked out. (Though the walk from Naka-Karuizawa Station isn't too bad if you're going by train; about 15 minutes.) The meals were excellent (breakfast and dinner). There's also a nice garden with lounge chairs where you can relax and take in the greenery. Also, check out the world map in the restaurant which has marked upon it the many countries Chris has visited and lived in, as well as photos from his travels. Another thing we really appreciated was the background music in the restaurant, mostly 60s and 70s British rock, and that the music was always at a low enough volume to allow proper conversation. (Too many places these days just blast the volume on the music.) We would definitely like to stay here again on our next trip to Karuizawa.…
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Date of stay: September 2022
Value
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stayed her for 2 nights in Japanese winter and it was a great experience. Place has a warm and homey atmosphere. The rooms come in different sizes and layouts. We stayed in the deluxe double with double bed and seating area. The room has large windows and nice views. Dinner was excellent with a lot of homemade food and you can adapt to your liking. Really recommended for a short getaway.
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Date of stay: January 2022
Value
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The rooms are all different and offer various layouts/beds. All seem to be recently renovated and were clean and well-appointed with amenities. Although called a hotel, it has a more bed and breakfast type of atmosphere (in a good way). The dining room/restaurant is very cozy and there are different table configurations and some outdoor tables were available (although probably more comfortable for pre-dinner cocktails than the full meal). The food was excellent. We had a welcome pot of tea after check-in. For dinner, we had an excellent cheese board with whiskey-infused salmon, pickles, pate and the like. This was followed by coleslaw accompanied by some ridiculously good tomatoes as part of a Caprese salad. The main was traditional beef stew with Yorkshire pudding and various grilled veggies. Dessert was an apple-rhubarb cobbler with ice cream. All was really good. There were a couple of breakfast options, but why not just have the full-English and be happy? In addition to the food, what will bring us back are the people and the atmosphere. After dinner, people gathered around the bar and in the restaurant to listen to records and chit-chat with each other and the owner, Chris. One of the other guests happened to be a piano teacher and we were able to enjoy her stylings on the piano for a bit.…
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Date of stay: June 2022
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:I can't imagine any of the rooms being noisy; some offer a view of Mt. Asama, while the...
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
年に一度は訪れていたイギリス旅行がコロナの影響でここ2年程訪れる機会を失っていたので、今回の軽井沢旅行では"イギリス”を身近に感じたくてこちらに滞在させて頂きました。ソロ旅でも温かく迎えてくださったオーナーやスタッフに感謝。特にオーナー手作りのお料理は本当に美味しく頂きました。こちらに滞在されるのであれば朝食だけでなく夕食も是非召し上がられることをお勧めします。 素敵な時間をありがとう。 Your homemade cooking was so delicious that remainded me of my staying in England.
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Date of stay: April 2022
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We really had a good time at Wellies. Our room was spacious and spotless. Fish and chips I had for dinner was just like what I had in London. I was impressed that most of foods there were home-made including apple juice. All staffs work hard to make our stays as pleasant and cosy as possible.Our stay would be more pleasant if smoking is prohibited in entire premise . There were some guests smoking on the wood deck while we were enjoying tea and cake outside. We had to rush back inside to escape smoke and unpleasant smell. We would like to come back when our kid becomes 3 years old, but we may think twice about making another reservation if smoking is still allowed in the wood deck. 部屋は広く、入念に掃除されていて快適に過ごせました。食事もおいしく、大満足です。 ひとつ不満があるとしたら、外のウッドデッキのテーブルすべてに灰皿があり、外で緑や花を愛でながらのお茶タイムが煙&匂いで台無しになってしまった点です。 灰皿置き場を駐車場なり、もっと遠くの場所に移してもらえるとうれしいです。今回は連れてこなかった息子が3才以上になったら、再度予約をいれるかは、禁煙対応にかかっています。…
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Date of stay: July 2021Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Absolutely loved my stay here. I normally work from home and needed a change in scenery so booked hotel wellies for a few days in Karuizawa. Best decision ever!!! I am very cautious of COVID but wanted to stay at a location and place where I felt safe and comfortable. this place is perfect! My room was super cute, and I loved the living & dining area - I worked at one of their tables most of the time but it was honestly, comfortable and productive!! They have a wonderful friendly pet poodle who comes up to you for a cuddle every once in a while :) the owner is super friendly and very welcoming also. I felt like I was on vacation at a bed and breakfast in England, but not. Highly recommend it for those who are itching to travel overseas or want to feel like they need to work elsewhere. Totally worth it! The owner, Chris is a fantastic drinking buddy if you like a bit of a tipple after dinner :) breakfast is grand! I don’t remember the last time I had a proper English full breakfast!!! Too good right? My only suggestion: since I get a bit peckish around 3pm, I would love a self serving snacks corner/ hot drinks station so I can make myself a cuppa! & a bickie or two! thank you for a wonderful stay! I will be back again soon! …
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Date of stay: May 2021Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
From the moment you arrive, it feels like you’re in England. Beautiful decorated, Wellies offers you a very warm welcome from the moment you arrive. From chickens, to Freddie, Chris, Judy and the team are perfect hosts for those who miss England or want an English experience in Japan. We will be back. 🏴🇯🇵👏
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Date of stay: May 2021Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.