My family and I decided to make a stop at Huis Ten Bosch during our Christmas holiday to the Nagasaki area, and so booked a night at the Hotel Europe. Considering the time of year, and that we were in Japan, and this was supposed to be the nicest hotel in the complex, the price didn't seem particularly astronomical. It is a bit challenging to book as an independent traveler, but if you call the International sales number on their website, the service is very responsive and impeccable.

We arrived on the JR train from Nagasaki, which took about an hour and a half. Upon alighting from the train, we realized that there were no elevators to the station from the platform, which made our luggage a bit difficult, but out of nowhere a very kind, silver-haired conductor ran down the steps and insisted on bringing our toddler's stroller up the steps. That obstacle hurdled, we stepped out of the station to face a walk over a river to the park, and to the Park's own hotel check-in center (it's another 10-15 minute walk, but there are baggage trolleys). At that center, you basically leave your bags, they give you bag tickets, and then you are free to enjoy the park. It's a logical system given the late check-in time of 3pm.

We arrived at the hotel after a fairly full day (it's on the far side of the park), around 4pm, and hoped to check in. There, in the elegant, authentically old world continental lobby, were about 50-70 other people with the same idea. There were 8-10 check-in counters, which makes sense given the daily late afternoon spike in demand for room keys. The total check-in time took about 25 minutes. Despite the rush, a staff member took the time to escort us to the room, which was quite impressive. The room was very large by Japanese standards, and designed elegantly in the way you might find a 5-star heritage property in Europe. The bed was very comfortable, and the room was very attractively designed. The bathroom was also quite spacious, sparkling clean and user-friendly.

We didn't try a restaurant on the property for dinner (if you want to, be sure to book dinner reservations in advance) but there was a wonderful Japanese hotpot restaurant just outside the hotel front gate to the right. For breakfast we did have coupons for a large buffet breakfast in a large ballroom. It was quite good, not exceptional but solid and very filling. Upon checkout, there is a bus that takes one back to the check-in area near the train station, although I would recommend either waiting early for the bus, or to leave at an earlier hour, as we checked out at 10am or so and again lots of people had the same idea, which meant that some people didn't get a seat on the bus.

It was a nice experience, and a very elegant hotel, but because all the guests pretty much have the same idea to do things at the same time it does constrain the service bandwidth to some extent. But I enjoyed it, it was a property worthy of 5 stars, and Iwould recommend it to others.