On the positive side:

This resort is set right next to Nojiri Lake and is completely surrounded by trees and provides exquisite views of the lake and the forest-covered hills on the other side. The facility is European looking and is done in wood and red brick. The rooms are modern and stylish but understated. There is a nice reading area with a small but interesting library which does a good job of appealing to a variety of tastes. For the most part, this resort is quiet and there are no other resorts or shops nearby. You feel like you've got the surroundings to yourself. There is a walking trail that leads from the lodge along the lake and is a wonderful way to get out and enjoy the surroundings.

The dining room has large windows which capture the surrounding trees and lake. At night the trees are lit up to create a truly special atmosphere. As for the cuisine, "Moment" is run by Yoshi Kojima who does an excellent job of using local fresh ingredients to the fullest. We visited in early fall just as local chestnuts, apples and Asian pears were in season and these were used to create unique salads and accents for tender meats including smoked duck. Our dinner and buffet-style breakfast were very good. Except for the wine, I wouldn't change a thing. The dinner, especially, was a treat that we continued to talk about during our stay in Nagano.

On the Negative side:

This resort is remote (which, as mentioned above, can be a blessing or can be a disappointment depending on what you're looking for). If you arrive by train, you will want to schedule things so that you arrive a Kurohime Station in time to take the resort shuttle bus (about 15 to 20 ride from Kurohime Station). Once you're at the resort you're basically stuck there (unless you ask the front desk to call a taxi for you but that of course takes time because of the remote location of the lodge). If you come by car, this will not be a problem. There is no hot springs at this lodge, but for 700 yen per person you can reserve the shuttle bus trip to the hot springs which is a ways away and (from what I've read on the net) the hot springs is nothing special.

Lots of racing boats and water skiers on the lake. If you are a water skier, you can probably plan ahead to enjoy this while you're there. If you're not a water skier, you will hear the boats whizzing past (they don't run late at night nor before 7:00am so it's really not too much of an annoyance).

Although there is a nice walking path, we arrived on a beautiful day but it has rained before we arrived and most of the path was completely roped off and restricted. So, be forewarned.

This resort is marketed as "a resort for adults" but we noticed that at least 1/3 of the guests had small noisy children with them and at dinner things can get a bit loud.

The course dinner we ordered automatically came with Nagano wines and the ones we had were "average" at best (very subdued notes) which didn't complement the wonderful meal overseen by Kojima-san.

In sum:

Lake Nojiri is a wonderful place and offers a variety of marine sports, camping facilities, fishing, kayaking and hiking. Unless you come by car, staying at El Bosco makes it a bit difficult to take advantage of these opportunities and is quite remote. On the other hand, if you want to get away from it all, this resort does a pretty good job of placing you in the middle of nature and yet providing you with all creature comforts for enjoying a slow weekend and the food at "moment" will not disappoint.