Courtyard by Marriott Hakuba

The onsen was lovely, and the location made it easy to walk to some of the best places to eat and drink. There’s also a shuttle to all the ski resorts right outside. We had an amazing breakfast, and the staff were so kind and helpful. We had the best time here and couldn’t speak more highly of the place.

The buses made it easy to get to different slopes and villages, including a night bus, though they didn’t run very often during the day. The staff were welcoming and polite, and spoke very good English. Our room was spotless and had the amenities we needed. Food was a little more expensive than at most restaurants, but breakfast was great.

The restaurant was the one part of our three-night stay that consistently impressed us. The food was genuinely very good, and the service there was excellent. The room setup felt poorly thought out for a place charging a premium. Our so-called double bed was two singles pushed together, with an uncomfortable gap, and there was a strangely large empty space between the bed and the wall. Noise was another major problem. On our last night, I could hear everything from the couple in the next room, and it woke me up. The next morning, children were running and screaming in the corridor, so resting was impossible again. That level of sound carries badly for a hotel at this price. The stay cost a lot, with several extra charges added at checkout. The final bill felt excessive for what we got. We left feeling the rates weren’t justified and the value just wasn’t there.

The dinner was great, with a cool restaurant interior and really tender, delicious beef. I also loved the hot springs, and our room was nice and comfortable. It had regular beds as well as a futon, but we had to lay the futon out ourselves each time. In our experience, staff at other hotels usually did that, so I took off a star for it.