Hakuba Gondola Hotel

The staff were nice enough, and this might suit a school camp, but I wouldn’t recommend staying here otherwise. It cost much less than other places, and it felt like the price came with plenty of hassles. Our room wasn’t cleaned once. On the one occasion I saw room service, she asked whether we had rubbish, I said no, and she left. We got no fresh towels or sheets during our week. There was no fridge, kettle, or Wi-Fi in the rooms, so even making hot tea wasn’t an option. The rental shop was disorganized. My partner had to try three sets of skis and boots before getting gear that worked. The overnight gear locker is in the basement, reached by climbing over piles of snow and going down a concrete staircase with no railing. Clearing the snow seemed like it shouldn’t have been difficult.

The gondola for Happo one is right across the road, and the hotel has its own onsen and bar. Rooms are decent and have the facilities you need. Reception staff were very friendly and gave us useful tips about shuttle buses and good places around town. Good value for money.

I’ve never had a pillow this comfortable. When you roll over half asleep, the rough beads sliding past each other make a soothing sound and feel. The blokes across the hall were great company, couldn’t have asked for better people nearby. The amenities are excellent, with plenty of choice. The showers have an open aroma but still feel quaintly private. Staff are all smiles, full of energy, and ready to chat or help with whatever you need.

The snow gear was old, dirty, smelly, and didn’t fit well, and my snowboard bindings kept unclipping, which felt dangerous. There was nowhere to dry wet gear or gloves overnight. The rooms smelled mouldy, with dirty walls and bathroom, thin bedding, bugs on the curtains, and moisture inside the windows. We also had 15 bugs in the room. We caught most on the first day, but they kept coming back. Staff sprayed for them and said this had “never happened before,” despite earlier reviews saying otherwise. The bathroom door got stuck shut; it took an hour to open, and there was nobody at reception to help. Thankfully no one was inside, because that would’ve been terrifying, and we had scissors with us. There was slippery ice right outside the entrance, making it hard to get in or out safely. The staff’s answer was to put up a caution sign. The shuttle went to the wrong station to pick us up, so we had to pay for a taxi. Staff were unhelpful and disorganized, and gave us three different bus schedules. Don’t stay here.