Asahidake Onsen Hotel Deer Valley

The onsen was lovely, and the food was excellent, though the set courses are planned ahead and may not work for picky eaters. Compliments to the chef and kitchen team. The restaurant has a slightly odd mix of things, like silver cutlery and polished service alongside permission to wear pyjamas. It’s a decent location if you’re fine with walking to the station. We lost a star because the toilet kept flushing while we were sitting on it, and the in-room shower never got warm. The onsen made up for that and would bring me back.

The staff made us feel welcome right away, with a warmth that felt very sincere. Some spoke English really well, which made everything easy. We ended up finding it hard to say goodbye after one night. The comfortable bed, onsen, food and lovely people had grown on us. Dinner was a real highlight: five courses, including vegetables and fish, all beautifully prepared and delicious. Breakfast came on one plate with a mix of curry, bread, butter, sausages and salad. They make one plate per guest to avoid preparing a big buffet and throwing food away. I appreciated that thoughtful approach. The onsen is small, cute and practical. At the time we visited, the hotel had a collaboration with another nearby onsen hotel, so guests could in principle use both. We’d absolutely recommend staying here.

The hotel’s interior was the only thing I liked. I found two human hairs, one on the towel and one on the washlet in my room’s lavatory. There were spiderwebs in the dining hall, and flies and gnats crawling on the plate. Dinner took about an hour in total, and the food didn’t match what I expected for the high price. At the end, the manager asked if we were ready to enjoy dessert, then brought out two cute little watermelon pieces. I’d been thinking of giving it two stars for the interior, but after seeing some new four-star comments that seemed totally incredible, I’m giving it one.

Our family of four had plenty of room in the spacious connected twin room, and it was comfortable. We enjoyed our stay at Deer Valley Hotel. The meals were buffets for both breakfast and dinner, with decent quality. The onsen is small, but nice.