La Vista Daisetsuzan

Our arrival at La Vista Daisetsuzan was a frustrating start to my ten-day Hokkaido trip. We were a group of couples and kids, with French dining scheduled, but no dinner had been prepared for the two children. There seemed to have been a mix-up between the hotel staff and tour company. The catering staff also struggled to communicate in English. While some adults spoke with the front desk about food options for the kids, the waiters kept asking if they could serve the remaining dishes and didn’t seem to understand what was going on. One waitress seemed irritated, placing water glasses randomly and bringing just five glasses for nine guests. I came away feeling that we’d missed out on the French dining experience and the friendly Japanese courtesy I’d hoped for, and felt only frustration. Other aspects of the hotel’s service were generally fine.

The mountain views from the room were dreamy, and the beds were really comfortable. Management was excellent, and the staff were friendly. There are three private onsens, and it was one of the best I’ve visited in Hokkaido. It’s also very close to the Asahidake rope tow. I’d recommend La Vista and hope to come back.

We were worried by some of the other Google reviews, but ended up having a wonderful stay. The property is older, though well maintained. It was our first onsen experience, and the helpful English guides made it easy to understand what to do. There were also three private baths available on a first-come, first-served basis. We stayed Wednesday to Thursday in mid-September and never had trouble getting into one. Dinner and breakfast were included in our rate, and both were delicious. We usually eat early, around 5 p.m., so the 7:30 dinner was later than we’d like. Still, it was worth it. Breakfast was amazing, and we’d absolutely stay again.

The front desk made check-in unpleasant. My wife is a light sleeper, so we always ask for a quiet room, and hotels have generally been accommodating. Here they put us on the second floor, near the parking lot and the public onsen, even though the hotel has five floors. Once we noticed, we asked to move to a higher floor. The woman at reception had a stony expression and insisted she couldn’t change our room. We were very disappointed.