Pension BooFooWoo

We stayed in the middle of winter, and the cold was a real problem. The old building stayed chilly, the kerosene fan heater shut off soon after starting when its ventilation sensor came on, and one of the electric mattress pads was broken. It's a shame, because the pension has a lot going for it. The building itself is old, but inside it's renovated, clean, and well cared for, with Wi-Fi. Rooms are named after animals like cows and horses, each with a bathroom in the hall; toilets are shared. There's a shared fridge and free coffee, tea, and barley tea, which I appreciated. Families have a picture-book room with manga and a toy room for pretend play. Breakfast is all-you-can-eat homemade bread, two savory and two sweet varieties, and it's delicious. Juice, milk, tea, coffee, and plate meals with salad and sausage are also available. They give you breakfast bread to take home at checkout. You can book the private bath by writing your name on the board outside, or use it in the morning if nobody has reserved it. All rooms are non-smoking, though there's an ashtray by the entrance.

The shared toilet and sink are a downside, but each room can reserve the bath for private use. We had booked without meals for our one-year-old, yet there was enough food that we were happy sharing ours, and the bread was great. It's a little guesthouse tucked into the woods off the main road, with a playroom for kids and fun little decorations on the stairs and outside the windows. The rooms have only the basics, which makes sense with children around. Since it's child-friendly, you can hear kids running in the hall quite loudly, so it may not work for anyone sensitive to noise. If that doesn't bother you, I'd recommend it.

My daughter was already asking to return to Pig-san's House by the time we got home, which says a lot. We chose it for a family trip with our 1.5-year-old son and 4-year-old daughter after reading reviews that said it was comfortable with young kids. The outside looked a bit dated, but the rooms inside were very clean and didn't feel old. We were the only guests on that weekday, and the owner was friendly and made us feel at ease. He also got in touch after we booked to go over the fees, which felt helpful and trustworthy. The kids had the Picture Book Room and Toy Room, while adults could relax in the Relaxation Room. Dinner and breakfast were delicious, and we got leftover breakfast bread to take with us.

I stayed here for skiing and loved the bread, pizza, side dishes, and dessert. I was getting ready for winter and checked the website, then saw that the owner was retiring, so I wanted to leave this review. I'd already planned to stay again this season, and I'm sad about it. When will reservations open under the new system?