Muwa Niseko

The rooms were clean and nice, and the Aesop amenities were great. The staff were very friendly. They have quite a lot of Southeast Asians as full timers, and quite a few Koreans working part time during peak season. The ski in ski out area is pretty small and tight. I think there’s only 1 ski valet, and he was busy all the time, so I hardly saw him at the counter when we had questions. It’s convenient to pick up and return rentals, though, since there’s a Niseko Sports store right in the hotel. Breakfast was a bit disappointing. There was just one live cooking station, for eggs, and the rest was premade food.

From the moment we arrived, the staff were friendly and the design was absolutely beautiful. Our room had a private onsen, kitchen, living room, a Murphy bed for extra guests if needed, and views of Mt Yotei. It was one of the most memorable hotel experiences of my life. One thing I hadn’t seen people mention was the shuttle. It takes you to the small downtown area and picks you up at the local police station. The town is very small, so that pickup spot is easy to reach. Getting to the snow is easy too. Don’t hesitate to stay at Muwa, this will be the stay of a lifetime.

The staff were awesome and went above and beyond to look after my family. They helped carry our ski gear to the locker and arranged everything neatly. A shuttle took us anywhere in town, even to the train station in the next town. When we misplaced a bag, the security team helped us work out when we’d lost it and eventually retrieve it with everything intact. This place isn’t just the best, it’s the bestest. I rate this fine establishment: it’s my inspiration to make more money so I can come back, out of 10.

Our family had outgrown the rooms at Ki, where we’d stayed for many years, so Muwa made sense for the extra space. We had a very large 2.5 bedroom suite with an onsen on the deck, which was key for us. The rooms were new and in great shape. The ski in, ski out location is great, and the onsite ski shop is a HUGE bonus. I have mixed feelings about the place, though. For this price, there are very few amenities beyond the onsen. There’s no gym or bar/lounge, and nowhere to sit with a coffee or wine after skiing. There are two restaurants: an upscale shabu shabu that was super good but set menu only, and the breakfast restaurant, which closes fairly early and doesn’t have a casual hangout area. There’s a tiny fridge area where you can buy beer and cakes, and the cakes were delicious. Expanding that space and adding wine, sake, cheese and canned cocktails would help a lot. Service was spotty. The people at the desk always seemed too busy to help, and it didn’t feel like the traditional attentive Japanese service where all eyes are on you when you arrive. It wasn’t a big deal, but I’d absolutely return if they added a gym and some shared space, like a small bar for socializing.