Lotte Arai Resort

The views for snowboarding were very good, and the hotel has a grand feel, but service was uneven. When our group of friends checked in on the first day of a five day stay, we tried to book dinners at different restaurants. They were all full, and the earliest reservation we could get was 8pm. The outdoor activity center staff weren't communicating well. We paid for the family zip line at 9:30am and were told it would open at 10. Then the zip line staff said it wouldn't be ready until 1pm, throwing our plans off when checkout was at 11. The Arai front desk staff were very helpful, especially Ryuta Tanake and Kota Uematsu, who gave extra support with the special issues. I appreciated it. The place felt a bit overpriced overall.

We arrived the day after a big storm, so the skiing was excellent. This mountain suits off piste skiers, with very few groomed runs. The rooms were spacious and clean, but overpriced. The hotel's food was pretty terrible. We tried the Japanese restaurant the first night, disliked it so much that we canceled our other reservations and got sandwiches from the cafe instead. The buffet breakfast was fine, but not worth paying extra for.

The hotel is really close to the lifts, and the ski terrain is great. We'd come back, though the Plate Restaurant didn't hit the mark. I also wish there were more places to go after skiing. There's a music bar, but it wasn't advertised, and we only found it on our second to last night. More information about places around the resort would have helped.

The snow was the best part of our first visit to Lotte Arai Resort in Myoko, Japan, and our first time at a ski resort. Playing in it and having snowball fights with my little one made some really special memories. The onsen was excellent too, and left me feeling completely refreshed. We'd definitely return, hopefully next time with our firstborn as well. We weren't quite sure what to expect, and the resort had a classic, nostalgic ski lodge feel, like something from an old National Lampoon movie, a quintessential American-style ski resort. The food and drink could be better. Plate Restaurant was disappointing, with food that lacked quality and consistency, though the other restaurants on the property were satisfactory.