Hotel Largent Zao

It was expensive, and the experience was very bad. The hotel is very old and has no elevator. The shower room beside the hot spring was broken, and the snowboard and ski rental was awful. A binding broke while we were on zao mountain. Service was poor, especially from the older man in charge.

The meals were delicious, but we had too many problems with the ski gear. A snowboard binding broke at the top of Mount Zao twice in two days, and other people in our group had bindings break too. When we went to the shop to exchange the equipment, the owner kept complaining. That was unacceptable, and I wondered if this was how they treat foreign customers. The rooms are very old, with a strange smell near the bed. To reach the hot spring, you have to go outside into the cold. The paperwork says it closes at 10 PM, but each day there was a sign saying 9:30. There is no elevator either, so you need to carry your luggage upstairs.

This is a small, family-run hotel, and the hosts were very friendly. They don't speak English, so communicating can be hard if you don't speak Japanese. The location is very good, right beside the slopes and #3 gondola. They picked us up at the bus terminal and drove us to and from the #1 gondola and rental store. We had a very good time.

We had the meal package, and both breakfast and dinner were great, with traditional Japanese food each time. The staff were very friendly, and they'll pick you up from or drop you at the bus terminal at zao onsen if you ask. Great location. Highly recommended.