Heidi Guest House

The piping hot onsen and surprisingly meaty morning curry were highlights in a beautiful building. Aesop soap was everywhere. The rooms aren't soundproof, so if you make too much noise the whole hotel will probably hear. During my stay, though, it was calm, with no private raves or screaming contests. I'd happily stay again. Staff were barely around, and you can't leave luggage before check-in. If you arrive early, there are plenty of lockers at the prince hotel. The entrance is a little tricky to find: you can only reach it from the main road to the left of Azumaya lodge. Walking to Naeba resort is manageable with your gear, but I wouldn't wear ski boots unless you enjoy chafing.

This review is about the entire apartment type, not the guest house type. I strongly don't recommend it. We rented the whole apartment for our family, but there were no dishes, water cups, spoons, forks, or even disposable chopsticks, so we couldn't eat or drink what we'd bought. There were only a tiny amount of paper hand towels for the whole family, less than 1 cm high. Shampoo and body soap came in sachets, one per person, which wasn't enough if you wanted to use them at night and again in the morning before checkout. There was no hand soap, so you'd have to open a body soap sachet to wash your hands. There was no bath mat either, so what are you meant to do after a shower, just wait to dry? We could find the main building on Google Maps, but in heavy, deep snow we struggled a little to find the entrance for check-in. After checking in, we had to walk to the xxx apartment, which wasn't far, but the path was very slippery and steep in winter, dangerously so for older people. It was very hard to find a convenience store or restaurant around town. The first restaurant we tried only accepted Japanese people and didn't welcome foreigners at all. There was no Wi-Fi.

What a disaster. It was 34 degrees outside, and there was no AC. They gave us a fan that barely worked and wouldn't provide another when we asked. The rooms were tiny, with no private bathroom or fridge. I paid 30,000 yen a night to share bathrooms?! It got worse after that. We wanted to sit at a table in the dining area to eat a snack, and they told us to leave because it was for staff only. I don't recommend this place to visitors.

The sauna and bath were amazing, very warm, and never crowded. In the shared dining room, the free coffee, nuts, and dried fruit were all great. The room was clean, and the oil heater warmed it quickly. Self check-in worked well too. There's no fridge. It's a great guest house, though the slopes are about a kilometer away, which is a bit far to walk in ski shoes. You can go in regular shoes and leave them in a locker, or drive.