Hotel Yuzawa Yuzawa

The front desk staff were a real highlight, very friendly and helpful. Before arriving, I worried about sharing a toilet with other guests, but it turned out to be no problem at all. There’s also a Lawson within a five-minute walk. We spent a week here. The hotel and room are old, but the room was clean and well maintained, and the stay felt like great value. We had a positive experience.

This traditional, family-run hotel has a pleasant retro, homey feel, especially in its huge lobby. It’s five minutes by car from Echigo-Yuzawa Station, and they run free shuttles around the area, including to ski resorts. There’s a convenience store open 24 hours nearby. Dinner takeaways from the hotel restaurant are available for 2,300 yen with tax. There’s no bathroom or toilet in the room. You have to use the public onsen to shower, which could be difficult if you have small children.

The staff made the biggest impression. She spoke a little English and was so helpful and kind. After we left, we realized we’d forgotten our ski groves there. We contacted them and asked if they could send them to our hotel in another city, and they posted them without charging us anything. We stayed 4nights. The place was clean and excellent for Iwappara ski place, and you can get to Gala ski resort easily by taking the hotel bus to the train station, then another bus. You can buy skii pass at a discount here. The onsen was nice, and breakfast and dinner were tasty too.

We rented two snowboards on this trip, and rental prices were very reasonable. It’s a great option for skiing and snowboarding, with the hotel’s own shuttle picking guests up at some nearby ski resorts. Check with them for the latest routes and deals. They can arrange pickup and drop-off at Echigo Yuzawa Station before 18:00. The hotel is Japanese-style and good value for the price. Rooms are spacious, and while the facilities look old, they’re in very good condition. Most areas and rooms were clean and tidy. Breakfast buffet had a decent range of Japanese and Western food. The onsen is enough for a relaxing soak after a day of snowboarding.