Lodge Bergland guest reviews

Lodge Bergland

Late Deecember 2015

We have been travelling mainly on and sometimes off to Japan since 2003. We travelled to Honshu, Nagano area, since we had a brilliant trip the year before skiing Nozawa Onsen and Madarao.

We have used Hisae and the team at Japan snow accommodations, which takes a lot of the hard work out of planning the trip. Also we have asked for alternatives and there was a quick answer and good information at all times.

After Nozawa, We made the short bus trip to Madarao ski resort there are two bus lines that run there daily. This is a small ski area but very compact runs and very nice layout. Again the year before we were skiing abundance of powder, this year was a little slower. We stayed at the Lodge Berglund, Mr Yamada and his family. This is in a secluded area with a short walk to the lifts each morning. They lodge is very clean, breakfasts are very good, a ski drying and storage area down stairs, WIFI everything that we needed for the trip. The lodge has dinners on request, or there are a number of small restaurants within a short walking distance. I would stay there again for the location, small lodge, privacy and the Japanese family atmosphere!

Robert Hall

Early February 2015

Lodge Bergland was great.

Top location.

Hosts went above and beyond.

Would definitely stay again and definitely recommend to others.

Thank you also for setting up the accomodation.


Thanks
Damien

Late January & early February 2015

My vacation at Madarao was awesome, had a great time!!
Extremely friendly and nice people, made lots of friends, enjoyed skiing with them.
Love the stay at Lodge Bergland, Yamada San and his wife treated me like a family member.
Extremely thankful to Yamada San to pick me up from Tangram resort when I mistakenly ended up there and the return ski lifts had closed. He even gifted me a pair of ski poles!!!!!
Enjoyed drinks and food at Rudolf!!!
Cannot forget Morito San and Akiko san's challenges :-)
And yes!!! What a great skier GG Hitoshi San is, I wish I could train under him!!!!
Attaching few pics, not sure if they are of any good use to you!!!

Regards
Sandeep

Late January 2015.

I had a fantastic time at Madarao in no small part due to the accommodation provided at Lodge Berglund by Mr Yamada and his wife. The lodge is a short stroll from the ski lifts and ticket office with guests receiving a generous discount on lift tickets when they purchase a coupon at the lodge in the morning. 

Breakfasts were filling and always served up in time to allow you to make the most of the ski day, do yourself a favour and stay in at least one night for a home cooked meal at the Lodge.

I was fortunate to have Mr Yamada drive me to my accommodation in Myoko Kogen at the end of my stay in Madarao (in a blizard) which I am very greatful of.

I would highly reccommend this lodge to all travelers (singles, groups or families) and will certainly be back in the not too distant future.

Booking through Hisae at Japan snow Accommodation made for a very easy trip considering the limited english in Madarao.

Ben  

Hisae from Japan Snow Accommodation arranged my reservation with Lodge Bergland and provided detailed information on Madarao Mountain (such as how to to/from Madarao and facilities available in Madarao) in addition to details about Lodge Bergland. Hisae was very prompt in responding to my various requests for quotes on accommodation and helped me greatly in finding accommodation in Madarao that ticked all the boxes at the right price for a solo traveller. My stay at Lodge Bergland was one of the highlights of my journey around Japan – it was a true cultural exchange which has left me with many happy memories. The owners of the lodge are extremely welcoming and generous – Mr Yamada even arranged a day trip to Myoko Kogen and spent the day skiing with me. The size of my room was very large with two very comfortable single western style beds and a small bathroom including toilet and shower. A gender separated bath was also available downstairs in the afternoon/evening to ease the tired muscles at the end of the day. The breakfasts were amazing with something different each day. The location of Lodge Bergland is quite good within close proximity to a convenience store and a short walk up to the ski area entrance. In summary, Lodge Bergland offers excellent hospitality at the right price with great value bonuses such as discounted lift tickets, ski hire and waxing. The ski area is amazing on a powder day. Many of the courses are ungroomed with plenty of opportunity for awesome deep powdery light snow and you can challenge your skills in the tree run areas. There is also a pretty awesome view from the top of the mountain. There are plenty of on mountain dining options at very reasonable prices. Off mountain, there are a few convenience stores and small restaurants in addition to the Madarao Kogen Hotel offering both Japanese and Western style food. Take your time to find the smaller restaurants and you will be rewarded with friendly service and delicious food. Below are some photo's from my trip Cheers Alison

Late December 2013 "My stay was very nice!

Concerning the mountain, the snow was very good! There was just a few lifts which weren’t operating... i don’t know why, but still it was nice.

The lodge was very nice and comfortable. The host was very kind and helpful! i would definitly recommand this place. 

I don’t have pictures of the hotel, but I attached a few pictures of the ski station. 

Thanks for your help, everything was fine" 

From Martin N

"We had stayed in NozawaOnsen for 3 days prior to arriving in Madarao. 

The feel of Madarao town is quite different from Nozawa Onsen (more european style at MK compared to traditional village style at NO). 

We found the Lodge Bergland a very enjoyable stay with the owners being very helpful. 

Rooms were clean, spacious and nicely heated. Im not sure if double beds are available but we were given singles (not that we had any issue with that). 

The lodge offers ski hire at far cheaper price than outside and of acceptable quality. 

The breakfast was typical of the lodges we stayed at and was very nice. 

It takes approx 5min to walk from the chairlift to the lodge (in ski boots). The ski field is much smaller than NO but still very enjoyable (especially the off piste skiing in the trees). 

We would definitely go back to stay at Lodge Bergland given the chance."

By James M

January 2013 "I had a great trip thank you for your help and recommendation. 

Lodge Bergland is a great place to stay for your time at Madarao kogen. A warm and homely place with a very friendly and accommodating owner, very attentive and ensured that my stay was a great experience willing to help with lift tickets and transport to local restaurants and even to the mountain. 

The room was extremely warm and comfortable and of good size. Great onsen downstairs. I will definitely Return on future visits."

By A.W

"Thank you so much Mr. And Mrs. Yamada, Our stay at your lodge was just awesome. 

The food was excellent, the hospitality was exceptional, and your kindness to our group was SUPERB! 

Thank you for the ski lessons and your lovely lodge accommodations. Much Aloha"

By Dorothy

Visit Lodge Bergland

Chalet Fuyuri guest reviews

Late January 2015

We had a brilliant time in Furano and the accommodation Chalet Fuyuri was an absolute highlight.

Beautifully presented apartment, lovely, welcoming and very helpful staff - we really enjoyed our time there and wish we had stayed longer.

The location is perfect!

Here are a couple of images from our trip.

Kind regards,
Kent

Appi Grand Villa 3 guest reviews

Late January 2017

Stayed at Appi Grand Villa 3 for 4 days in Jan 2017.

This hotel is quite big ( about 13 floors ) comfortable, but not over the top. Facilities are good, including Onsen and staff very friendly and helpful,you could get away with little or no Japanese language as most spoke some English.Virtually ski in ski out, just a 2 minute walk before you can ski down to the lift and you can ski back to the door.This hotel is a little way from the main Appi Grand Hotel where you can use their facilities with no additional cost but there is a regular free shuttle around the resort so you can access the main area quite easily.

Advanced runs are confined to the top part of the mountain, all with various lengths of green to get back onto the lifts. The most challenging run, with a tree run thru the middle of a split ungroomed run, is short  and has a long green run to access and even longer green back to the lift. If you are looking to be challenged all day I'd suggest this is not the mountain for you, if you like a bit of black and are happy with a good bit of cruising reds (our blue) and greens, then Appi would suit just fine.I travelled from Haneda airport to Morioka by train (Via Tokyo) and bus from Morioka station, I had no delays but recommend checking connections, to avoid waiting time.

Hisae at Japan snow accommodation organised all my accommodations in her usual friendly and efficient manner, re arranging dates to work in with my itinerary as we went, also picking up the deals with meals and lift ticket inclusions that were available. Hisae has organised my Japan trips for a number of years now and I will continue to use Japan Snow Accommodation in the future.

Ian Hartman.

Late January 2015

Hisae (Japan Snow Accommodation booking Agent) was very easy to communicate with, very organised and kept me up to date. The whole booking process flowed very smoothly and I was really happy with the service.I would definitely use Japan Snow Accomodation again.

My week long stay at Appi Grand Villa 3 was wonderful. The staff are very helpful and nothing is too much bother.

The main gondola is only a short ski away.

The hotel rooms are big by Japanese standards and had a great view over the surrounding mountains. 

The buffet breakfast consists of Japanese or continental selections and there is plenty of variety.

Lockable ski lockers for your ski gear next to the mountain exit on the ground floor.

There is a large onsen in the basement.

There are regular shuttle buses to transport you to the other hotels in the Appi resort complex or back to Morioka. Appi is only a sort bus or train ride from morioka( about 1 hour).

Appi resort also run a day trip to Shimokura resort on Fridays.

I would definitely recommend a visit - a small resort with only 3 lifts and hardly any skiers.

The snow we had the day we visited was some of the best i have ever skied in Japan.It was a great day of skiing at a tiny resort. Appi is a good sized resort and has some good steep runs and long runs.It takes a few days to explore properly.

We got loads of snow while we were there,I really enjoyed my visit to Appi.

Regards 
Deborah Holmes

Late January 2015

We had a wonderful trip!

The room was clean and big. 

Food was very good.

Steak and crab (buffet restaurant) was fresh and yummy.

Beef (まえさわぎゅう) served at Korean BBQ was high-quality. 

Wide slopes and non crowed (even holiday).  

Everyone can find the slopes that best suit their level.The photo is still prepared when it is ready we will send you.

Best, YingChe

Visit Appi Grand Villa 3

Guest review : Kawamotoya Ryokan

Late Feb 2017

Your service was great, we had never been to Japan before and explained what type of town we were after and it was exactly what we were after. you communication through the whole booking process was excellent. 

Kawamotoya Ryokan was a great place to stay, the room had a wonderful view of the valley and was a nice walk to the bottom of the ski hill. The food and staff were also very good, highly recommended.

Leigh

 

 

 

Late December 2016

Our stay has been fantastic and I would recommend our hotel . The rooms are quite big and very confortable; the breakfast and restaurant is very good and provide international food , the hotel public bath is great , and finally : the staff is very nice, polite and helpful .

We hope coming back soon :-) 

thank you very much 
laure 

Tsuruya guest reviews

Zao Onsen Tsuruya

Mid March 2014 

A pleasure to stay at Tsuruya. 

The staff provide a wonderful service and are fantastic. If i get the chance to go to Zao Onsen again I will definitely stay here. Tsuruya provide a transit service to the ski lifts and there is a drying room at the hotel, making it extremely easy to get to the snow.

The accommodation was great. Zao Onsen is a wonderful location. While I have been to other locations in the Japanese slopes, I really enjoyed skiing here and enjoyed myself immensely.

I have attached two photos – one of the mountain, and one of the room we stayed at

Robert

Early January 2014  


Japan Snow Accommodation provided an excellent service in arranging our accommodation on our behalf. They were timely and friendly and we experienced no troubles at all. 

The traditional accommodation of Lodge Tsuruya was amazing and the staff were very helpful, even lending us their own personal snow boots one night!. I would not hesitate to recommend this service and this accommodation to my friends.

From Eugene

Mid January 2014


 "Its nice to talk to you again. Below is my review, hope it helps

I also attached a couple of photos for your reference.

The stay was wonderful, hotel was great, staff were very friendly, equipment rentals were very easy and just across the street from the slope, which was about 2 minute drive using the hotel's excellent shuttle bus.

The slope access was easy too, there are many different pricing schemes for the ski lifts and the staff were more than helpful in showing which is the best scheme for you, be sure to consult the staff on which scheme so you don't end up buying the wrong card.

The hotel is literally across the Zao bus station which we arrived to by the 40 minute bus from Yamagata, nice ride, didn't feel like 40 minutes at all.

There is also a ski school which really helped us to capture the basics quickly in their 2 hour lesson.

The hotel does not offer western breakfast, so if you don't like Japanese food for breakfast there is a small restaurant down the street that serves French Toast and its very good, the lady and the cat (yup, a cat called Hana) are very welcoming.

Japan Snow Accomodation provided the great service and arranged the stay for us and payment was convenient through paypal.

Had a blast, definitely going back!"

Thanks Hisae, really appreciate your service.

Kind regards,

Omar.

"Tsuruya is absolutely SUPERB...!!! I'm really regretting that I only stayed there for one night only. 

I already mark another day next year to go there....

What is the best thing about Tsuruya? Let me describe it:

1. GREAT hospitality....!!! Almost every staff there checking our group condition and schedule with genuine concern. Seriously, they always remind us to be ready for dinner, breakfast, and the trip to snow monster. When we were wandering inside the hotel, everyone try to offer their help without hesitation, even offer to take a picture of us together when they see us with camera...!!! It's the most memorable thing about this hotel. Although they dont speak english, they really try hard to explain things to us.

2. WONDERFUL room...!!! It's the most japanese ambience room we had so far..., complete with the traditional futon and yukata. It feels really japan here, and that is what we are looking for. It is very spacious with great big window view while the facilities are modern enough.

3. PERFECT location...!!! When we took the bus from yamagata station, it feels like we're entering the mordor valley because of the big snow storm at the middle of noon...! But right after we put our feet on the ground, somebody asked us where do we stay. When we said, "Tsuruya", he's so surprised -- as well as we surprised -- and show us that it's exactly located in front of the station, only ten steps away.... Nice!

4. SATISFYING meals...!!! We spent almost two hours to finished-up our dinner. We were stuffed and sated...!! And we got a private room for dinner and breakfast. Very unexpected...

5. BEAUTIFUL onsen...!!! We got free private onsen. It's more than enough for us who feels a little bit shy to join in public onsen. It's really an additional value for Tsuruya to have these private onsen...
All and all, 5 stars!!!

I cant wait to get back there...!!!"

By Ganda

"We had a great time staying at Tsuruya. Location is good as it is located right opposite the bus station. 

No fuss in getting to and from the station as we just need to walk across. 

The staff were very warm and friendly even though we can't speak Japanese. 

Breakfast and dinner were included and we had choices with varieties. Not the same food everyday. Food tastes great as we love Japanese food. The pictures on their website are accurate in showing what they serve. 

The onsen is not too bad, though the outdoor pool is a little small. It works fine. There is also a choice to use the private onsen for a fee. 

All in all, we would recommend this hotel to other travelers. 

If we were to visit Zao again, we will stay at Tsuruya."

By Snowowl

Please visit Zao Onsen Tsuruya

Niseko Northern Resort A'nupuri guest reviews

Niseko Northern Resort A'nupuri

Late January 2014 - "This is a true ski in ski out location"

"My husband and I have recently returned from a Ski Holiday in Japan staying at Niseko Northern Resort Annupuri.  This is a true ski in ski out location and our room was very clean and comfortable. 

The food was of a high standard catering for both Western and Japanese tastes and the facilities on offer were great including the laundry, reading room and bathing facilities.  The staff were friendly and very helpful and this was greatly appreciated especially as our Japanese is virtually nonexistent.  The skiing and snow conditions were wonderful.  This was our fourth visit to Japan and the snow is always great.

Our accommodation was booked through japansnowaccommodation.com and we cannot speak highly enough of this company.  They were extremely helpful and their prompt replies to all our emails  were amazing.  Unfortunately I was injured whilst on our trip and we needed to cancel our last 2 nights at the resort.  Japansnow accommodation handled this with no hesitation and, as we were unable to speak the Japanese language, their assistance was invaluable and very much appreciated.  They organized the refund in a very prompt and efficient manner. We are certainly rebooking with this company next year and highly recommend their services."
 
Thanks 
Ceridwen

Visit Niseko Northern Resort A'nupuri

Hotel Manseikaku Bearmonte guest reviews

Mid Feb 2017

We had a great time at Asahidake!

Lucky enough to have a clear day when we had skins to ski up around the vents. Then new snow on 3 mornings. One day blown out!

Still enjoy Bearmonte, with great onsen and very attentive staff. We would comment that the special food they bring, as a long term guest, is sometimes not as good as just on the Buffet. A lot of crab claws were wasted, and some extra main courses were left abandoned, in favour of buffet.

Cheers, Tony

Mid Feb 2017

Once again we loved Hotel Bearmonte - it was so nice and close to the slopes and every night we looked forward to luxuriating in the Onsen to revive ready for the next day. It was great they had a new ski shop together with snow shoes so that when the rope way was closed we could go for a shuffle.  Food was very good as well - though we all tended to eat too much.

Thanks again for your organisation - everything went smoothly.

Cheers
JUlie

Late Jan 2016

The transport was waiting for us!

Many thanks and we loved Asahidake. We’ll go again!

Thanks for your help.

Regards, 
Tony

Mid February 2014


Asahidake & Hotel Bearmonte were definitely the highlight of our trip to Japan

The hotel, staff, food, onsen and conditions on the mountain could not have been better. 

I included a photo of Toshi our guide. His professionalism, local knowledge, helpfulness, equipment, and patience made
our day on the mountain with him memorable.  

Please remind your western guests that the onsen changes sides daily for men and women.  One of our crew did not
know this took a left into the onsen just like the previous day. The women in the onsen had a good laugh when he
started to step into the onsen buck naked,ha!!. 

Below are some shots from my trio

Sincerely,
Dennis Purcell

"Asahidake Hotel Bearmonte was excellent. 

Location near cable way was perfect for skiing. 

Rooms were comfortable, clean and warm. 

Breakfasts and dinner at the restaurant were very good.

Onsen was great!

Highlight, however, was attentiveness and service by the staff. For example we bought a bottle of 
sake for our group to drink in a room one night and as we were getting into the lift one of the staff ran 
over and gave us 5 sake glasses forus to use.".
By Graeme