3rd March 2023
We enjoyed our stay overall at The Vale Niseko.
The property was very well located to access the mountain and was very close to all of the dining options in Hirafu. The rooms were compact but well laid out and were very comfortable. We appreciated the option of using the small kitchenette if required.
Breakfast was good and the coffee was great, the onsen and sauna was also a nice touch to relax after a days worth of skiing.
It was a shame that the outdoor pool was closed during our stay.
If we were to stay here again, we would try and get a room not located on the sub-ground floor as there was no view for us (although a hidden benefit was that it made accessing the complementary laundry room very easy- it was quite busy throughout).
Our one critique is that it definitely felt like the property was run by generally inexperienced staff - they definitely lacked that hospitality factor that I would have liked. I left with an impression that for most of them it was their first job out of high school. After coming from another premium resort, you could definitely feel the difference.
Thanks Hisae for organising our itinerary, our transfers to and from were seamless and we didn't have to lift a finger to organise our ski hire and lift passes. This really made it easy for us to focus on simply turning up and enjoying the snow!
Aaron