Asahidake Onsen Hotel Deer Valley — Hotel in Higashikawa

It was our first visit to Hokkaido and we picked the Asahidake Onsen area because it was relatively close to Sapporo, accessible by train and then bus via Asahidake. (We noticed that many of the visitors to the area seem to have their own rental cars, but others like us took the bus, which seemed to operate just fine in the snow.) The property is clean, well maintained, and has a cozy lodge-like feeling with only two dozen rooms or so. The service during our February 2018 visit was pleasant, warm, and simple. (It helps to speak a little Japanese, if you can...) We paid extra for the tatami room since that was all that was available, and enjoyed the option of sleeping either on the beds or on cozy mattresses on the tatami floor. The room was simply outfitted but extremely comfortable and spacious. Food at Deer Valley is exceptional -- every meal was delicious and exceeded our expectations for such a small property. The management and the chef clearly take pride in producing memorable meals. My husband and I never started our day or went to bed hungry!||||The Asahidake Onsen area is basically a 0.5 mile stretch of road with several properties on it, starting with the Deer Valley as you work your way up the hill and then ending with Bear Monte, which is the sister property to Deer Valley. Deer Valley guests can use the Bear Monte onsen, which are indoors and outdoors and much larger. (Deer Valley only has indoor onsen, which are neat and pleasant.) Walking in the snow from Deer Valley to Bear Monte takes about 15 minutes, and it's moderately uphill, which after a long day of hiking or, I imagine, skiiing is pretty tough to do. There are sidewalks but they are covered in snow, and although there are street lamps one needs to be careful walking on the road in the dark (bring your own flashlight), as there is occasional traffic, and it's easy to slip even with boots on. The national park's information center and gondola station building are at the end of the road just across from/next to Bear Monte. The gondola building is, I believe, the only place open for lunch, as the hotels seem to shut down their kitchens at that time, probably to prepare for dinner. ||||Most guests at these hotels seemed to be skiers, but my husband and I just came for the onsen, to go snowshoe hiking, and to see what 12-15 feet of snow and bitter cold felt like! We did the somewhat difficult snowshoe walk in the woods behind the Bear Monte. It's not for the faint at heart, since it would be easy to get lost if you have a poor sense of direction or can't match together symbols on map with hard-to-see markings on trees that are veiled in heavy snow. The walk through the deep snow drifts and gorgeous forest took us two hours, readying us for a final round of onsen. Nature abounds here, and we were lucky to see a fox roaming around at night.||||If you're not a skier, two nights at Deer Valley or any of the properties is probably sufficient. That would give you enough time to try the onsen, explore the nature, and take the gondola up the mountain (which we didn't do because visibility was so bad from the peak, according to the weather report at the gondola station). ||||Deer Valley for us was the perfect mix of comfort, nature, and Japanese culture. It's our fondest memory of Hokkaido, and has us...

Isolated location with greenery. Perfect for those doing nature hikes and climbing Asahidake. Nice lounge with plenty of sofas and home-like atmosphere. Yes looks like an Alpine lodge more suited for winter but it was fine in summer too. Large spacious room with view of the greenery. Small onsen which i did not see anyone else there except my family.||Quiet place compared to the busier Bear monte hotel. We were able to go to the Bear monte hotel for the onsen facilities there - though much bigger but there also many people there.||||||My initial trip had 4 members but one cancelled so there was only 3 members. However it was difficult to contact them to see if we could change to a Japanese room for 3 people instead of 2 twin room for 4 people. But it was fully booked at other places so we went ahead to stay on. I believe it was based on twin accommodation so i could not have changed it anyway but it would be nice to have known this for sure. Staff could not speak English so well so any complicated discussions were not possible. Receptionist looked stern but kitchen staff were very friendly.||Onsen was small and a bit unkempt - dry leaves not swept. But no one else were there except us.||We drove from Sapporo and arrived at 8pm. We received a call at 7pm via Booking.com telling us to have dinner outside as their dinner ends at 7.30pm. But in the hotel website, it says dinner ends later i think at 8.30pm. If we knew we would have ensured to arrive by 7.30pm. So we missed the dinner that night. A bit scary to drive at night as it was dark and lonely road but the road was safe with a lot of light-reflective posts. As it was dark, my cousin managed to see two foxes by the roadside. The entrance road was not so well signposted so we passed by unknowingly till the end of the road which was at Bear monte and received directions from Bear Monte.||||Price was a bit expensive for what we received but i guess one had to pay due to...

There is a lot to like about this hotel in terms of charm and good food. The public spaces are lovely with lots of areas to hang out. It is a non-smoking hotel. The room had a nice counter by the window. BUT it is quite expensive for what you get. The onsen is ok, but the one at Bear Monte is much nicer. (overall, Bear Monte had a much fancier feel). The room was adequate but hot without the ability to do much but sort of open a window. The pillows were overly firm for my American tastes. There aren't a lot of outlets for charging your devices.||I am not a skiier and we weren't there during ski season, but in the off season there isn't much to do once you've taken the ropeway and explored Mt. Asahidake. And I think you definitely need a car. We planned to use the bus from Asahikawa but did not know the schedule changed on Oct. 1 and missed the last bus. We ended up taking a taxi (about 9000 yen). The walk from the hotel to the ropeway (and the Bear Monte) is 10 or 15 minutes. The only place to get lunch is at the ropeway. ||Overall, I would have chosen to either stay here only one night or to stay in Asahikawa and rent a car or take the bus to visit Mt. Asahidake.||The woman at the front desk had enough English to get along. She was also the evening hostess at the restaurant so could help you...