Chalet Ivy Hirafu — Hotel in Kutchan

Our family had the best experience at Chalet Ivy. We cannot say enough good things about the staff, the dining, and the accommodations.||As soon as we walked in, Makoto, Atsushi and their staff were so friendly and helpful and made us feel right at home. ||The rooms are so luxurious! We loved the beautiful decor, beds that make you feel like you are sleeping in clouds, high end toiletries and an in room on-sen (Japanese soaking tub) We had 4 people in the room (2 adults and 2 teen boys) and there was still plenty of space to sit and relax. The closet area are thoughtfully located next to the shower with sliding doors to provide privacy from the rest of the room.||There are two main restaurants in the Chalet, HirafuZaka and Snow Castle. HirafuZaka is more casual, and Snow Castle more elegant. Both restaurants serve an amazing breakfast buffet every morning. The food was so beautifully prepared and sooo delicious. In addition to all the pre-made foods, the kids really enjoyed the self serve noodle bar and egg station. We were able to dine at both restaurants for dinner and both were wonderful. Truly, everything we ate and drank at Chalet Ivy was incredible. ||As an added bonus, there is ski rental on site. This was our family's first time skiing, and the staff was very patient and helpful in getting us suited up with all the gear. The location of Chalet Ivy itself is perfect. It is in the heart Niseko and walkable to the the Grand Hirafu Gondola. (But they also offer a free shuttle to and from if you don't feel like walking)||The Apres Ski experience was blissful. After changing out of our ski gear, we sipped freshly mulled hot apple cider, changed into our hotel provided Yukata, and headed to the famous Chalet Ivy indoor/outdoor onsen. Admittedly, as a first time public bather, I was a bit timid to try this. However the atmosphere felt very private and safe, and once I slipped into the hot spring water my tired muscles were soothed and I felt so peaceful and relaxed. The outdoor onsen was a truly unique experience of indulging in a hot spring bath surrounded by the tranquil snow and cold air.||Chalet Ivy was truly magical. We could not have hoped for a better experience and cannot...

•ROOMS

Rooms are 10/10. Spacious, bright and comfortable. We loved the bathroom, namely the shower and the fact that the toilet was detached/separate. The only downsides were that we thought the room would have a queen or king bed, but instead we had two twin beds.

It would also be fantastic if the hotel could upgrade their televisions. Unfortunately, they’re quite old and do not have “smart” capability. You cannot cast from your devices, there are NO streaming services available, and only free-to-air channels available. Notably, only two or three of these channels are in English and they are 24/7 news channels.

Aside from that, we ran out of hand wash/body wash/shampoo/conditioner around our second or third night and housekeeping didn’t refill them for the duration of our stay.

While I spoke to one of the cleaning staff about this, I’m not sure if she understood English that well. We ended up going down to a convenience store to buy some of our own, so this wasn’t a huge deal.

•SERVICE

Absolutely incredible staff throughout the hotel. Front desk staff were really attentive and friendly. The shuttle drivers were also so lovely and always so helpful.

Special shoutout to one of the bar staff, Louisa, for going above and beyond for us too. Despite being a bartender, she assumed the role of a concierge and gave us recommendations for where to go, and what to do during our stay in Niseko. We really loved chatting with her!

•LOCATION

Honestly, one of the best locations in Niseko. Without use of the shuttles, you can easily walk to Ace gondola in around 5-minutes. King is a little bit further, maybe 10-15 minutes.

Otherwise, the hotel is centralised within the heart of Niseko. A wide range of takeaway food trucks and restaurants are only minutes away.

Overall, we loved our stay at Chaley Ivy Hirafu! We will...

Stay: 5 nights (end Jan - early Feb 2024)

My family and I (2 adults and 2 kids) booked the Deluxe King Suite with Courtyard View. We were incredibly pleased with our choice of Chalet Ivy Hirafu. Great rooms, great location, great service.

The service is impeccable, with concierge staff all very friendly and helpful.

The hotel provided a shuttle service from the hotel to the Hirafu Welcome Centre, and also offered pick up if you arrive at Hirafu Welcome Centre, to take you to the hotel.

I felt they were very pragmatic as well - we arrived around noon when we checked in, and when we shared that our kids will need to nap early (before the checkin), they did a quick check, and allowed us to get into our rooms earlier.

The breakfast offering was good - the food was repetitive, but we enjoyed the simplicity of it.

Facilities: The hotel has a nice gym in the basement Free laundry and dryer in the basement Free onsen (split by male and female), and also a private onsen (chargeable). There's in house restaurant which has quite good food

The room comes equipped with a kitchen - pots and pans, and utencils - so as we are travelling with our children, we found it extremely helpful.

Location wise, its near everything - there's a nearby supermarket at Hirafu188, and along the slopes there are coffee shops, bars, restaurants etc all within walking distance. There are buses at the foot of the slope / at the Hirafu Welcome centre, so we found it convenient as we did not rent a car. Ski slopes are also within walking distance.

All in all - we will recommend...