Maruyama Onsen Kojyokan — Hotel in Minamiuonuma

||Pros|1. Right at the custom of tokyo airport, when checking my custom slip, the staff has "thumb up" when reading my place of accomodation...i started to realize...this hotel is something...||2. I went there to ski. Between 8am to 6pm, the is always free hotel shuttle bus to Ishiuchi Marayama ski resort, Maiko ski resort and Gala Yuzawa. Subject to prior booking, the staff tried the best to send you to Echigo Yuzawa.||3. In weekdays, they serve set japanese breakfast. In weekends/when many customers, buffet breakfast is served. All very delicious.||4. Set dinner is very delicious and of large portion. You may also order other food eg crab.||5. Two sets of onsen. In bathroom A, there is one indoor and one outdoor onsen, each of 3m x 4m. In bathroom B, there is two indoor and two outdoor onsen, each 2x2m. Men and women bathroom swap everyday.||6. The rooms are exceptional large conparing with other hotels in Japan.||7. I realized that it is a locally famous hotel as it claimed to have built for a century....but it does not look like so except a big old door outside one of the onsens, both exterbal and internally. Esp. the interior decor, its so new and in modern jpn style that i am very reluctant to leave the hotel.||8. the scenery outside the hotel is so nice, facing one of the main ski lifts of Ishiuchi Maruyama and the railway, but far enough that you wont hear any noise. ||9. I think it is managed by a family, but the scale and standard that it maintained is not the common family style ryokan... having been ski in Japan for a few years and stayed at different types of hotels/guesthouses of medium price, I cannot imagine how a family can maintain the hotel with such superb standard...almost perfect in every aspect, if not 100% perfect already. The value is much more than the money paid!||10. The hospitality is...i cannot describe how detail they care and think of the very minor need of their customers (see my pics). "appreciation", "glad" cannot describe my heartfelt feeling. I feel i am one of the most lucky person to know this hotel by chance!||11. I know i will keep writing what is good of it. Why? it is the only one hotel that i have stayed that made me and my friend, who have the sole purpose to ski, felt extremely conflicting and reluntant to go out skiing or to depart from the hotel at the end of our stay. In fact, we only booked breakfast but on the last day we booked dinner as well with the intent to stay longer in...

I booked this after reading great reviews. The hotel did not disappoint. We were picked up at Echigo Yuzawa station and taken on about a 10 minute ride to the place. We could check into the room around 10:30 am. Then when we were ready they took us to a nearby ski resort. We went to Maiko. We phoned to be picked up and they soon came. The room was wonderful ( tatami style). There are two onsens which alternate between make and female, both very nice with an inside and outside area. We booked a dinner, Japanese style which was delicious and plentiful. You need to either book this dinner or eat before you return to the hotel as I don’t recall seeing anything in walking distance. Breakfast was a buffet, great variety. You co- ordinate what time you wish to go to the ski resorts with the drivers. You can actually see the ski resort Isuichi Maruyama from the hotel. A little too far to walk if carrying skis, about 5 mins by bus. When you are finished you can phone to get picked up ( or pre- arrange a set time). I returned after my day’s skiing ( having previously checked out)) and was able to use the onsen before being taken to Echigo Yuzawa train station. The people there are super helpful and friendly. Some of the staff speak a little English. The hotel sells discounted ski tickets for Maiko and you can get a reduced voucher for Isuichi. Think they have a discount for Gala Yuzawa also. They have the forms for takubin also.( Sending ski on to another destination to avoid carrying them). I would thoroughly recommend this experience. They also have ski rentals here...

Be careful of the slippery slope during winter! Just checked out yesterday, it's a great hotel, except that they don't care about customer's safety as customers would need to walk up the slope to the lobby at level 2. There's a staircase in front but full of snow which they don't bother to clear up. There's an internal staircase but it's for staff only, so they have a safe passage. My family have been walking up and down the slope during our stay, which is full of snow by the way. Unfortunately, after we checked out yesterday, while walking down the slope, me and my daughter had a fall, as it's slippery because the snow has starts melting. I injured my back, the pain was so bad. Totally spoiled my Tokyo holiday. So, I would advise you to use the internal staircase for staff if you must stay here during winter. I should have insisted. Btw, there's also a lift which link to all levels. But the problem is that they want customers to put own shoes at the lobby entrance at level 2 and change to their in-house slippers. The staff here are simply irresponsible, they only care about their own safety but not the customers'. Yes, these people are courteous, but what's the point, they don't bother about your safety. Stay at...