Polaris — Hotel in Teshikaga

What a lovely place and a gem of a find.

You can tell that the owner, Ichiro-san, takes great pride in his property and what he does (which he has been doing since 2010).

The attention to details at this little property is crazy. Plenty of information and suggestions on what you will see around the property, little notes here and there to make your stay more comfortable, a pair of binoculars for you to spot some bears haha, a pretty tea set placed by the window for you to enjoy the view over a cuppa, a HomeStar device in case it’s cloudy and you can’t catch the stars and can at least do so in the room.

There are just a few rooms (probably 3) but that’s what makes the place more personal and homey. It’s probably the most expensive accommodation we booked in Hokkaido but I’d say it’s value for money.

The price includes a scrumptious 7-course dinner and breakfast. Dinner starts at 6.30pm when you get a beautiful blue backdrop at the dining hall before it turns pitch black outside. The food was simply cooked but so delicious with fresh Hokkaido ingredients. We were completely stuffed. Breakfast was western style and hearty. Again with the great morning scenery outside.

Ichiro-san would ask where you would be headed to next and then earnestly shares suggestions with detailed print out including the driving mapcode!

He even loaned us a tripod and walked us to the spot where we could take photos of the starry sky. He also brought his own camera along and took a photo of us against the starry backdrop and very efficiently emailed the photo to us soon after. The next morning, he presented us a print out of the photo together with a constellation map for us to reference which stars are which in our photo!

These might seem like little gestures but I feel they reflect the heart and sincerity of the hosts.

There are 2 bird feeders outside the inn, so you can bird watch and take some bird photos.

Just to note that the owner has 2 cats, Kiki-Chan and Kuma-Kun, so if you’re allergic to cats’ fur or are afraid of them, this may not be the property for you.

Also, you have to leave your shoes at the entrance as the house has a glossy wooden flooring for the cats. You can’t roll your luggage in but will have to carry it, which might be impossible if your suitcase is big and heavy.

Fortunately we had some foresight to pack a night’s essential into a backpack, so we didn’t have to offload our luggages from the car. The gravel path would have made dragging your suitcase quite impossible as well.

The only downside for some taller guests might be that the toilet is small. Toilets in Japan are generally tight but this is on the end of the...

Despite the positive reviews about the host's service, we found this man to be rude, emotionally unstable, and unaccommodating. We were inside the Polaris inn for less than five minutes before leaving in frustration, and deciding not to return for the night.||||On the day of our booking, it was raining quite heavily. My family arrived early because there was little to do around the town and we didn't want to risk any delays on the way over. When my husband, my older daughter, and I entered, the host came out and let us know that we could not check in at the time, which was 2.5 hours earlier than posted. We expected this, and asked if we can sit inside the dining area until then. At this he exploded and yelled "NO!" We asked why he was so mad, and he angrily replied that we could not be there before check in, and that we needed to get out.||||With this, I asked my daughter and husband to leave the building. I then asked if it was okay to wait in our car in his parking lot, and he again yelled "NO!" and that we could not even be on his "private area." I exited the building afterward and he followed, loudly hitting the open/close sign on his door.||||My husband and I decided not to stay there that night, despite understanding that we would likely lose the $600 cancellation fee. This man, who is supposed to provide quality service for a "warm stay," made us feel afraid and uncomfortable in our first interaction. The house was extremely isolated from other people, and we had two teenage daughters we did not want near this unstable man. We would have left and come back if he calmly outlined the house rules – but we felt that his impatience and anger was unwarranted and irrational.||||We did not feel safe in the Polaris inn, and we do not recommend staying here.||||~||||*We'd also like to mention that we made this reservation on Booking.com. Because we left, the host listed us as a "no show" and that we "cancelled" our reservation. As a result, we could not write a review. We find this censorship highly problematic, and feel that their positive reviews may be a result of this...

Despite the positive reviews about the host's service, we found this man to be rude, emotionally unstable, and unaccommodating. We were inside the Polaris inn for less than five minutes before leaving in frustration, and deciding not to return for the night.||||On the day of our booking, it was raining quite heavily. My family arrived early because there was little to do around the town and we didn't want to risk any delays on the way over. When my husband, my older daughter, and I entered, the host came out and let us know that we could not check in at the time, which was 2.5 hours earlier than posted. We expected this, and asked if we can sit inside the dining area until then. At this he exploded and yelled "NO!" We asked why he was so mad, and he angrily replied that we could not be there before check in, and that we needed to get out.||||With this, I asked my daughter and husband to leave the building. I then asked if it was okay to wait in our car in his parking lot, and he again yelled "NO!" and that we could not even be on his "private area." I exited the building afterward and he followed, loudly hitting the open/close sign on his door.||||My husband and I decided not to stay there that night, despite understanding that we would likely lose the $600 cancellation fee. This man, who is supposed to provide quality service for a "warm stay," made us feel afraid and uncomfortable in our first interaction. The house was extremely isolated from other people, and we had two teenage daughters we did not want near this unstable man. We would have left and come back if he calmly outlined the house rules – but we felt that his impatience and anger was unwarranted and irrational.||||We did not feel safe in the Polaris inn, and we do not recommend staying here.||||~||||*We'd also like to mention that we made this reservation on Booking.com. Because we left, the host listed us as a "no show" and that we "cancelled" our reservation. As a result, we could not write a review. We find this censorship highly problematic, and feel that their positive reviews may be a result of this...