Hotel berhampiran Istana Yamagata, Yamagata

The room was comfy, excellent service. I checked out in a rush this morning, front desk told me I have left something behind in my room. I responded, being sure I hadn't, until an elderly man I saw earlier from housekeeping came running down the stairs and handed me my travel charger and cables. A big thank you so much and sending me to the bus terminal in time. I love the view of the wintry slope from my room window especially.

Absolutely lovely place. At first I thought I'd be uncomfortable with how spaceous the room was (I'm a very jumpy solo traveller), but the room was just so comfy with an excellent view. The heater was a bit hot, but there was an electric fan too, so all was great. The hotel allows you to have a free 50 minute private bath each night, and the private baths are amazing, able to accommodate up to five persons and with windows to let in the light and stuff. Excellent onsen water -- very acidic and very hot. Takes some time getting used to the heat, but once you do it's a heavenly experience. There are also public baths (free of charge) that you could enjoy throughout the night and into early morning (they're closed for cleaning only during 9-12 in the morning), one indoor and one outdoor, both connected to one another. The outdoor one is a bit small, but it's so refreshing to be able to flee from the stifling indoor onsen to enjoy the crisp winter air while soaking up in the heat.

Even though we called the hotel stating that we would be late for the check-in and dinner as there was heavy snow in the highway. The staff postponed it to 730. However, the snow was so heavy, we lost our way in town and we arrived at 8:10. The staff saying that we were too late and rejected to provide any food for us. we had to walk downhill to the town to find our own dinner. however, on the second night of our stay, we noticed that the other guests were having dinner at 9:10 when we passed by the restaurant. We know that we were late, but I believed that hotel is in the hospitality industry, the staff have to be considerate to the guests. as we were not meant to be late on purpose, just because of the bad weather outside, we couldn’t drive fast. We were in the highway 2 1/2 hours without any food and drink in the hope of arriving on time.

The room was beautiful, with tatami, yukata, tabi, and a little bag with towels to take with you when you go to their proper outdoor onsen that's right across the street. The onsen has good amenities, has 2 baths one indoor that's around 42 - 45 degrees, and outdoor one that's usually cooler around 38 - 42. The best thing about that onsen is that there usually not many people there, often I was there alone. The breakfast was great too, there were at least around 20 - 30 different dishes/foods to choose from. The hotel also sells discounted ski passes, and has it's own ski/snowboard rental service for lower price than most of the rental services nearby (the snowboard was of great quality, the shoes not so much). When we checked out, the hotel arranged a van to take us to the bus terminal as well. Overall, one of the best hotels I've ever stayed at in Japan. 👌🏻

The hotel is good for skiing in and out, To walk in and out needs some stamina as it’s located on higher ground, but there is a free shuttle service till 5:30pm. The onsen is the best as it has both indoor and outdoor onsen. It’s so good to have the onsen in the snow.

I love Bernese Mountain, and I’m lucky enough to stay here and play with Haruda San (I hope I spell her name correctly). The breakfast and dinners are sumptuous and of good portion. Staffs are attentive and swift to provide shuttle bus services. All rooms with no shower facilities, meaning you have to go to public bath area to take shower. For rooms located at west annex, it’s a bit of walk and you need to pass through a short outdoor alleyway. I would recommend to try onsen at No. 1 and 2 site as they are close to public bath area. If you try onsen at other sites, which is at west annex, you need to go to another side of the hotel to take shower before and after the onsen as they don’t provide shower facility during winter.

Excellent location short walk from Yamagata station. A better location might be located on the east side of Yamagata station as there are more food and beverage and convenience stores available. Dated property but cozy and functional. A man made onsen within the property doesn’t hurt. We also had a rental car and overnight parking was ¥600. Complimentary breakfast however you must account for time and occupancy, we did not have time to enjoy it due to the lines. Service was top notch. Hotel was helpful with directions and translation. A senior lady went the extra mile to assist with contacting next hotel and even considered train timings as well as advising us to stay in Yamagata and not go early as there was nothing available in the next onsen town.

Not as clean as I've come to expect of japanese properties. For some reason, the cleaning lady/man left some black rubber debris on the floor which looked sus and I ended up cleaning after them 😑 The onsen is small and old, but tolerable due to its sufficient heat. Breakfast is good but it ends up taking up precise (and critical) time because breakfast starts at 730, and by the time I got to the ropeway station (at 810) the queue is already super long and I waited three hours before boarding the cable car. Only one staff (mixed race?) speaks English and he doesn't look particularly friendly like other Japanese staff, but I suppose he's helpful enough to Western standards.

It’s quite a big hotel, 3 buildings are connected and there are many rooms. The rooms are a bit outdated but still maintained well. Service was good and flexible. Transportation to the village is quite necessary when the roads are covered by snow, especially with luggage. They have free shuttle bus which is great. Best parts: 1. Dinner semi-buffet has unlimited alcoholic beverages including local sake, draft beer and wines. 2. Ski & board rental shop is right outside of the hotel. Although hotel only accept cash for the lift ticket, you can rent the gear (rental shop accepts credit card) and ski down the hill (20sec) to the cable ticket counter to buy ticket, pay by credit card. The location has lifts 5,6 and cable 4

Nice and friendly staff, within 10 minutes walk from Yamagata Station. The natural public hot bath is small but nice and serves the purpose of relaxation. Limited choice of food served in breakfast but the food is nice. Free alcohol drinks during 6-9 pm. We selected a room with a loft bed, and if you use it you need to put the bed sheet yourself.