Hotel berhampiran Istana Yamagata, Yamagata

A wonderful place to stay in. The service was fantastic. The room was huge, much too large for just a solo traveler like me but it would have been perfect if I had brought my wife and child along. The onsen quality was great, albeit the fittings at the shower area were a bit old. The food was hands down amazing and featured great local produce. Honestly there was too much for one person to finish! What I especially liked was that they had a separate room on the first floor where if it was too early for you to check in, you could drop your luggage off, change, and then grab your gear and head to the slopes. Same thing if you intend to charge the slopes a bit more on your last day, just leave your stuff in the storage room, hit the slopes, come back and change out, hit the onsen for the last time, then go off. Definitely recommending this place to my friends visiting Zao.

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.

Really great hotel in Zao onsen. The location is easy to find and free parking for guest. The room is big and clean. I love the window in our room see the snow falling and small pond as well. We didn’t booking the dinner & breakfast so I don’t know the food taste. However, onsen is really great!! I love outdoor onsen that you can see the view of Zao mountain while bathing and snow falling to your head!! but just scare of bear. So nice to stayed here!

The trip was planned few weeks ahead, accommodation options in Zao Onsen are scarce. If there were other options, I probably would not go with this hotel again. - Before arrival, I called the hotel twice using trip.com but no one answered. - There was only one front desk staff handling check-in. I have waited for 20 minutes for check-in and the Indian family has it waited for 35 minutes. There was another staff coming out from the office and acknowledged the queue. However no action was taken despite the long wait by guest. - I inquired about shuttle bus service but the staff at the entrance said “No shuttle bus”. I saw shuttle bus having the hotel name around the Zao Onsen area. - On the first day of room cleaning, the cleaning lady has not replaced the used porcelain cup and Japanese cup. Also no replenishment on tea bags and toilet amenities. At this price point of over USD500 per night, I was quite surprised. - There are 2 onsen places, one outside the hotel and one on the 1F. The outdoor onsen inside the hotel was not opened and the reason is “snow accumulation”. Overall, the room is spacious and clean but the service did not meet the expectations.

What a gem of a place! The special thing about this place is that there are 5 private outdoor onsens as well as a gender-segregated public bath and one mixed gender outdoor bath (for this one, you need to wear a bathing suit). If you are shy of exposing yourself or like taking photos, then those 5 private outdoor onsens are just perfect. I went in the autumn, which is cooling already and I can imagine what a treat it will be in winter with all the snow. The hotel is located almost to the top of the hill. Either drive or call them ahead and they will pick you up and drop you off in the vicinity. My room is quaint and Japanese-styled. I didn't pay for the meal package as I knew I'd would be busy trying out all the onsens available. They are all open 24hrs. By the way, private onsen number 1 and 5 are the best and most picturesque!!! I'm doing all a favor and posting all the pictures of the private onsens.

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.

Ski in ski out hotel!! All good just we booked the room there is no shower room Inside 😂 but lastly the hotel staff 小邓 arrange a small hall that there is a shower room for us to use😍

Best experience I could get from this place was the owner being a great cook and exceptional with her conversations and mannerisms in sending and welcoming her customers. Location is wonderful too, as it is quiet yet not far from the main areas to eat and transit in Yamagata. Honestly 1 of a hidden gem. Only drawback would probably be the hot tub as she is handling it on her own and if there are multiple people living there that night, it can get a little dirty, so I'll keep to using the showers would do. Love the place so much!

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.