Hotel berhampiran Yamaji Park, Noboribetsu

Bed 1/5 The mattress is so hard...so hard that my back was in pain the next day. Curtains 1/5 The curtains were so thin that it got light really early (with sunrise basically) that it woke me and my husband Shower 3/5 Water pressure is good but temperature fluctuates The room was clean enough and stuff but if you have are a light sleeper then don’t go here

Front desk attendant was very friendly and polite - please be aware that you may have to knock on the glass front door if you do not yet have your access PIN as it is often locked. Small lockers for luggage (backpack size) are available free of charge - you will either require a small padlock or purchase one for just 100yen in the machine next to the lockers. In accordance with its price, the room furnishings are of simple wooden construction but very spacious inside and have a nice natural scent of pine as you sleep 😌. Plenty of shared access amenities such as guest fridge, freezer, microwave, etc. Location is ideal as it is next to JR noboribetsu station, from which you can pay roughly ¥650 for a round trip (12 minutes each way) bus ticket to Hell valley (jigokudani). Incredible alternative to a stay in the large hotels up there for travellers on a budget, particularly as most hotels will sell access to their onsens to non-guests for around ¥2,000!

【アクセス】 新千歳空港から登別温泉行きの高速バスで登別温泉手前の「つつじ橋」下車。 徒歩３分程度。 本数は少ない（現在１本のみ）が、便利なアクセス。 【チェックイン】 宿の外でお迎えがあり、こちらから名乗らなくてもちゃんと宿泊客を確認されていた （到着予定時間から？）のは好印象。 チェックインも丁寧で、部屋までの案内もあっておもてなし感が良い。 【部屋】和室６畳（禁煙） 思ったほど狭さを感じない部屋。 トイレと冷蔵庫などが入り口にあり、大きな窓からは山並みが少し見えて、 閉塞感もない。 冷蔵庫の飲み物がフリー（持ち帰りはダメとのこと）で、ビールまであったのは好印象。 今回は夕朝食付きにしたが、夕食はアラカルトや定食も用意されており、それでも良かったかも。 部屋食なのもまだまだコロナが気になる自分には、好印象。 １７時までは、フロント前でサワーをいただけるようになっていてそれも良かった。 【大浴場】 ２ヶ所あり、１日目と２日目で男女入れ替えで両方楽しめる。 どちらも大差はないが、源泉掛け流しで小さいながらも 毎回ほぼ貸切状態で楽しめたので良かった。 【夕・朝食】 チェックイン時に、時間指定をお願いして、部屋食。 今回は僅かな追加料金で夕食は白老牛の牛三昧会席プラン。 牛の握り寿司、陶板焼き、すき焼きとどれも美味しくいただけた。 食前酒とワンドリンクサービスもあって、余市林檎酒をいただいたが、 とてもおいしかった。 そのほか、刺身など一品料理も、量的にも満足行くものだった。 最後のデザートも、女子受けしそうな可愛らしいデザイン。 朝食も、ご飯が非常に美味しく、焼き魚、湯豆腐と満足行くものだった。 【最後の最後に・・・】 バスの時間が１０：３０過ぎ、ホテルのチェックアウトが１１時までだったので、 １０時１５分くらいに出ようか、あと３０分くらい・・・ と部屋でくつろいでいると、 なんだか振動が・・・なぜかなーと思っていた数分後、 なんと部屋の窓のすぐ外（５０cmくらい）に数人の作業員の方が立っていて、 話しているではないですか。 向こうから丸見え。 そんな話は事前に一切聞いておらず、すぐにフロントに電話したところ、 作業は中断されたようだったが、 せっかくいい宿に泊まれたと思っていたのが、これで一気に幻滅。 すぐに支度をして、チェックアウト。 最後に女性スタッフ（女将かも知らないが、挨拶も名札もないのでわからず）が、 「すいません、我々も知らない間に始まっていて・・・」などと言い訳されたが、 そもそも基本的な宿泊客のプライバシー配慮ができないのはあり得ない、 宿が自分の建物の作業開始を知らないなどあり得ない、 あわよくばなかなか出て行かない（とはいえまだチェックアウト時間前）客を 追い出そうとされたのかとも思わせるくらい非常に不快。 手土産を渡そうとされたが、そんな話ではない、そもそも荷物を増やしたくないので、 丁重にお断りしつつ、料金もしっかりと請求通り支払って、 こんな対応をする宿に再訪はないと考えながら見送りなどもなく宿を後に。 その後のフォローなど特になく、 下手したらただの文句言いの客、程度のこととしか認識していないことが最悪。 【総評】 最後のひどい対応がなければ評価４.５くらいの是非再訪したい宿だったが、 これまで数え切れないくらいのあちこち宿泊した宿の中でも、初めてのあり得ない対応。 非常に残念。

Noboribetsu, Hokkaido Prefecture. Filled with the mists of the North Pacific Ocean deep in the forrest valley lies the home of the thermal volcanic “hell valley”, all-natural hot springs, lakes, and the cuddly Bear Mountain Park. This is a tourist’s escape from whatever burdens them in the city, into the natural wonderland of mountains, hot spring streams, and warm local hospitality. The Noboribetsu Grand Hotel was opened in 1938. What was the Noboribetsu Guest House now revolutionized and expanded into a 300 plus room hotel with a finished off with a hot spring spa. Now a popular holiday getaway for the tourists both from Japan and abroad, this hotel packs itself to the brim both during the hot summers and the freezing winters. As part of our adventures down and around Hokkaido, we experienced this hotel and here’s our honest review of the Noboribetsu Grand Hotel: Our stay occurred from July 22nd to 23rd, this was our first night in Hokkaido after a long flight from Shanghai. A long hour drive from the highly trafficked New Chitose Airport would lead you to the Grand Hotel. Upon driving up, you would see how old the hotel is with its grey tiled walls and white drive up area. Greeting us at the hotel were the bellmen bowing as they would in the Japanese-style etiquette as you enter the lobby filled with one of Noboribetsu’s gift shop, monster figures, and marbled front desk area. None of the staff members spoke much English, so our lovely tour guide helped us in translation. Our check-in agent guided us through the specific details of the hotel facilities, breakfast facilities, and tatami installation times. We were given a 4-person Japanese-style “VIP” room, which consists of an at most 30 SQM space with a tatami floored living/bedroom space combination, a sitting room, a toilet room, a sink area, and a compact bathroom with separate shower & bathtub facilities. During the daytimes, living room acts a place for dining and seating with tatami chairs and a table. The TV stands at a corner. At around 7PM, the room attendants would turnover the tatami beds by moving the tables and chairs into the closet space and setting up the tatami beds. The tatami beds were rather inconvenient for us because of the size of the pillows that made of the tatami rather hard to sleep on. Don’t get us wrong, tatami beds are an efficient sleeping beds for families, but a single small sized pillow per bed makes the difference between authentic Japanese comfort and discomfort. Much of the challenge during the sleeping process was making sure your body stayed on the mattress when getting used to the firm yet small bean-filled pillow. I would recommend rooms that they provide that caters to a more westernized style with full beds. The tatami issue is a situation the hotel needs to revamp on. If they can start providing extra pillows in the closet or thicker sized pillows, it would be a great turnaround. The Japanese Hot Spring SPA concept is quite bizarre. Unlike mos

夕食ブュッフェのアジア料理、ステーキなどどれも味付けがよく美味しかったです　お寿司も握り方がとても上手で箸がすすみました 朝食も漁師茶漬けやフレンチトーなどもありバラエティにとんでいました 風呂は種類は少なかったですが、泉質は良くサウナとあわせて入り肩の疲れがとれました 朝の風呂上がりのしそジュースも美味しかったです 料理など子どもむけのサービスも充実しているようでした 従業員の方達もおおむね親切でよかったです ただ、帰る際は最後の挨拶はもうすこししっかりしていただけるとさらに好印象になるのですこし惜しいかもと思いました　全体的にはよいホテルで楽しく過ごさせていただきました コスパがよいので登別の温泉めぐりの拠点に良さそうです

This is the one of the best hotels we stay in. Everything is very good. All staffs of this hotel lobby front dest are very professional. Specifically, Maaya is very nice. Her bilingual technical provide a lot of help for us and most of foreigners.

Traditional Japanese ryokan. Charming in an old style. Food is great, from the aspects of ingredients selections to presentations. The location is good too, closed to shopping street, next to the hell valley.. so near that we smell sulphur all the time. We had 2 traditional kaiseki dinners which were adventurous and amazing. However, we were put off by shark fin soup in one of the appetizer dishes. It is sad. Onsen water was genuine from my opinion. It made my skin and hair so soft and straightaway! Magic! However, the public onsen room was quite old and looked slightly unclean. This could be improved I think. The room was tiny. The shower/bathroom was also tiny. According to the size, I think our stay is overpriced.

Everything was lovely. The grand bath was an eye opener and I love it. The breakfast spread was good too! We had ramen at one of the restaurants in the hotel at around 830pm after watching the demon show. We stayed there for 2 nights and did not utilise the grand bath on the 2nd night. I was charged the osen for 2 nights. My friend was not charged for the 2 nights as he did not utilize the onsen. The staff should have asked me before requesting payment of the 2 nights. - Carrine

Good experience, especially liking the onsen and buffet breakfast and dinner that comes with the room rates. We also get Yukatas throughout the stay. Parking is free and in front of the hotel. Our Ryokan room was also roomy, with 2 beds and enough room for another 4 futons easily.

This is a belated post. I stayed 1 night in this hotel in May 2018 and it was unforgettable. Each room is as big as an apartment, complete with lounge and private onsen in the bathroom. But I must warn that the bathroom windows have no shades and it looks out to the car park and forest (depending on which side of the hotel your room is). Overall, the rooms are big, beds are comfortable and bathrooms are luxurious. The breakfast is also delicious!