Chalet Madarao

The location was great! Closest place to the hill. Beautiful views and GREAT hosts. Really made you feel like family. 10/10 would highly recommend.

The staff are amazing! They were so helpful both with our bags and getting our children situated. We went earlier in the season so the ski in ski out option was not obtainable for our new skiers but it was enjoyable for my husband. We drove up the hill to the hotel at the top, you can see this from the chalet entrance and purchased our tickets up there. You can pay 1000 yen to park in the lot right next to the lodge. The town is so cute! No ATM but restaurants seemed to take card. Breakfast at the chalet was one of our favorites in Japan! The coffee was delicious! The lodge was cozy, with a sofa and some games to occupy your time with. I would definitely recommend staying here

The beds are stiff. But in Japan this is typical. Also parking was a bit tricky. We have a two wheel drive vehicle, luckily we had chains and the staff was helpful upon our arrival, I would recommend chains if you plan to drive and your vehicle is not equipped to this.

Good ski out location Pick up and drop off from Madarao Kogen Hotel Pleasant and friendly Australian owners/staff

It is with great disappointment that I write this negative review and I take no pleasure from this. It is under renovation and not ready for customers but they are charging customers as if it is a full service hotel (comparable to Madarao Kogen Hotel) The beds, bedding, floors and walls are old (remnants of the previous failed business they took over). They did install new bathrooms and air conditioning however. Dry room for ski gear not heated and untidy. Mostly owners own gear. Walls very thin (I can hear the neighbour clearing his throat) There is alot of equipment and boxes strewn around in a messy fashion. The rooms have a lack of basic amenities: hair dryer, kettle, soap, tv, fridge, hangars etc (we changed rooms, some had more stuff than others. Essential’s its random) In general this felt more like a homestay than a hotel but the price is not reflective of this.

It is very easy to ski down to the chair lifts straight from the hotel in the morning (at the end of the day you can’t ski all the way back from the top of #1 chair due to some small roads, but it is a fairly short walk). The staff were able to sell us lift passes. The owners and staff are relaxed and hospitable Australians who will do their best to make you comfortable. The breakfast and coffee was excellent. The restaurant food and views are very good. The door frames are high enough and the beds are long enough for tall people. The room had comfortable beds and a new (small Japanese size) ensuite bathroom.

The owners are renovating and updating the lodge. At the time we stayed (Jan 2023) there was a bit of mould in our room and near the drying room. If you are sensitive to mould this may bother you. The drying room was adequate but not that warm. The outside of the lodge is yet to be renovated and looks in need of TLC but that won’t affect your comfort indoors.