Winterfell Hakuba

We had a great stay at Winterfell. Everything was clean, the heater in our room was great, the kitchen was big, we had plenty of fridge space. The staff were so lovely, we all especially loved Eric, he was super helpful and even came snow boarding with us one day.

The only con is it’s kinda far from town, and the shuttle offered by Winterfell can be pricy depending on group size. The shuttle is about 3 - 4 k yen for a group up to 4. So pretty cheap if you have a larger group as we did but maybe not so if you have only 2 people.

Was very handy to be able to cook using their kitchen. The staff there, Kate and Eric, were very helpful and kind.

Okay first off, I want to say that Kate and the family that hosts Winterfell are very kind people and were helpful with recommendations of where to ski on the mountain. We were there over the weekend, and there were a couple of days where Kate's family and kids came up to stay in the lodge. At times, it felt like we were guests in a family home (more of an airbnb where you live with the hosts kind of vibe). I only say this because the kitchen and the living / dining room spaces are all shared between the guests and the host's family - so something to keep in mind. Easily the biggest pro of Winterfell is the kitchen - which is fully stocked and has everything you need to make a good meal. Just remember to go grocery shopping before you arrive to the property since it is further up the hill and there isn't any food that is really nearby within walking distance. Because of the location, we resorted to cooking most of our meals which turned out to be completely fine with the caliber of the kitchen. The property also has a great view over the Hakuba ski resort which we enjoyed.

I also mentioned it below, but at times it did feel like we were guests within one big family home. So you shouldn't expect upmost privacy or your own living space. You will be sharing it with the hosts and other guests. Perhaps the biggest downside of our stay was the quality of the bed mattresses. We are a group of 4 adult friends who went to Hakuba to back-country ski. Myself and another friend stayed in the bunk bed. The mattresses in the bunk bed are 3inch thick, and as adult males, we could feel the metal grate underneath the mattresses. (Maybe lighter children wouldn't have this issue?) This was quite uncomfortable and made it harder to sleep after being out on the mountain all day. Maybe it was just our mattresses that were thin, but if there is one improvement to make it would be upgrading the mattresses in the bunk beds to be more comfortable. Everything else was great and overall we had an enjoyable stay.

The owner provides a convenient shuttle service to the ski resort and the station. The staff are friendly, making me feel at home. We plan to return soon for our next ski trip.

All good.