Walking distance to Grand Hirafu ski resort. Taxi is so difficult to arrange. The Go App keep resetting and kept saying no available driver. I love the staff (Kieran) arranging the early transport. The staff (Lisa) willingly dropped us even if it’s so cold & early to Kutchan station. She even helped us get the tickets from the machine. Our room has its own shower & toilet even though very tiny. Washing machine & dryer on the floor. Good enough breakfast such as boiled egg, cereal, yogurt, toast, fruit pieces, tea, coffee. You can get to Annapurri ski resort with the Niseko united bus. Then from there Niseko Grand Hotel has free shuttle to their mixed Onsen. The blue Hanazono shuttle is free if you want to ski there or can do snowmobile, snow rafting etc.

No lift so I have to dragged our suitcase up to 4th floor :(

The location of the hostel was great, and the fact that they have their own ski rental was a huge plus. I really enjoyed my stay and the staff was super friendly during my whole visit. 😊

The rooms are quite small for 7 ppl (which was the number of ppl in my room) considering that everyone has their winter gear with them, which takes up more space. It's just something to take into consideration. And since it's a small room with the gear, it can get a bit stuffy. The bathrooms do need a bit of renovation, and I hope it will be addressed at some point. The drying room for the gears could use some improvement as well, but other than that, I have no complaints.

You would be hard pressed to find a better location for this price. Keep in mind, it is at the base of the "Powder Capital of the world." And if you're smart about it, you'll only have to walk about 190m (3min) the Sansui Niseko parking lot to access the slopes, ski down to the Ace Family Quad Lift, and you're mountain adventure has begun! Most of the high-end resorts have a longer walk to the lifts! The staff was amazing. Very helpful. No problem accepting and holding our luggage and snowboards, which we sent in advance via Black Cat. Plus, they're all ski-bums, so they might know a thing or two about the mountain. Think about it. They probably hit the slopes way more than you, like every day for months. Access to the food trucks behind the Owashi lodge made it real easy to find great food. The free breakfast was simple but effective. Carbs and protein. Perfect for a pre-Pow meal.

This isn't a hotel. It's a hostel. Shared restrooms, shared shower rooms with individual stalls, and shared lavatory. BUT, if it was a hotel, it would be ridiculously priced, like all the other hotels, so I'm good with sharing. It's what true skiers and snowboarders do anyway, share the mountain. So for access to the mountain, this isn't a big deal to those who are feeling the culture. And as far as hostels go, there's no complaints from me. Great place to meet new people and make friends, too.

The lodge was clean and well run. Staff were excellent.

The location is perfect. Several times I got off the mountain, popped in to change goggles or eat a meal and it was super convenient being so close to the lift.

For a primarily winter accommodation, there really is no where to hang out if the weather is bad or you need a break. Other snowboarding focused hostels I’ve stayed at tend to have a comfy common room to hang out in when you’re not on the slope. Which is nice since it’s cold out and you can’t hang outside.

Location was amazing and really good value for money especially if you hire ski gear through owashi (not the absolute best gear but costs half as much as from anywhere else). Breakfast was also really decent.

There isn’t really any common space. No one really goes in the downstairs common room because it stank of fuel from the drying/boot room heater.

The staff was so friendly and accommodating. So much fun hanging out with them around the lodge. This was my family’s first time to Hokkaido and the location of the lodge was PERFECT! Great location and walking distance to our ski rental shop, the lifts, restaurants & shopping!

Nothing really bothered us about the lodge! We know to book a family room or private room now so we can keep our family together.

Great overall atmosphere of friendliness - made so by the fantastic staff. The girl from Maroubra (Sydney) on the front desk on arrival was so helpful, and the big man with the really long hair was great in offering extra blankets. Thanks

The darn heaters in the bedrooms are in Japanese - really would benefit by printing off a ‘how to use’ card in English and putting it beside the heater.

The staff are among the best I’ve ever met at any place I’ve stayed at in Niseko. They would all go out of their way and do their best to accommodate you and make you feel welcome. My snowboard bag arrived much later than expected (through no fault of the lodge, it was purely Yamato Transport’s), but the staff did everything they can to get it delivered to me asap. They look after their guests as if it’s a 5-star hotel, and I truly appreciate that. The place isn’t fancy but it has everything you need. Would definitely book again.

Just a minor thing, but the tap in the bathroom on the 1st floor doesn’t have hot water (I didn’t try using the ones on the other floors 😅).

The staff were friendly and helpful. Eli was amazing he organised my board bag being shipped straight to Haneda airport and organised my bus to Sapporo, all last minute! Can't beat the close proximity to lifts!

The dorm style rooms are a bit cramped, with the seventh bed being jammed in there, 6 beds, and a locker each would make more sense! I will return but will get a private room next time for more sleep and security for my possessions.