Hotels with Bars in Noboribetsu

We had a 3D2N stay in this sleepy town although many others had merely a day trip. The hotel staff have been properly trained and provided excellent service quality throughout our stay. The room was well upkept, and even we booked a smaller sized room, it is actually enough for 3-4 pax, with extra futon in the closet. The food variety at buffet breakfast and dinner was splendid, and guests were spoilt for choice. Unfortunately the dispenser for plain water was spoilt and we were unable to drink some plain water, amidst all the sweetened drinks and caffeine. We stayed at the West building which was located above the Great Bath (大浴场) which is rather convenient, but could be a little walking distance from the dining hall. The escalator leading from lobby to west building was damaged since 5th Oct and could be a slight challenge for those who need help with heavy luggage or walking, although there is a fire lift next to it, but with limited capacity. The restaurant on level 5 is a must-try at affordable prices, with service that make you feel like a king (or queen)! Must book early for dinner reservation to avoid disappointment. Our check out was a little dismal, as we had booked a taxi to bring us and our heavy luggage to JR station to make our way to Hakodate. The desk staff had overlooked our booking and we had to rebook our transport! As our train was scheduled to depart at 1058hrs, we nervously looked at our watches while waiting for our taxi to arrive. Alas, no taxis came even at 1025hrs, but a staff dressed in blazer, name 深田，volunteered to drive us personally to the station and we made it to the station in time! All in all, the hotel is highly recommended for people who wish to take it slow and relax, with onsen readily available and the walk to the nearby Hell’s Valley.

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!

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

Given the small remote location of the city, this is a really charming, modern guesthouse with good amenities. It’s very clean, has a small kitchen for guests, and a cafe with coffee and homemade soft serve (it’s great!) Five minute walk to the train station and bus to the Onsen. Good common seating area too and nice modern bathrooms. The dorms are also nice but beds and pillows are a bit too firm for me. But fine overall. The curtain for the beds is also a little cumbersome but it’s a nice big space to spread out. Can be snug with luggage but overall works. Staff is also very nice and speaks English well overall. Breakfast is free and quite good too. This hostel is a bit expensive for the area and Japan but with the breakfast included I think it’s a good deal overall. Would definitely stay again.