Hotel Villa Hakuba by HHG

Pros +

• This place was fantastic, right on the slopes of Saks lifts at happo one. The staff are friendly and helped to arrange transfers and restaurants etc. rooms were clean and modern. Tv facilities were great.
• - The location is fantastic for skiing. Literally a 1 minute walk to the Sakka lifts/ticket office. Theres a few bars and restaurants nearby in Wadano but it is about a 30 min walk to a larger selection of bars/restaurants in Hakuba. If youre planning on going to any of the nearby bars (including the attached Rabbit Hole) to eat, or even just for a drink, anytime after 6pm then you need to book a table. - The reception staff (mostly Aus/UK/USA) are very helpful, friendly and reactive to customer requests. They can organise a shuttle bus to get you to nearby locations and make HHG restaurant reservations for you. They we are able to provide advice on local excursions, etc. - The Rabbit Hole bar/restaurant takes up pretty much most of the second floor of the hotel so is super convenient with a great atmosphere. The food is good, staff are great and theres generally live music performed most nights. But there is a down side to this convenienceread on! - The beds are big, comfortable and warm.

Cons -

• The pillows could have been more comfy.
• - This is not a 4-star hotel as advertised. Maybe the adjacent cabins are 4-star (the online pictures of them look nice!) but we stayed in a double room in the main hotel which is more like a 2.5-star lodge/hostel; the rooms are tired and in need of updating, and there are minimal facilities. - As mentioned, the Rabbit Hole takes up most of the 2nd floor of the main building, and our room (Rm 303) was on the 3rd floor directly above the kitchen. Whilst there was no issue with noise, the kitchens ventilation system is non-existent so whenever the kitchen is open (pretty much all day) then the kitchen smoke/smells just emanate up into the rooms above. We reported this to the staff on our second day, but as there were no other rooms available, the best they could do was provide us with an air purifier. The fact that the air purifier was immediately offered when we reported the smell suggested that this was a known problem and the air purifier was the go-to solution to pacify complaints from guests. The air purifier didnt help so our otherwise enjoyable stay was marred by the fact that our room, and everything in it, smelled like a commercial deep fat fryer for the entirety of our stay. - If youre in Rm 303 and youre over 6 feet tall, be sure to duck every time you enter/exit the room otherwise the unnecessarily low door frame will get you.and it hurts!