Niseko

Kira Kira 2011

We stayed in Kira Kira this year and it is a fantastic location in the upper village. Has all the benefits of close proximity to the ski slopes and restaurants and is beautifully quiet and away for the noisy snow groomers in the early morning. We will definitely stay there again.
 

Niseko Holiday

Great snow, awesome resort, great food. Travelplan (Karen) you have done it again. Would highly recommend for excellent snow and great village. Some slopes are a little too flat but other than that wow what a place!

Shikaku Penthouse

I've had the pleasure of staying in this Penthouse twice now, and each year it blows me away.  These are very comfortable apartments and with great views of the ski slopes and mt Yotei. 

Being so close to the restaurants and only a short walk to the lifts is brilliant.

I highly recommend it.

Niseko - Powder Nirvana

Getting there was the hardest part - but when it's the middle of winter and the snowfalls are massive, what airport won't slow down? Fortunately, a call to the Travelplan team and accommodation and transfers were rearranged as smoothly as those icy tarmacs.

Hiring gear there was a great move. Expert advice from the local (Aussie) team in Niseko got our ski odyssey off on the right track - ''09 K2 Explorers lived up to the reviews. We could choose from 3 different ski areas with the all-terrain pass, but 9 days at this mountain resort was hardly enough to experience all its wonders.

Night skiing merges sweetly into night-life - Niseko village offers great food, western and Japanese, and all the apres-ski options you'd expect in an international resort - without the European price tag. And the Japanese have turned welcome into an art form.

But for us, fresh, deep powder that just keeps on coming day after day .... and first tracks all morning are why they call it the powder capital of the world.

Arigatoh Travelplan - Niseko, we''ll be back.   

Access to top class powder a day from down under.

If you want quick access to world class powder from "Down Under" then have a go at Niseko.

I've skied Colorado in the past where the epic plane flight across the Pacific followed by yet another lengthy flight from LA to Denver leaves you wondering what day it is. By the time you start skiing up around 10 000 to 11 000 feet above sea level, you feel as dead as a flat car battery in the middle of a foggy winter''s morning !!

Once you're at Niseko, you'll be doing all your skiing at 1000 to 4000 feet above sea level. This will make a huge difference when you start blazing those big feathery rooster tails amongst that endless powder. Yes, your breath won't be panting like Phar Lap after a Melbourne Cup!! Does lower elevations mean the powder won't be light and dry? Think again!! Will you find it hard to see the terrain when it's bucketing down snow from overcast skies? Ski near the trees, or even ski amongst them, they won't bite!!

Maybe I shouldn't be saying this because more Aussies will read this and go there!! Oh, and then there's the Japanese hospitaility and customer service; it welcomes you with the delicate trimmings of an Ikebana flower display and is delivered at the speed and efficiency of the Japanese Metro system.

Yeah, I'll be going back again!!

A Magical Holiday

Hi Natalie, A holiday I would recommend to anyone. 

The people and service were fantastic. The bus drivers were very pleasant. When we arrived at the Setsumon Apartments, we were welcomed and had any questions we had answered. The ski guide showed the boys the best skiing.

The Penthouse was amazing, very comfortable and had all the luxuries from home. The managers were very helpful and would come straight away if you needed anything. The views from our room were breath taking day or night. You could watch the snow storms drift in over the hills during the day, at night watching the night skiing lights light up the mountain. You could watch the grooming trucks going up and down the mountain before the lifts opened.

Every night after dinner, at one of the local restaurants, we would get into our spa while it was snowing – it was magical! The ski field and lifts were just across the road and the bus stop to Hanozono ski field picked up from our doorstep. The snow was like nothing that I had seen before – the best in the world and the nicest people I have met.

We will definitely be back!!

Visit to Niseko

My wife and I arrived early March 2010 and the place was nearly empty. We had no trouble with restaurants and did not book at all instead arriving and in nearly all cases getting immediate seating. This according to locals would appear to be quite different from peak months of Jan/Feb.

The snow was good and we did not have any lift lines or delays. The weather as at any resort was variable but not overly cold and enough powder to keep me happy. Our accommodation at the Setsumon in Hirafu was excellent and I beleive a better location than Niseko Village or Annupuri.

The general transport services around the village and to the neaby town of Kutchen were very reliable and cheap. We went by train to the seaside town of Otaru one day and can recommend this.

The Travel plan organisation and local staff were excellent as were the staff of the resort as a whole. I was particularly impressed with the friendly and polite nature of the Japanese locals who could be forgiven for being a bit jaded by raucus Aussies after along season.

Generally a top holiday at very reasonable prices.

Niseko Resort Japan

The Resort : Very easy access to lifts via shuttle buses. Virtually no lift lines.

Japanese provide great service.

When gates are open resort provides lots of steep and variety. Plenty of good food deals for a reasonable price if you are prepared to look and book.

Kisara Pension very good value for money budget priced accomodation. Can be a bit noisy inside sometimes - take your ipod.

Niseko 6 - 13 February 2010

February 2010 saw plenty of snow in Niseko both in the base and falling during the week''s holiday.  It probably was not as light as some of the US Resorts but it was deep and even after the grooming there was generally plenty of fresh snow.  The weather was typical for Niseko in February which meant little sun, plenty of cloud and steady snowfalls.  Consequently the upper mountain was closed for significant periods and Mt Youtei appeared for less than an hour one afternoon. 

Our party of six ranged in age from 24 to 70 including one who had never skied in Japan before.  All agreed the skiing was fantastic and we will have to do it again.  Breakfast was eaten in our apartment, lunch at the 1,000 Metre Hut on the Mountain and dinner in the variety of tourist and Australian friendly restaurants in the immediate vicinity of our accommodation. 

One afternoon we took a bus tour to Sapparo to see the Ice Sculptures which were fantastic and well worth the time and money. 

Overall we scored Niseko at 18 out of 10. 

Skiing in Niseko, Japan

We took our family of two teenage sons, 10 year old daughter and 78 year old mother (who still skis!) to Niseko in March. It was a good resort with a variety of terrains suitable for the skiers and boarders in our family. It has plenty of wide open runs between the different resorts as well as off piste skiing for the experienced skiers. There are a couple of lifts which do not have safety bars which was a bit disconcerting!

There was a large range of restaurants to choose from, many of which had great Japanese food and weren''t expensive.  

The onsen at the Vale where we stayed was great and the kids enjoyed the outdoor heated pool. The Vale is a very convenient ski in ski out location with well appointed apartments.

Travel plan arrangements on the ground in Niseko were very good and it was great having an English speaking Travel plan representative there to handle any queries.