โThe staff was friendly.
Upon arrival the guest gets a yukata and a key to 9 public thermal springs around the town, where he may bath freely. Note that they are extremely hot. The staff also offers a free ride to the Snow Monkey Park or Yudanaka Station in the morning.โ
โJoetsu is such a beautiful city very rarely visited by foreigners. Go take a walk around the Takada Castle grounds and see all the variety of Giant Lotus flowers. See the amazing art at the museums. Also learn about Samurai history with Kenshin Uesugi!โ
โOnly the couple managing the property, doing all rooms and check in and dining. So be patient. Even they might not know much English they still provide great service and try to accommodate your needs.
Nice restaurants and convenient store around though most close early. Walking distance to the Akakura Obsen Ski area.โ
โThe Lotte Arai is the best hotel for skiing and onsen. Super soft endless powder snow on the gorgeous mountain hills and the slopes were adventurous and super exciting. The expert++ slopes can be another surplus if you are expert level. The onsen is luxury level. Sitting in the hotel water with snow falling on your head, especially at Lotte's well groomed onsen is unforgettable.
The food at the hotel is not luxury level and limited as the location is all on its own with the city being 20-30 mins...
โWe had a great stay at the Elan Hotel. Chris made the stay much easier by driving us around a bunch. The other staff is just as helpful as Chris. We highly recommended staying here! Thank you for the great time!โ
โGorgeous property. Communication could be better pre-arrivalโฆ slow to respond. But post-arrival, the reception and service was impeccable. A special place for sure!โ
"The Lotte Arai is the best hotel for skiing and onsen. Super soft endless powder snow on the gorgeous mountain hills and the slopes were adventurous and super exciting. The expert++ slopes can be another surplus if you are expert level. The onsen is luxury level. Sitting in the hotel water with snow falling on your head, especially at Lotte's well groomed onsen is unforgettable.
The food at the hotel is not luxury level and limited as the location is all on its own with the city being 20-30 mins drive away from the site. One snowy evening when the Japanese, steak house, and Thai restaurant was full we drove out in the heavy snow to a slightly city area and found a local restaurant reccomending their stove rice pot, it became my top 3 best restaurant in Japan. I would reccomend driving out for food there was also a great Yakiniku not far away too."
