Hoshino Resorts Bandaisan Onsen Hotel package - Aizu

AIZU
HOSHINO RESORTS NEKOMA MOUNTAIN &
EN RESORT GRANDECO
Fukushima

The Aizu region is located in Fukushima prefecture and the two major ski resorts in Aizu are Hoshino Resorts Nekoma Mountain Resort and Grandeco Ski Resort.

Hoshino Resorts Nekoma Mountain Resort
Hoshino Resorts Nekoma Mountain was previously named seperately as Alts Bandai and Nekoma Snow Park & Resort, but now the 2 resorts are connected and known as Hoshino Resorts Nekoma Mountain. It is now a massive ski resort extending over three mountain ranges: Mt. Bandai, Mt. Nekomagadake and Mt. Umaya looking over Lake Inawashiro.  This world-class ski resort which boasts 35 different ski runs to cater for all levels of skier and snowboarder. The Nekoma North & South are connected by one lift . Alts Bandai is on the south side of the mountain, so you're basking in the sun's rays as you head down the slopes. Nekoma is north facing and attracts ultra-light powder snow and runs through the picturesque beech forest.  No matter where you are on the slopes you'll be able to see beautiful lakes and mountains. 

The resort is located only 2.5 hours train ride north of Tokyo. We can advise and book all transfers for you. 

Hoshino Resorts Bandaisan Onsen Hotel is the closest hotel to the lifts and has a modern style with ski in & out convenience. They offer inclusive packages including stay breakfast, dinner and lift passes. 

Grandeco Ski Resort
En resort Grandeco is located in the Fukushima region (North East of Japan), approximately 260 km north of Tokyo. Snow conditions are excellent and skiing and snowboarding are possible until first of May. It has one gondola lift and four quad lifts all equipped with hoods which will take you up from 1,010 meters (3,314ft) to 1,590 meters (5,216ft). From Tokyo it is 1 hour & 20 minutes by shinkansen to Koriyama Station then 1 hr & 40 mintes by bus to En Resort Grandeco. 

En Resort Grandeco is a ski in ski out hotel located at Grandeco Ski Resort  with an indoor and outdoor Onsen & indoor swimming pool.

Late January 2024

The hotel has a nice design and feel and you could see they keep an eye on the details to make your visit special. Eg Japanese entertainmennt at night with free drink, free coffee machine, free self service waxing, extensive buffet dinner. One thing I realy liked was the storage and changing area design. It wasn't just a row of lockers. It was an open plan with with plenty of space, great view and cool board/ski racks. Seperate drying room if you needed it, free coffee machine. it just worked so well. Maybe they could add a few more benches to sit  down and put some self waxing counters in as well and it would be perfect.

The staff were very nice and remembered us from check in to check out.

The dinnner buffet was excellent with a lot of choice. The breakfast was a little too asian focused for us, but there were enough option to fill us up.

There seemd to be alot of asian visitors that may have just been there for the experience. 
Snow wise we were lucky to get some good snowfall and had some excellent powder days. They didn't groom they runs as much as other resorts which was great. Unfortunately the lift over to the north side was closed on both powder days, but not sure why.

Overall I felt this was a very nice sized user friendly resort and I would definately go back!

Pete

January 2023

In short, the hotel is very nice. The facilities were very nice. The food was excellent, although non buffet options are needed.

The ski equipment rental standard was very low, especially for Japan. My 16 y/o is an advanced skier. Only beginner gear was offered and it was very old and worn out. There were top quality skis available to rent in another shop within the resort, however they didn’t offer ski boots. We had to taxi 30 mins away to get good boots. 

We had two 11 year olds in the group who had never skied. It was very difficult to book lessons for them at the next door Alts Bandai resort. We were eventually able to book some group lessons but they were grouped with much younger children so were frustrated a lot. The lessons were also in Japanese, which wasn’t actually an issue. At the snow expo last May, the expectation regarding the rental and lessons was set to be very different. These aspects were the only downers for the stay, albeit they caused much angst, and wasted time and money.

To contrast, on this trip we also stayed at Naeba Prince Hotel. The rental equipment looked brand new, and there were ample lessons available, both private and for groups. 

We made our decision to not bring our own ski equipment based on prior experience in Japan as well as the advice we got at the Aizu stand at the Snow Expo. Naeba lived up to expectation, whereas Aizu failed on the rental and lesson front.

Would I stay at Aizu again? Definitely. The ski runs are great, and the hotel is too. We would just not rely on the rentals there and would try to book lessons in advance.

Early Feb 2019

Thank you Hisae for organising this enjoyable week. We spent 5 nights at Alts Bandai in early February. Our package was for a western twin room that included breakfast, dinner and lifts. Access was easy from Tokyo to Koriyama and we caught a resort bus from Koriyama Station. First impressions were good with a lovely foyer, lounge area and smooth check in. Staff were friendly and helpful. 

The hotel is modern, clean and well maintained.  Breakfast and dinner were both buffet style and there was a good variety of delicious food. We especially enjoyed the local delicacies highlighted daily. A dinner reservation time slot is required to ensure you don't have to wait too long for a free table. 

The resort is relatively new with modern facilities and there are plenty of lunch options at the base as well as equipment rental. 

Unfortunately, we didn't get any fresh snow during our trip and the conditions were at times quite icy. Despite this we made good use of the sunny weather to look around, and made good use of the hotel's onsen and pool. Definitely worth a return visit though especially after fresh snow.

Janne

Western room (1-3 guests) from￥89,000 per person twin share
5 nights stay at Hoshino Resorts Bandaisan Onsen Hotel
Daily breakfast
Daily dinner
5 day lift pass

Family room (4 guests) packages also available