I’m In just mere 2 months, I’m going to Niseko in Hokkaido, Japan, which is well known as the best place to ski in Japan. Niseko has been voted to have the best overall terrain and best powder for skiing in Japan. Since I picked up skiing when I was living in China for 2 years 7-8 years ago, my skiing skills have been rusty and early this year when I went back skiing in Beijing, I had a bad fall and hurt my knee quite badly. Still, I want to improve my skills and Big Teddy is also an avid skier, so we decided to plan a skiing holiday to Japan during 1st week of February 2016 when the golden opportunity came as soon as AirAsia announced that they are flying to directly to Sapporo from Kuala Lumpur from 1st October 2015 onwards (the only direct flight to Sapporo from KL). We quickly booked the business class tickets for 2 during the promotion period (about RM2k per person) as we prefer direct flight (it’s 9 hours flight time to Sapporo) and the flatbed comfort (I want to sleep during the night flight).
Now that the flight has been taken care off, my next mission is to find the best place to stay in Niseko when we get there…
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| The amazing ski slopes in Niseko (Picture Courtesy of http://nisekoskiholidays.com.au/travel.html) |
As I was researching about accommodations in Niseko, I couldn’t help but getting drawn to the emails that The Luxe Nomad keep sending about Niseko. As Asia-Pacific’s leading luxury villa and hotel booking portal, The Luxe Nomad has a very comprehensive list of villas and hotels in Niseko, so I started browsing my options. Some of the items on my wish list for my dream stay in Niseko will be a place close to the ski slopes, i.e. ski-in ski-out, onsen onsite (why come to Japan without getting the full onsen experience?), as well as proximity to restaurants and nightlife. Therefore, I’d compiled my Top 3 Dream Stays in Niseko per following:-
1) Ki Niseko at Upper Hirafu
This Place has been nominated for 2015 World’s Best New Ski Hotel and it is a work of art by the renowned Hokkaido architect – Koichi Ishiguro. Nestled at the foot of Grand Hirafu Resort, Ki Niseko is a boutique ski-in ski-out hotel that combines modern alpine charm with Japanese sophistication. This place is s stunning and it met all the items on my wishlist, with natural indoor and outdoor onsens, minutes walk to Hirafu Gondola and Holiday Pair lifts with 1st ever Ski Valet service in Niseko, complimentary shuttle services around Hirafu.
The 1 or 2 rooms apartments on each level will have stunning views of Mount Yotei or Resort Mountain. The rooms’ amenities include complimentary WiFi, satellite TV with English language channels, humidifiers and air conditioning and a state-of-the-art entertainment system. From the pictures below the rooms look modern with the alpine feel and I so love the chic designs. Sounds like a dream stay isn’t it? Price is from RM2.0k per night during the peak season in February 2016.
The Luxe Nomad’s link on this villa here: https://www.theluxenomad.com/niseko/upper-hirafu/villas/ki-niseko
2) The Vale Niseko at Upper Hirafu
This place has won a string of awards including World’s Best Ski Boutique Hotel 2014 and 2015, hence it is definitely one of the most exclusive ski-in ski-out retreats right in Hirafu with the 49 choices of 1, 2 or 3 bed luxury apartments. My favourite things about this place is the full-fledged thermal experience with a designer onsen, ski-in, ski-out location with just 5 metres away from the Family Ace Chair Lift.
The Vale Niseko is packaged with luxury amenities and personalised service to deliver the ultimate winter wonderland dream holiday. I read that guests could enjoy views of the slopes from the heated pool, soak away the day in the rich mineral waters of The Vale onsen and re-live a day of skiing over dinner at the Vale Bar & Grill before retiring to the comfort of their pillow-top feather beds. Also it’s only a minute walk to Upper Hirafu Village where the hustle and bustle is located with plenty of restaurants and nightlife. Sounds like another dream stay isn’t it? Price is from RM2.3k per night during the peak season in February 2016.
The Luxe Nomad’s link on this villa here: https://www.theluxenomad.com/niseko/upper-hirafu/villas/the-vale-niseko
3) Terrazze at Middle Hirafu
Nominated for Worlds Best Ski Chalet 2015, this amazing looking glass building is located in the Middle Hirafu with a location minutes away from lively bars and restaurants. It is however not a ski-in ski-out place but the family ace chair lifts are only 2 minutes away by shuttle. It has also a common ski lounge that is equipped with a fireplace, bootwarmers and boot drying facilities after a day out in the snow. I love the fact that the place is furnished with Cassina beds, Fabbian lamps, B&B sofas and gleaming marble Maxalto
coffee tables that accentuate the lavishness of this property. Sometimes all we need is just some nice furniture to curl up in the cold winter holiday by the fireplace and watch the snow falling outside the window…
coffee tables that accentuate the lavishness of this property. Sometimes all we need is just some nice furniture to curl up in the cold winter holiday by the fireplace and watch the snow falling outside the window…
Rooms wise they have guaranteed majestic views of Mount Yotei from the apartments, heated floorings throughout each unit, styled with imported Italian furnishings and well-equipped with hi-speed broadband WiFi. However, there’s a minimum stay requirement which is 5 nights and price is from RM20k for 5 nights during the peak season in February 2016 for a 2-rooms apartment (average out per room per night is similar to the other 2 places mentioned above). Probably a better choice if we are traveling with another couple.
The Luxe Nomad’s link on this villa here: https://www.theluxenomad.com/niseko/middle-hirafu/villas/terrazze
So, those are my Top 3 dream stays in Niseko and hopefully I will get to stay in 1 of them really soon~! It’s just 2 months away and I can’t wait to go skiing again~!
P.S. The Luxe Nomad also writes great travel guides (places to eat, things to know, best onsens and many more) at http://wanderluxe.theluxenomad.com/?s=niseko which I find extremely useful when planning my ski trip to Japan.
For more listings of other amazing villas in Niseko, please checkout the Luxe Nomad at https://www.theluxenomad.com/niseko/villas
For more listings of other amazing places to stay around the world, please checkout The Luxe Nomad at http://www.theluxenomad.com/.
*All villas’ pictures above are courtesy of The Luxe Nomad*
