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4.5
#7 of 43 hotels in Yamanouchi-machi
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Everyone needs a place to lay their weary head. For travellers visiting Yamanouchi-machi, Hotel Alpenburg is an excellent choice for rest and rejuvenation. Well-known for its family-friendly environment and proximity to great restaurants and attractions, Hotel Alpenburg makes it easy to enjoy the best of Yamanouchi-machi.
You’ll enjoy relaxing rooms that offer air conditioning, and you can stay connected during your stay as Hotel Alpenburg offers guests free internet access.
Plus, Hotel Alpenburg offers a pool and an on-site restaurant, providing a pleasant respite from your busy day. For guests with a vehicle, free parking is available.
Shiga Kusatsu Kogen Route (2.1 mi), located nearby, makes Hotel Alpenburg a great place to stay for those interested in visiting this popular Yamanouchi-machi landmark.
If you’re looking for a Chinese restaurant, consider a visit to Shishi, which is not far from Hotel Alpenburg.
There is no shortage of things to do in the area: explore popular monuments and statues such as Sekai Heiwa Kannon.
Whether you’re travelling for business, pleasure or both, Hotel Alpenburg is sure to make your visit to Yamanouchi-machi one worth remembering.
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This is an authentic Japanese-run but Austrian style hotel. Rooms are spacious western-style, kept impeccably clean and tidy. Meals are American-plan with menus alternating daily between western and Japanese cuisine, quite comparable to any of the best restaurants we experienced in Hakuba.Plenty of food and all delicious including a good choice at buffet breakfast. Location of the hotel is at the bottom of a gondola at the centre of Shiga Kogen which is slightly inconvenient to locate on first visit but very convenient for ski in / ski out each day to explore this vast resort. Staff are efficient and friendly especially family owners.
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Date of stay: March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We had a lovely time in Hotel Alpenburg for a long weekend skiing in Shiga Kogen. The staff were kind, helpful and the dinners were fantastic. The private onsen was a great facility after a days skiing. The hotel is located at the bottom of the Shiga Kogen Yamanoeki gondola (so time your arrival with the opening hours of the gondola or the staff kindly drove us to the bus stop on our return journey). Would stay again!
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Date of stay: February 2024
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stayed here for 7 nights / 6 days skiing. Pretty outdated decor etc, but everything was functional. I gave the place 5 stars due to 1. ski-on/off access 2. Amazing dinners and great breakfasts 3. onsen (indoor and outdoor) after skiing. We also used the in-house store to hire skis and stocks (brought our own boots). Not a great selection but ok, and reasonably priced. If you love your coffee don’t rely on the kitchen’s Americano, pack your own coffee bags.
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Date of stay: March 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We stayed nine days and found it a complete holiday.The staff are outstanding nothing is too much trouble . We are foodies and were very impressed with the high standard ..Interesting,fresh and different every night ;delicious.Loved the onsen after a day of skiing .Sure ,the decor isn’t flashy but perfectly adequate.A renovation would raise the reasonable cost and spoil the home away from home feel .
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Date of stay: February 2020Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We’re currently booked for our 5th stay at Hotel Alpenburg. In 6 trips to Japan skiing, we’ve enjoyed skiing at 6 resorts (Shiga Kogen, Nozawa Onsen, Myoko Kogen. Hakuba, Niseko and Furano). For our 7th trip to Japan, we’re only staying at Shiga Kogen / Hotel Alpenburg, for a week, on the way back to Australia.
I’ve previously posted two reviews of this hotel, so check these for the details regarding rooms etc. that you need, it’s still good. There are however, a couple of other things worth knowing about. One of the common features of reviews of Hotel Alpenburg is comment about the consistently high quality of the dinners. It is therefore pertinent to know that the same two cooks are retained from year to year, with one responsible for the Japanese courses and the other the alternating Western courses. The food really is just terrific.
This is a genuinely nice hotel. It is not one that seeks to manipulate Tripadvisor reviews and does not necessarily encourage guests to post gratuitous review, as some other hotels are inclined to do. The only reason I’ve posted this review is because other potential guests really deserve to know that this is a very good hotel, that is well worth considering.
In Tripadvisor, you’ll notice that this hotel is grouped, hotels in “Yamanouchi-Machi”, so it is worth knowing that this is actually quite a large area, that extends beyond the Shiga Kogen ski area. In particular, Yamanouchi-Machi includes the town and environs of Yamanouchi, which is located well below the ski fields – great if you only want to go and see the snow monkeys, but don’t assume that all Yamanouchi-Machi hotels are necessarily ski in, ski out, as is the case for Hotel Alpenburg. Incidentally, over a period of several days, it is fairly common to see snow monkeys on the Shiga Kogen ski fields anyway.
If you’re still trying to decide where to stay, it might also be worth knowing that the Grand Phenix Okushiga (currently rated no. 1 and designed by the same architect as Hotel Alpenburg), is actually situated beyond the furthest lift, at the distant end of the Shiga Kogen ski area. It is a skier only ski field (no snow boarders) and to get from Okushiga to the rest of the Shiga Kogen ski area, will involve either a tedious walk (traverse) or a bus trip. In contrast, Hotel Alpenburg has a choice of skiing in several directions and this area caters to both skiers and snow boarders alike.
I’d not previously mentioned that Hotel Alpenburg does have a good range of rental equipment and fortunately for us foreigners, many of the staff speak quite good English.
Purpose built in an Austrian theme, Hotel Alpenburg offers a modern style of accommodation, it is warm, comfortable and we’re again looking forward to getting back there once again.
The attached photo is one I'd meant to post previously. It was taken out the front of Hotel Alpenburg and shows how special the skiing can be after a dump of snow overnight.
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Date of stay: January 2013
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This was our third trip to Japan skiing, though first to Shiga Kogen (otherwise been to Hakuba, Furano & Nozawa Onsen). Before discussing the merits of Hotel Alpenburg (www.alpenburg.com), you need to appreciate what Shiga Kogen has to offer. Its website http://www.shigakogen.gr.jp/english/ states it comprises 21 interconnected ski fields with about 70 lifts. It extends along a couple of valleys and is seriously extensive, with a wide variety of skiing on offer. It currently comprises some 5 lift companies that operate with the one lift pass. Two of these (Kumanoyu to the far east and Okushigakogen to the far west) are exclusively skier only, though for boarders that is not a great loss as they are both distant, involve a hike to get to and both are only a small portion of the ski fields, so there is more than ample alternate terrain.
Significantly, Shiga Kogen is a built resort, rather than having its origins as a village (such as Nozawa Onsen – a really classic place to visit – check Kawaichiya Ryokan). Shiga Kogen’s buildings have predominantly been built over the past 20-30 years and save for clusters of hotels, are quite fragmented. Whilst there is a good range of restaurants and cafes on the slopes, the only other restaurants are part of hotels and it is therefore common for accommodation packages to include meals.
If bars & crowds are your preference, consider staying at Ichinose. But if travelling as a couple, small group or family, Hotel Alpenburg may be an ideal choice. It is modern, comfortable, clean, has cheerful / helpful staff and has seriously good food. It had been recommended to us, with good reason and yes, we are already booked to go back.
Alpenburg is a purpose built, family run hotel. It comprises basement, ground and three upper levels, all serviced by lift. The basement has terrific lockers for ski / board storage, ski hire, a large heated pool, sauna and access to the separate male & female onsen (hot baths) at the rear. Having an onsen to start the day, or to soak away the aches of a hard day’s skiing is a special treat in Japan and Alpenberg’s onsens are high quality, well presented, very clean and feature views of the forest.
The ground floor mainly comprises the café for breakfast & lunch at the front and evening dining area at the rear. Reception is on the first floor, with a comfy adjoining lounge & bar. The hotel’s rooms are a good size, warm, clean and good quality / tastefully decorated. They have the typical for Japan, modular ensuite, with shower over bath; though this will be superfluous if you get used to the indulgence of having frequent onsens.
Alpenburg is located at the foot of the lengthy downhill course and faces the “Giant” ski run, which is the steepest in the region. Ski lifts are ~50 metres away and you ski home to the door.
Other than us two Aussies, in mid-January, Hotel Alpenburg was full of Japanese guests at weekends (always a good sign) and less busy during the week. The food warrants special mention for its quality and diversity. The breakfast buffet caters to both Japanese & Western tastes and is more than ample, with plenty of variety. Lunch can be recommended too. But dinner is terrific, with set Western / Japanese style meals on alternate nights (or by arrangement?). Western meals are ~five course and Japanese feature ~twelve different food items. When we stayed, one dinner at the weekend featured a half lobster, which was a real treat.
Hotel Alpenburg had not previously been listed with Tripadvisor but is truly deserving, so I had it listed in order to provide this review for the benefit of others looking for a great place to stay.
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Date of stay: January 2010
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We returned to Hotel Alpenburg for seven nights at the end of our 4th ski trip to Japan. Having now skied at Hakuba, Nozawa Onsen, Myoko Kogen and Niseko, Shiga Kogen has become our favourite for the expanse and variety of skiing available. Hotel Alpenburg is well located in the Giant ski area, which is part of an interconnected ski area extending many miles down valley to OkushigaKogen; though up-valley both Sun Valley and Yokoteyama are both well worth exploring.
Hotel Alpenburg is quite self contained among a small group of other hotels and it's location suits us, but if you need a big crowd to party with at night, this hotel may not suit you.
Everything that we enjoyed and appreciated at Hotel Alpenburg last year is still evident, with quality consistently excellent. We must be turning Japanese, as we've even taken a series of photographs (attached) of several of our dinners that we were served. Hopefully these photos do justice in conveying the freshness, variety, range of tastes and quantity of food that we were lucky enough to enjoy. Simply, the food is as good as it looks. One of the features of our trips to Japan is the consistently high quality of their food and the food at Hotel Alpenburg in our view sets the standard.
Dinners alternate each night between Japanese and Western on subsequent nights. Western meals were again five course and similarly excellent. Japanese meals were invariably much more comprehensive in terms of variety, with a broader range of tastes involved. Dinners at Alpenburg get a big tick from us.
In relation to the rooms, we had two this year as we initially had 4 in Alpnenburg's "Special" room, which is large in size and worked well for us. We subsequently moved to a triple room and from our experience, all rooms are consistently modern, well maintained, very clean and warm; a positive reflection of the hotel being personally and well managed by the Kodama Family who have owned the hotel since new.
Alpenburg has an excellent indoor onsen - well presented, clean & hot. Their outdoor onsens also provide a very special experience when it was snowing heavily - something that seems to happen often.
Hotel Alpenburg has proven to be a terrific place to stay and deserves continued success. If we're lucky, we'll be back.
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Date of stay: January 2011
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Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I just returned from the most wonderful ski trip in Shiga Kogen. We didn't do an organised ski package, so we looked at a few hotels and decided on Alpenburg. This is for people who, like us had never skiied in Japan- we chose Shiga Kogen because we did not want all the fly in fly out groups of Aussies about- we wanted a more authentic Japanese experience. If you are trying to figure out which Valley to stay in, it doesn't really matter they are all connected. This is not a place for nightlife- here you ski yourself to death, have a thermal bath, eat fabulous food and crash into bed. then do it all again the next day. If you stay at Alpenburg, which you should, you will enjoy the friendliest, most helpful staff- clean warm rooms with , in our case, views up the piste. It is truly ski in ski out- The whole Shiga Kogen area is huge and easy to negotiate, long long runs, great grooming, tons of snow. The hotel Alpenburg rents ski gear at a VERY reasonable rate- half that of the ski rentals in Ichinose. It is a must to get your breakfast and evening meal in the accom. package when you arrange it (you don't have to do it this way, but it could be expensive if you don't, also there are only a couple of other hotels in this valley and it seems silly to traipse about at night to find the food not nearly as nice elsewhere).- set meals Western and Japanese on alternate nights. Breakfast Buffet of wonderful food, both Japanese and western. The manager comes to pick you up from the bus stop and takes you back when you need to leave, and will do ANYTHING to make your trip a happy one. I do not usually review- but this place is so sweet and so perfect for a couple. Everything works well- it is a delightful hotel in a perfect setting. I loved the thermal spring Onsen Japanese bath and pool. I included this in my review as fitness centre rating.
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Date of stay: March 2012
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We were looking for somewhere where the price was reasonable (with respect to a ski resort in Japan) and where we can get help easily finding our way around with our limited grasp of japanese. Well, we found it in Hotel Alpenburg. We chose the room package that came with dinner and breakfast and there is definitely no compromise when it came to the quality and quantity. The variety was huge, and so was the servings. The resort is also just outside Giant ski slope... but if you are a beginner and find the Giant 'expert' ski slope too daunting, no fear as the owner and staff are always on hand to show us where and how to go somewhere more gentle. Mr. Kodama the owner also spoke excellent english which comes in very useful. He and his small friendly team will definitely make you feel at home and are all ready to meet your needs. They have made our stay a very enjoyable one.
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Date of stay: December 2010
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We have just returned from a wonderful holiday in Japan, which included a six night stay at the Hotel Alpenburg in January 2013. This hotel has had great reviews and for good reason. The location is truly ski-in, ski-out. The staff are very helpful and the facilities are clean and well maintained but really it’s about the food!
The meals are spectacular and I highly recommend the half-board option which includes a buffet breakfast of Japanese and Western dishes (no cereal) and a 6-8 course dinner each evening which alternates between Japanese and Western menus. They were delicious and beautifully presented. A few weird and wonderful dishes but that’s all part of the experience.
The rooms are very comfortable. The beds are twins, rather than a double. There is a standard bathroom. If you want internet access ask for a room on the second, rather than the third floor.
The facilities are great for skiing. The basement has a locker area and a ski/board/boot rental place. We took our own boots but rented our skis which were excellent and a good price. It’s way too difficult to transport your own skis if you’re planning to catch trains while in Japan. We bought our lift tickets from the hotel and then exchanged them on our first day of skiing at the lift opposite – which is a cheaper way than buying direct.
There is also a heated pool (we didn’t use) and an indoor and outdoor onsen (which we did). One of my favourite memories is sitting in the outdoor onsen while the snow drifted down – very special. You do this naked, which can be quite confronting, but it’s a segregated onsen. It’s a great way to regenerate tired muscles and a truly Japanese experience.
We had wonderful conditions. Three beautiful days of sunshine with great snow and then a huge dump on the Wednesday night which gave us gorgeous powder for our final days of skiing.
We did give up half a day of skiing to go and see the monkey park, which is fantastic. About 160 wild Japanese macau monkeys, many of whom were blissing out in the thermal springs. You can get very close to them and take pretty amazing photos. If you can add an extra day to your trip to do this excursion I would really encourage you.
I would thoroughly recommend the Alpenburg but be aware of a few things:
Booking via the internet is not a goer. We did our research on the internet (thanks to Grant Parkinson from Trip Advisor) and then rang via skype and sent an email. The owner Mr Kodama and his son Yoshihiro’s English is ok but speak slowly over the phone.
You can catch the bus from Nagano and get off at ‘Hasuike’ bus stop and ring Mr Kodama, who will come and pick you up.
Shiga Kogen is comprised of a number of various ski resort areas, which you tend to get around via the lifts rather than by road. The Giant area is a bit isolated – it’s not on a main road but Mr Kodama or Yoshihiro will happily drive you to wherever you’d like to go. There doesn’t seem to be any central village area in Shiga Kogen and not much nightlife, which is fine if you ski hard all day and tend to flake at night but if you’re looking for nightlife this probably isn’t the place for you. This is a great resort for keen skier but if you’re more into lounging around and shopping then possibly not the best choice.
There is a bar/lounge area at Hotel Alpenburg but it isn’t terribly enticing and doesn’t have much available other than whiskey and sake. Pick up a bottle of duty-free alcohol on your way. It was sometimes full of smokers, which we didn’t enjoy. One family used the large TV in the lounge area to watch movies so we did that one night but most evenings watched our own movies or read books in our room. We met some great people while we were there.
My only real gripe about Shiga Kogen and it’s repeated elsewhere in these forums is that you need to do a fair bit of ‘poling’ to get around the resorts. We travelled all over the mountains every day and quite often you needed to get yourself up 5 metres or more (quite a bit more to get to the skiiers only area) to reach the connecting lifts/gondolas/magic carpet, etc. It seems quite illogical and frustrating and of course as you get more tired it becomes more of a chore. It wouldn’t put me off returning but it’s something to be aware of and something I haven’t really experienced at other resorts.
In general though, we loved Shiga Kogen and the Hotel Alpenburg.
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Date of stay: January 2013
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Ask for a room on the second floor if you need internet access. Third floor doesn't have it.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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