Mori No Hotel Waldberg

“Very hospitable and traditional.”

The staff here, whether going out of their way to take us to drop off ski gear and then to the bus station (even hours after we’d checked out) or intricately arranging and explaining to us about the breakfast and dinner arrangements, make this hotel a wonderfully inviting place to stay. Even with l… more

The staff here, whether going out of their way to take us to drop off ski gear and then to the bus station (even hours after we’d checked out) or intricately arranging and explaining to us about the breakfast and dinner arrangements, make this hotel a wonderfully inviting place to stay. Even with limited Japanese, they made us feel so welcome. The traditional, paper-walled rooms are also great, having never stayed in one before. And best of all: the food, which was included in the price we paid. Breakfasts were good but dinners were excellent. One night we had a Yamagata beef broth, cooked on our table, which was absolutely sensational. Lovely hot springs too. This hotel may be quite old-fashioned, but it’s a wonderful place to ski in and out of when in Zao.

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“Time travel”

We only booked one night at the Wald Berg with the intention of doing the night site seeing of the snow monsters. Unfortunately it was raining and high winds so the gondolas were closed that evening. We quickly changed our plans and decided to spend all of the following day and take a late flight o… more

We only booked one night at the Wald Berg with the intention of doing the night site seeing of the snow monsters. Unfortunately it was raining and high winds so the gondolas were closed that evening. We quickly changed our plans and decided to spend all of the following day and take a late flight out of Sendai instead. While it felt a little like a time travel with the dated interior decorating, we could not have been more pleased with the service we received while at Wald Berg. While speaking no Japanese, and the staff speaking little to no English, we were able to get ski rentals, rides to and from the bus terminal and amazing meals that were included. It was a nice change from the city travel we had much of the trip. Next time we'd certainly stay longer to take advantage of the ski in ski out!

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“Brilliant Hospitality ”

From the first moment of our arrival, we were made to feel so welcome! We had walked up from the bus station in Zao and they were horrified as they would have collected us. From then on we were taken anywhere we needed to go...ski Rental shop ( from where they took our shoes back to the hotel so we… more

From the first moment of our arrival, we were made to feel so welcome! We had walked up from the bus station in Zao and they were horrified as they would have collected us. From then on we were taken anywhere we needed to go...ski Rental shop ( from where they took our shoes back to the hotel so we could go straight to the slopes), the cable ropeway (daily.. to and from), another local onsen, another local restaurant... in fact the free taxi service was always available. The meals were amazing and beautifully presented. The rooms were clean, comfortable and a good size and serviced twice daily..beds put away during the day and brought out again at night. We had a wonderful massage...the man came to our room. At one point my son left his ski hat and gloves somewhere..he thought in the local Family Mart. He mentioned this to the staff who lent him gloves. That evening the hat and gloves were in our room...never found out where they found them! One of our party forgot his hat at the hotel when we arrived at the ropeway...the kind hotel man taxied him back to the hotel to get it. We were there five nights....it felt like family.....highly recommend this reasonably priced, excellent hotel. The on site Onsen is also excellent...an indoor and outdoor pool.

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“Real Japanese experience”

We spent 4 nights at the Wald Berg in February/March 2014. The staff were all extremely accommodating and friendly, despite our lack of Japanese. They were happy to pick us up from the bus station and drop us down at the rental store. We were the only westerners staying in the hotel which was othe… more

We spent 4 nights at the Wald Berg in February/March 2014. The staff were all extremely accommodating and friendly, despite our lack of Japanese. They were happy to pick us up from the bus station and drop us down at the rental store. We were the only westerners staying in the hotel which was otherwise full of Japanese groups, families and couples, so obviously a popular choice. The room was big for two people, Japanese style with 12 tatami mats and a separate carpeted area. Great views over the mountains. Western toilet (with the Japanese addition of heated seat and washing facilities!) and a Japanese bath room were both small but very clean and functional. The room has iced water and Japanese tea making facilities, which was great. While at dinner the staff clear away the table and chairs and make up your beds- you do sleep on the floor on a futon mattress, but they have the best duvets in the world! Getting to the lifts from the hotel is easy - just 30 seconds walk across the bridge and then ski down to the lift station (Chuo ropeway). After skiing all day, one of the best things was the hotel's own onsen. Gender segregated, there are inside and outside pools, the outside overlooking snowy forest (the other side of the hotel to the ski slopes luckily!) The onsen were a great way to relax after a day on the slopes. There are also private onsen in the hotel that couples can use together but we did not do this. Although separated, the male and female areas are adjacent and we were the only people in there so we could still talk through the wooden fence. Yukata gowns are provided for the onsen, and these are standard evening wear for dinner as well! Dinner was included in the price and was a minimum of an 8-course affair, with the main event being Shabu-Shabu, Sukiyaki or other equivalent with fish or chicken- all DIY-cook at the table style with other courses all being served at once, including sashimi, miso, ubiquitous rice and some other more strange items (to our western palette, that is- chicken and mushroom creme brûlée anyone?!) The evening food was good quality but was slightly repetitive. We would have given this place a five star review but for the breakfast. While this was again plentiful it was a bit too much to have such traditional Japanese food early in the morning- rice, fish and raw egg amongst other things. However, this hotel is a real Japanese experience and this is just down to our personal taste. We loved the Japanese-ness of the rest of the hotel so it seems a bit unfair to complain about the breakfast being too Japanese, but some tea and toast as an alternative would suffice to rectify this! One last bonus- when we came to pay our bill we were told the one alcoholic drink we had had with our dinner each night was included- a great touch. Not sure it would have been the same result if we'd been on the whisky hard though!

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