The Happo by Hakuba Hospitality Group

We had a lovely stay at the Happo with our 8 and 11 year-old boys in July. The family room is really well equipped with bunkbeds and has a nice fun vibe. The staff (many Aussies and Kiwis) were extremely helpful. The Club House next door prepared simple but tasty food and was open quite long hours. There is also an Italian restaurant on site but it was closed while we were there. As we were there during summer they were very limited food options with most restaurants around the town closed for the season. The resort has a very modern Onsen that was really nice too. Overall great! Very central. Car essential during summer season. I think during the ski season and you would be fine without because I think the Happo offers free shuttles to the ski lifts etc.

The first thing to note is that if this review were only of the staff - it would be 5/5. Everyone in the hotel and its associated hospitality venues (Gios and The Clubhouse) were super friendly, super helpful and made the stay fantastic for us. We were there early in the season and many of the staff were brand new and effectively still training, which made it all the more impressive! We needed to rely on help for bookings especially. Many of the restaurants and other places we dealt with were very slow to answer emails and had notes on their sites saying all phone calls need to be in Japanese - so we are very grateful to the bi-lingual staff at The Happo who got everything sorted for us! Food at Gio’s and The Clubhouse was very good - very different price points and experience. Gio’s is fine dining Italian and only does a fixed price menu. We did this one night - but although the food was great, there was too much of it and we felt it was kind of trying to meet the price with quantity. We would have preferred to be able to choose what we ate, but to be fair we knew up front that is was a set menu and we still decided to proceed. Service and attentiveness, including to dietary restrictions, were exemplary and it really was a pleasure to be there - just take your appetite! The other venue, The Clubhouse, was casual, burgers, small dishes etc and we ate there most nights, food was great and again, great, friendly and attentive staff. With the hotel itself, there are a coupon of reasons it’s a four and not five star review. One is the odor- there seemed to be a gassy smell that permeated the lobby and our room, which I found challenging. The room itself was very clean and new, and the bed set-up was great for a family of four. I liked the fact there was an additional seating area, making it easier to spread out the gear. However the sofa (which I’d planned to use to sit and read!) was hard as a rock and didn’t really face the TV, on which we’d planned to watch movies. However, I also found it odd that the hotel is marketed heavily to the foreign market- but the TV control was in Japanese, as was the Netflix page, and there didn’t seem to be an ability to throw other devices to the TV - odd in a brand new hotel. So no movie nights! The bathroom setup also let it down a bit - the toilet was directly adjacent to the bunks and facing into the room- challenging for privacy. The shower area felt plastic and cheap, with water controls almost at ground level, making for a slightly odd experience! But water pressure was great and the bath was welcome after a long day of skiing. We loved the onsen, real bonus to have it on-site. The downstairs lockers for skis were also excellent. Finally- the location was definitely five stars - right next to the gear hire, shuttles to most slopes from the front door, walking distance to Happo One gondola and plenty of shops and restaurants nearby. Added bonus of being 100metres from Peak Physio - an unexpected need for an appointment made very easy!!! All in all, a fabulous place, would definitely return and thanks again to the fabulous team from HHG!!!

We recently returned from a ski week in Hakuba and absolutely loved our stay at The Happo. The location was absolutely perfect for us. Right in the core of the village with many transportation options to nearby resorts in the valley. This includes the hotel shuttle to Happoone, circulating hotel shuttles to other resorts that stop at the front door (Hakuba 47 and Goryu), as well as a short 5-minute walk to the bus station to access all other resorts in the valley. The property itself is beautiful with a fantastic onsite onsen on both the men's and women's side which includes hot pools, cold pools, showers and a sauna. Breakfast was delicious with eggs prepared to order and an extensive buffet of pastries, salads, fruits, juices, and some Japanese offerings. The ski lockers were large enough to fit 4 pairs of skis and included boot dryers along with space for jackets, helmets and other gear. The room itself was a comfortable place to boot up in the morning with long benches for ample seating. Our room was compact, but included a king bed with no center crease (i.e. not just two twin beds pushed together). The shower was strong, the TV large, and the bed was cozy. Plenty of places to charge electronics, the wardrobe contained amenities for the onsen, and there was a massager to help ease sore muscles. Finally, staff was extremely friendly and were able to assist with any requests or questions we had during our stay. This was our first trip to the Hakuba valley and we would definitely consider staying at The Happo for a future visit.