Editor’s Note: Apologize for the delay. These take time to write not to mention I’ve been a bit distracted by the disastrous Super Bowl performance we (Carolina Panthers) turned in.

Hilton Niseko and Niseko Ski Resort
Coming into the trip I had fairly low expectations of the Hilton Niseko. It had decidedly mediocre reviews on both FlyerTalk and TripAdvisor. However with a rate of 12k HH + 48k Yen/night it was a no brainer for staying in Niseko. Prior to my stay I was offered an eUpgrade of 1k Yen/night to a Mt. Yotei View Twin Room which I thought was a no brainer and jumped on. I don’t have any pictures of the actual room but the view as well worth the extra ~$8 USD/night:

After getting off the bus we walked into the hotel and were greeted by a very warm and inviting lobby:



For some reason I failed to take any pictures of the room itself but I’ll try my best to describe it. The rooms at the Hilton Niseko are configured almost of numerous rooms in a two Twin Bed setup. As a then Hilton Silver, there was no chance of an upgrade to one of the few King Bed setups. Instead I paid what came out to ~$8.50 USD/night to upgrade to an unobstructed view of Mt. Yotei and boy was it worth it:





The room itself was fairly small with a compact shower/tub combo, a couch, the two twin beds, and the aforementioned view of Mt. Yotei. The beds were comfortable enough and the location can’t be beat it was truly ski-in/ski-out. Here you can see the lift from the hall window right outside our room:



The property also featured a very lovely onsen (sorry no pictures) with both indoor and outdoor areas. This image from Lux Niseko shows the outdoor section:



From a skiing perspective the property had a perfect set-up. In addition to the ski-in/ski-out nature, they also had a rental shop next door which had both equipment and clothing at very reasonable prices. In addition, the property has a full indoor ski valet on the lobby level where you can leave your skis and boots each night and return to pick back up the next morning.

By the time we arrived, unpacked, and rented our gear, we had just enough time to get in a half day of skiing before exhaustion took over. The first day was a bit cloudy but the snow was plentiful and it served as the perfect way to regain our ski legs:





Mid-afternoon Pizza Snack:





Swinging Monkey Lift:



Various Pictures from the Rest of the Day:







Sapporo while looking at Mt. Yotei after a day of skiing and traveling:



After a post-ski nap we decided to trek over to Hirafu and check-out the highly rated Fujizushi right in the middle of town pictured here from 360niseko:



Showtime:









Despite high hopes and appetizing pictures the food turned out to be terrible (though the local sake was delicious). The miso soup had a very off-putting odor and many of the pieces of sushi were incredible tough to chew. I’ve been fortunate to experience some fantastic sushi both in Tokyo and in other parts of the world and this was by far the worst. Nonetheless it was a fantastic first day in Niseko.

Next up: Bluebird ski days, more disappointing meals in Niseko, and a trip to Sushi Iwa in Tokyo.