Chalet Shiga

We had a wonderful week of skiing staying at Chalet Shiga. The hotel is located opposite Ichinose Diamond Ski resort, and just a short walk to the lifts at Ichinose. Both resorts are effectively in the middle of Shiga Kogen, so the location is perfect to explore the whole mountain resort. The staff at Chalet Shiga were incredible. They went above and beyond each day to make our stay special - chatting with us each day during the meal service, providing us personal toiletries when we forgot something, and helping out with broken snow equipment at the rental shop. We had breakfast and dinner included in our room, and both were delicious. The food was plentiful and hearty for a week of skiing, although I would have liked a bit more fresh fruit at breakfast, and a few more veggies at dinner, but that's my personal taste. What was served was beautifully presented and cooked - the kitchen team clearly take great pride in their food. There are limited food options in Ichinose, so recommend including dinner and breakfast in your stay. The beds in our room were comfortable (although firm like many other Japanese hotels), the room was spacious, and there were locker facilities (locks provided) in the entry for our skis / boards/ boots, so we didn't need to bring any wet gear up to the room each day and knew they were safely locked away downstairs. Our room had a bathroom and toilet too, which although small, was cleaned daily. They also have an espresso machine in the lobby, although no warm milk or hot chocolate.

Chalet Shiga is a great place to stay in Ichinose. It's very close to the bus station, as well as the lifts from Ichinose family and Ichinose Diamond. It's almost ski in/ski out. We stayed 9 nights just after Christmas in a Japanese style room, with the shared Japanese style bath, 2 adults and 2 children. The diners there were great, however it is a bit repetitive towards the end of the stay if you are staying there for a while. Breakfasts were ok. They have a ski rental shop in the resort itself, with competitive pricing compared to what you find elsewhere. They also do have a self service laundry. The open space next to the reception and breakfast dinner restaurant is nicely decorated as well. We would definitely recommend the place and come back.

I liked the great, professional, and friendly service from everyone at the hotel. Also, the hotel and ski storage is conveniently located right at the ski slopes. The room was clean, spacious, and warm, with a forest view. The Japanese baths and onsen soaking pool were the absolute best, and a wonderful way to relax after a day of skiing. Delicious breakfasts and dinners were provided buffet-style in the dining room as well as the choice to dine at other restaurants in the community.

We thought it was a wonderful ski lodge and would definitely book another holiday there!

The hotel is well located and has everything you need. We were skiing. You can hire skis at ground level and store them there. It is a short walk to the ticket office and lifts. We stayed in a traditional Japanese room (futon on tatami mat) which was spacious and we enjoyed the shared Onsen baths. We also took the dinner and breakfast package which made our trip even more relaxing not having to think about this. Dinner was traditional Japanese fare and truly amazing every night - 5 courses. There is a great space near reception for reading and relaxing and the staff were helpful and friendly.

Nothing

My package with breakfast and dinner included. They served mainly typical western style breakfast with some Japanese dishes too. The choices are reasonable while the dinner is Japanese style set dinner with a bit of liquor/ small pot/ sashimi and more. It is value for money and satisfying. The hotel is basically ski in and out. Just a short walk to lift chair. With rental serving in house but the choices are limited. However you got a 20% off if you are a guest staying there :) And it is very close to the bus stop you needed for travel.

I cant ask for more with what I paid for.

I've stayed at a lot of different hotels in the area (Ichionose) and have been skiing & snowboarding at Shiga for over 10 years. The hotels were built for or before the '98 winter olympics so all of them are starting to show their age a bit. As such it was great to see that Chalet Shiga have improved and upscaled their facilities - in particular the refurbished 2nd floor lobby and reception area is great - comfortable, plenty of space and the free tea/coffee much appreciated.

I really like the craft beers on sale in reception, but it would have been great if there was also a vending machine with regular priced beverages. Maybe there was one upstairs but I missed it?

We have stayed in many hotels in Shiga Kogen and I can confidently say two things about Shiga Chalet: 1. It is by far and away the best hotel we have stayed at here, and 2. We will be back to this hotel again when we come back. - The bedrooms are huge, compared to other hotels up here. - The private bathrooms are wonderful. - The hotel staff are so lovely and helpful and welcoming. - The hotels location is excellent to eating out, getting rental gear and getting to Ichinose and Yakebityama snow runs. - The breakfast and dinner options are excellent. Shiga Chalet is now our #1 go-to hotel in Shiga Kogen.

Nothing, the whole experience was excellent

the manager and ski shop staff

no fruits at breakfast

The hotel was well kept, clean, had lovely onsen facilities and the staff were always friendly and willing to help. The room was spacious, had a beautiful view of the slopes across the road and towels were changed regularly.

The only downside was the noise from the trucks moving snow across the road - hard to complain though when it means fresh powder for skiing. Also the pipes could be very noisy in the evening and early morning as the heating system turned on.

Great location very close to ichinose ski resorts (it’s practically ski-in ski-out). The room was clean and nicely appointed, with a view of ichinose diamond. There is a good ski rental place on the 1st floor as well as a fun bar that does food and great beers. The common areas have been renovated and are quite nice. There is a restaurant in the hotel but we went to places nearby (good idea to book). Staff were helpful and courteous.