First of all, my review is based on the day visit to Hilton Niseko, we were not able to stay in the hotel overnight. Hotel Grounds Lobby area was filled with people when we were there, but there was an area to sit and enjoy a bit of warmth from the outdoors or while waiting for your family or friends. I love the giant fireplace in the middle :-) Ski Area Although we didn't ski or snowboard this time, we could tell the quality of the snow, it was really powder snow. No wonder this place is so popular. It is a bit crowded though, maybe because it was also the holidays. You can see mostly foreigners here, especially Australians. The ambiance is a little bit different compared to Rusutsu for example, where more locals go to and is more family oriented. Of course, the size of the resort and mountain is different. Niseko is much bigger and Hilton Niseko area is just one of the few main ski resorts here. Snow Activities We came to Hilton Niseko for two very specific activities, that is the reindeer sleigh ride and the snow rafting. We wanted to try out other snow activities aside from ski and snowboarding as we've already done that. So our local guide called a few days earlier to book the activities. Based on her feedback, the establishment was easy to deal with, they were very clear about...First of all, my review is based on the day visit to Hilton Niseko, we were not able to stay in the hotel overnight.

Hotel Grounds
Lobby area was filled with people when we were there, but there was an area to sit and enjoy a bit of warmth from the outdoors or while waiting for your family or friends. I love the giant fireplace in the middle :-)

Ski Area
Although we didn't ski or snowboard this time, we could tell the quality of the snow, it was really powder snow. No wonder this place is so popular. It is a bit crowded though, maybe because it was also the holidays. You can see mostly foreigners here, especially Australians. The ambiance is a little bit different compared to Rusutsu for example, where more locals go to and is more family oriented. Of course, the size of the resort and mountain is different. Niseko is much bigger and Hilton Niseko area is just one of the few main ski resorts here.

Snow Activities
We came to Hilton Niseko for two very specific activities, that is the reindeer sleigh ride and the snow rafting. We wanted to try out other snow activities aside from ski and snowboarding as we've already done that. So our local guide called a few days earlier to book the activities. Based on her feedback, the establishment was easy to deal with, they were very clear about the description of the activities, the limitations if any and the price and terms. Like for the reindeer sleigh ride, they only had 2 reindeers, but only 1 for sleigh riding as the other one is a young reindeer. So for the day, they could only accommodate 4 rides. Anyway, we just wanted to take photos, and we drew lots for the kids who wanted to ride the reindeer sleigh. To me, it was nothing really special since there was actually a guy pulling the reindeer or rather walking him forward. I was actually sad for the reindeer since it had to do so much work. But for the kids, it was an interesting experience, so it was worth it :-)

While waiting for the kids to take turns on the sleigh, I went to photograph what seems to be a crystal house just beside the area. When I went closer, I saw a sign that says Closed and won't be open until 2pm, but as I was photographing it, a staff came out and told me it was okay to go in a look. She just said that there were no activities now. Apparently, we read that they had some activity for igloo making, which we initially wanted to try as well if the other activities weren't available. It was interesting to go in and see the ice shards and the whole igloo structure. This is my first time to see one, definitely a good surprise :-) The staff was actually cleaning up inside and she didn't mind that I go in and take a look. That was nice of her.

Our snow rafting activity was cancelled, unfortunately, at the last minute, cause the snow fall was too strong at the time. We actually walked over to the area, feeling like we were walking through a snow storm. Although we were disappointed it got cancelled, it was good to know that they consider the safety of the people as well. We got a refund back too.

Dining
While waiting for the weather to clear up, we headed to the 2nd floor for some lunch. There were quite a number of choices. We were initially considering Yotei, a buffet place, but we were a bit too late and they were almost closing so it wasn't really advisable. So we chose Ezo Pub instead, which was actually a good idea. Having had Japanese food for the last couple of days, we were missing Western food. We had burgers, sandwiches and pizza, which were actually quite good even for Western standards. I love the ambiance of the pub, despite being full with people, it wasn't noisy and rowdy, it was actually relaxing and hip :-) Servers were efficient and friendly as well.More