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Where do I stay in Hakuba?
29th July, 2013
Various small areas make up the large area known as Hakuba. Each has it's own charms and local flavour, and advantages and disadvantages. We book accommodation in what we consider are the best located places in terms of proximity to ski areas, restaurants, nightlife, shuttle bus routes and convenience for our clients. Listed below are three of the premier areas with a brief description of their advantages and disadvantages. We hope this helps you in making the best choice on where to stay for your next Hakuba holiday. First though, two facts about Hakuba;
1. There are virtually no ski in/ski out locations in town, only at Goryu or beside Nakiyama gelende at the south side of Happo One. Not ANYWHERE else, no matter what you may have read.
2. Hakuba is broken up into many smaller ski areas that are not connected so unless you want to ski the same area every day you will need to take a shuttle or other form of transport at some stage.
Hakuba Accommodation Areas Pros and Cons
Wadano is an area where most accommodation is reasonably close to the Happo Resort runs with a few almost ski in ski out places near the Sakka lift. Many of the higher end establishments are located here. Shuttles for all areas go here.
The negatives to this area is that it is a long way between points of interest along a steep, dark, icy road with no footpath. There is also no village atmosphere here, it has only one bar of note and very few restaurants or apre-ski locations. You need shuttles to get to other resorts.
Happo has a real village atmosphere with restaurants, shops and Japanese flavoured aspects all easy walking distance apart. The area is adjacent to the Happo runs of Nakiyama and the gondola area. Shuttles for all areas go here.
The negatives to this area are that there are not as many foreigner user friendly hotels although this is slowly changing. The few restaurants can be booked out with long waiting times to get in. You need shuttles to get to other resorts.
Echoland has a village atmosphere and has the most amount of independent bars, restaurants and shops which are all located in the one area. The restaurants are generally cheaper than other areas with a wide variety of cuisine. The area is located in the centre of Hakuba between the 2 best resorts, Happo and 47/Goryu. Shuttles for all areas go here.
The negatives to this area are you need to take a shuttle to get to any of the resorts mostly 5 to 10 minutes away.