[Stay Review] A Full Review of AYA Niseko in Winter, Hokkaido — Why I Highly Recommend It

When it comes to snowboarding and skiing in Hokkaido, almost everyone says the same thing: “Niseko!”

Niseko is enormously popular and Japan’s most international resort area.

Before COVID, you’d see huge numbers of inbound visitors from overseas — Australians, Chinese, Koreans and more.

Since the pandemic it hasn’t been quite as lively as before, but Niseko still gets massive snowfall every year, and plenty of Japanese skiers and snowboarders come here, captivated by the powder snow.

This article is written for anyone considering skiing or snowboarding in Niseko, or wondering which hotel in Niseko to stay at. I’ll give you a completely candid look at AYA Niseko, where I actually stayed.

＼Panoramic views of Mt. Yotei and the slopes right in front of you — an unbeatable location!／

Why I Chose This Hotel

Do you have clear criteria for choosing a hotel? Without them, it’s all too common to spend an entire day searching and still feel lost.

I spent a lot of time researching hotels around Niseko myself, and there were three reasons I chose AYA Niseko this time.

If you’re struggling to pick a hotel in Niseko, I hope this helps.

Reason 1: The rooms are spacious

The first reason is room size.

They say you need about 20–30㎡ per person to be comfortable during a hotel stay. But when you stay in winter, you’re bringing snowboard and ski gear into the room on top of your regular luggage, so the room feels smaller than usual.

That’s why I place a lot of importance on room size when staying for snowboarding in winter.

At AYA Niseko, apart from the roughly 20㎡ Atelier, the rooms are mostly large types, ranging from the roughly 47㎡ Studio up to the roughly 373㎡ Penthouse.

Here are the sizes by room type.

Room Type	Size
Atelier	20㎡
Studio	47㎡
1.5 Bedroom	69㎡
2 Bedroom	85–87㎡
3 Bedroom	154㎡
Residence	255–308㎡
Penthouse	277–373㎡

The Penthouse is a minimum of 277㎡! It’s on the top floor, of course — a luxury suite with its own open-air bath!

From the room you look straight out at Mt. Yotei, one of Japan’s 100 Famous Mountains. Pure indulgence.

Reason 2: It’s close to the slopes

The second reason is proximity to the slopes. I weigh this just as heavily as room size.

Taking a shuttle bus or a car from the hotel to the slopes, or walking a long way carrying your snowboard or skis, is quite a hassle.

Reason 3: Does it have an onsen?

Getting to AYA Niseko

AYA Niseko is about 2–2.5 hours by car or bus from New Chitose Airport, about 2 hours from central Sapporo, and about 1–1.5 hours from Otaru, sitting very close to the world-renowned Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafu.

For anyone coming from outside Hokkaido, the route I recommend most is flying into New Chitose Airport and then taking a bus or a rental car from there.

Driving in heavy-snow country you’re not used to carries real risk. Rather than renting a car, taking a bus from New Chitose Airport is the safer bet.

For buses, I recommend the Resort Liner operated by Hokkaido Access Network! It’s ¥9,000 round trip.

CheckBook a Hokkaido Access Network bus

About AYA Niseko

AYA Niseko is a condominium-style hotel with 79 rooms, managed and operated by Tokyu Resorts & Stay Co., Ltd.

Every room has a bath and toilet, a shower and air conditioning — and beyond that, a kitchen, a large refrigerator, a washing machine and a dryer, so the rooms are equipped well enough for a large group to stay long-term.

Inside the building there’s a fitness room, a lounge, ice machines, a large public bath, an onsen, a spa and a golf simulator — plenty of facilities to keep you comfortable without ever leaving the hotel!

Main Entrance and Check-in

An upscale AYA Niseko logo greets you at the main entrance.

The shuttle bus stops in front of the entrance too, so the snow was cleared properly and it was easy to walk on.

Go straight in through the front entrance and there’s a fireplace area! At first I thought it might be decorative, but it was the real thing (laughs).

It’s behind glass and hot to the touch, so keep a close eye on small children.

Luggage was gathered nearby, grouped by party. There are always security staff on hand during check-in hours so it feels safe, but keep your valuables on you.

Reception is straight ahead at the back. It isn’t especially large — up to two parties can check in at once.

The chic, elegant interior in black and beige has a real sense of luxury.

It was New Year, so there was a kagami mochi in the middle! Very Japanese.

At check-in you fill out a guest card. You read the accommodation terms, write your name, address and phone number, and sign.

The room key is a card, and you’ll be charged ¥1,000 per lost card — so look after it!

If you drop it in the snow, you’re never finding it again.

Next, sign the luggage receipt. I picked up the snowboard gear I’d shipped to AYA Niseko in advance, plus the discount lift tickets I’d bought on Mercari just before the trip, and signed for them.

Very well organized!

After a rundown of the facilities from the staff, check-in was complete!

I called the hotel staff beforehand to ask, and if you write the check-in date and your name on the label, they’ll hold it for you at the hotel in advance! Very handy. It doesn’t even have to be a courier parcel — Nekopos (mail service) was fine too!

Elevator Hall

Step out of the elevator on the 6th floor and you’re in a chic, black-toned hall. A genuinely upscale touch!

To get from the elevator hall into the guest room corridor you need to authenticate with your card key, and the system prevents you from entering other floors.

Security is airtight — though on the flip side it makes it harder for a group to split up and move around separately, so it’s a trade-off.

This is the corridor to the rooms. It’s an interior corridor design with proper climate control, so it’s comfortable even before you reach your room — it really builds the excitement!

Today it’s room 608! Hold the card key over the door handle. Right then, let’s take a look inside.

Room Layout

The room type is a 2 Bedroom Forest View for 4 people. Straight ahead at the back there’s a table for four, an L-shaped sofa, a kitchen, a large refrigerator and a wall-mounted TV.

On the left there are two bedrooms and two toilets! There’s one bathroom, and the other side has a shower room.

Privacy is well preserved, so it works not just for families and groups of friends but for couples too.

Living Room

Head straight in and there’s a spacious living room! Big enough that I’d want it in my own house. It has to be over 25㎡.

A large wooden table for four in the foreground.

Further back, an L-shaped sofa that comfortably seats three, plus a coffee table.

At the back, a large wall-mounted TV. It doesn’t feel imposing at all — the layout is perfect. It’s about 50 inches.

There was even a Bluetooth speaker.

The thing to note is the kitchen on the right. It’s incredibly well stocked with kitchen equipment!

Kitchen Area

A full lineup of kitchen appliances!

From the left: a rice cooker, a toaster, a T-fal electric kettle and a drip pod machine. Amazing that there’s a rice cooker!

Somewhere like this, Hokkaido-grown Nanatsuboshi rice would taste even better.

On the far right of the kitchen area, an IH cooktop. More than I could possibly use.

And there’s still more.

A microwave built into the kitchen. It could be set up to 1000W.

What surprised me most was this refrigerator. Not some little two-door unit — a proper family-sized fridge! I could live here for a month!

There’s a built-in dishwasher too. It’s huge!

Naturally, the tableware is well stocked as well.

Enjoying Niseko’s restaurants is one option, but with a kitchen this well equipped, shopping at a supermarket or convenience store and having a party in your room sounds fun too.

Bedrooms

Here’s the bedroom nearest the entrance! The bed is just the right firmness — neither too hard nor too soft.

You do sometimes get beds that are far too hard.

The storage cabinet at the back opens from both sides, but the right side is locked and can’t be opened. It’s a little intriguing, but be careful — apparently forcing it triggers an alarm.

The left side has a safe and storage space. Loads of hangers!

The safe isn’t very big — a large laptop won’t fit.

Hotels usually don’t provide many hangers, but this one has more than you could ever use! They’ve clearly thought about hanging up snowboard and ski wear.

In-Room Bar

On the kitchen counter there are capsules for coffee, black tea and green tea. Set a capsule, press a button, and you get proper coffee with no fuss!

There are four bottles of mineral water (one per guest) placed on the coffee table. These are free, of course, and provided for each night of your stay.

The in-room snacks are baked goods from Nao-buns — pound cakes made with local ingredients. They seem to be sold at Niseko’s roadside station and at the TSUTAYA in Kutchan, with different flavors depending on the season.

Shower, Bathroom and Washbasin

The bath area on the near right. There’s only a shower, but the head is large, so even just a shower looks like it would warm you through.

The bath amenities are Margaret Josefin shampoo, conditioner and body soap, generously formulated with naturally derived ingredients.

The bathroom at the back has a bathtub. It’s in full view from the bedroom, but there’s a proper blind-style shutter. There are bathrooms on the 1st and 2nd floors.

Both bathrooms have a washbasin, and underneath there’s a good supply of amenities.

Toothbrush sets, razors and brushes are all provided.

Towels are provided for each guest, but if you’re using the onsen on the 1st floor there are bath towels and face towels there, so you don’t need to bring anything from your room — just go empty-handed.

There are bathrobes too! They’re in the drawer, so have a look.

Restaurants at AYA Niseko

AYA Niseko has one restaurant, Ginger, serving Japanese and Western dishes — but unfortunately it was temporarily closed during my stay.

Apparently it was closed for the 2021–2022 winter season. A shame.

Service	Hours
Breakfast	7:00 – 10:00 (last order: 9:30)
Lunch	11:00 – 15:00
Après-ski	15:00 – 17:00
Dinner	18:00 – 22:00 (last order: 21:45)

While the restaurant is closed, AYA Niseko appears to be selling Japanese-style breakfast bento boxes from Robata Niseko Naniwatei as a breakfast option. You can’t order same-day, of course, but they take reservations up to two days in advance. (Period: December 1, 2021 – March 31, 2022)

CheckReserve a Japanese breakfast bento (¥3,200)

The Onsen at AYA Niseko

On the 1st floor there’s an onsen, a sauna and an open-air bath.

You need card authentication to enter the onsen, so don’t forget it.

The changing room isn’t very large, but the shelves have bath towels and face towels you can use freely.

There’s a water server too, which scores highly with a sauna enthusiast like me. Separate lockers for valuables are provided as well.

The onsen at AYA Niseko has four elements: an indoor bath, an open-air bath, an open-air cold bath and a sauna. There are three washing stations and two shower rooms.

The onsen has the same chic, black-toned design — very calming.

The sauna sits at a little over 90°C. It’s on the cooler side, so you might manage close to 10 minutes inside.

The temperature of the open-air cold bath depends on the weather. Lukewarm water flows in and the outside air cools it down. Rest assured it isn’t brutally cold like 10°C.

It felt like at least 22°C to me.

The Spa at AYA Niseko

Next to the onsen is a spa called AYA SPA. It opens for the winter season only, from 15:00 to 23:00, with last orders at 22:00.

The spa menu is extensive: Thai massage, oil massage, facial treatments and body work, foot massage, Epolation and more.

A relaxation massage is ¥4,200 for 30 minutes — cheap for a hotel spa!

When booking, decide which treatment you want first. You can’t just reserve a time slot, so keep that in mind!

The spa rooms are private, so you can relax completely while you have your massage.

The Gym at AYA Niseko

If you’ve read this far you’ll already sense how comprehensive it is, but AYA Niseko has a gym too.

A treadmill, an exercise bike, various dumbbells, weight machines and a balance ball. The essentials are all there — more than enough for a workout.

You can even do kickboxing! The pull-up bar is high, so watch your footing.

Hydration is essential when training. There’s a water server here too.

Bring a protein shaker and get your protein in within 30 minutes of training.

They even provide towels to wipe off the sweat!

Simulation Golf at AYA Niseko

On the 2nd floor there’s private-room simulation golf!

For hotel guests it’s an absolute steal at ¥1,000 per person per hour. There are sofas too!

There seem to be two modes — free practice and round mode — and for rounds you can choose from over 100 famous courses around the world.

It’s self-service in principle, so having to operate the PC next to you every time you switch clubs was a bit of a hassle.

A staff member from Iceland kindly showed me how it works. English required. Thank you very much!

Convenience Store and Shop at AYA Niseko

AYA Niseko doesn’t have a convenience store or a shop.

The closest option once you leave AYA Niseko is a Seicomart, a 3-minute walk up a slight slope! They stock items you can only get in Hokkaido, so do drop in.

The Shuttle Bus at AYA Niseko

AYA Niseko provides a free shuttle bus. It runs on a regular loop and stops at the hotel’s main entrance.

It operates every 20 minutes from 7:00 to 17:00, circling AYA Niseko → Welcome Center → Mountain Center.

If you take the bus from New Chitose Airport you’ll arrive at the Mountain Center, so time it right and you can get to the hotel with no trouble at all!

Room Rates at AYA Niseko

The question on your mind is what it costs to stay somewhere with facilities this good.

This time I stayed in a “2 Bedroom A, 87㎡, Forest View”. I stayed over a three-day weekend in January, so right in the middle of high season.

I booked through Rakuten Travel, and it came to ¥175,352 for one room for four people, two nights and three days. That’s ¥21,919 per person per night.

That may sound expensive, but considering the Niseko area’s soaring prices in recent years, plus high season, high grade and a spacious condominium hotel, it’s outstanding value!

Incidentally, the top-grade Penthouse apparently costs ¥720,000 a night.

How to Stay at AYA Niseko for Less

I booked in September, four months before the stay. The only way to stay at AYA Niseko for less is to use the early-booking discount.

I got this out of a staff member who manages hotel reservations: each year they start a 10–20% early-booking discount in April.

Based on 2020, the early-booking period ran from April 11 to May 31, 2020, and depending on your stay dates it was up to 20% off. In 2021 the early-booking discount started in September, again up to 20% off.


(Updated June 19, 2022)

*Stays in peak season (December 30 – January 1) receive a 10% discount
*Winter stays outside peak season receive a 20% discount

How to Get from the Mountain Center to AYA Niseko

If you take the bus from New Chitose Airport to the Niseko area, you’ll always get off at this Welcome Center (car park).

After getting off the bus, leave the car park exit, turn left onto the gentle slope and head down.

Follow the gentle downhill slope to the end and turn right at the T-junction.

Continue straight for one to two minutes and you’ll see AYA Niseko. The main entrance is beyond the AYA Niseko sign, so watch where you’re going.

How to Get from AYA Niseko to the Grand Hirafu Ski Area

Once outside, you’ll see the lift ticket office on the right and, on the left, the four-person New Ace Family Quad lift, rebuilt in December 2017.

It’s just a 1-minute walk from AYA Niseko to the lift. Incredibly convenient!

There is one thing to watch out for, though: this lift ticket office was closed.

When I asked a staff member, they said that with the pandemic and fewer visitors, this lift ticket office was shut.

So where do you buy a lift ticket?

Staff: “Please buy one at the Base ticket office, which you’ll find after riding this lift up and coming back down. Just tell them you’ll buy your lift ticket at the top and you can board.”

So there you go.

At Niseko’s ski areas, every lift boarding point has a gate.

So speak to the staff directing people onto the lift and have them let you through.

“Excuse me — I’m buying my lift ticket at the top, so could you let me on?”

Say something like that and the staff will open the gate for you. A bit of a hassle, admittedly.

Summary

So, what did you think?

AYA Niseko is rated four stars, but it’s luxurious enough to be called a five-star hotel. The rooms are spacious and there’s even a stylish kitchen, so it suits long stays too.

On top of that, it’s a 1-minute walk to Niseko Grand Hirafu — practically ski-in/ski-out! No other hotel I’ve seen offers a setting this good; it’s genuinely one of a kind.

It’s certainly not cheap, but stay once and you may well get hooked. No — you will definitely get hooked.