Hotel Listel Inawashiro Wing Tower

Comentarios destacados

• BritinBangkok

  12 febrero 2017
  Great ski lodge at a great price.

  I completely enjoyed my stay at Hotel Listel. A large self contained hotel it had everything I needed to base my stay for a few day skiing at Inawashiro. The hotel really is setup for Japanese speaking visitors but the staff spoke just enough English so that I didn't have too much difficulty understanding them and getting around. The upside is you're the only gaijin in town. The rooms were large and had plenty of space to lay down my bags. The room was also clean and well maintained. The carpet for some reason is heavily stained but other than that was clean. The hotel seems to attract a lot of school kiddies on school outings so maybe that explains why the carpet is so stained. The non-smoking rooms were odor free and the toilet was spotlessly clean and came complete with all amenities. One problem with the room was a broken thermostat or the hotel had actually fixed it at 23 degrees which I found too warm. Luckily there is a fan switch near the bedside and simply turning off the A/C fan I found I could get the room to a more comfortable temperature. The beds were definitely on the firmer side. The onsen was large and also had an outside area where you could relax in the snow. There is both a male/female section. There is also self service laundry facilities in the basement. I included half board dining in my booking and both the breakfast and dinner buffet was extensive offering both western and Japanese cuisine. You definitely won't go hungry if you choose the half board option. There are other restaurants in the hotel that offer both western and Japanese food if you don't opt for the inclusive dining option but I thought it was excellent value to choose the half board. Food overall at the hotel was excellent all round. There is ski rental at the hotel and your own ski locker with a locker number that matches your room number. There is a small slope at the hotel that has a large area for beginner skiers which always had school kids learning to ski every day and a piste at the top of the hill that offers a half decent run for the more experienced to get warmed up. But if you're looking for ski lessons in English I think you might be out of luck at this slope. The hotel offers free shuttle buses to the nearby larger resorts of Inawashiro which is about 15 mins away and Alts Bandai resort which is about 30 mins away. You must reserve a seat on the bus with the hotel reception in the evening prior. The shuttle buses leave at 9-10am in the morning and pick you up at 4pm in the afternoon. The Alts Bandai resort is the more modern resort with gondolas and quad chairs while Inawashiro uses only chairs which were quite slow. But during the weekday there was never any crowd at either resort so there were never any waiting at the lifts. The Alts Bandai resort had English signs everywhere and the attendants also spoke good English so was the more foreigner friendly resort and I guess probably capable of offering ski lessons in English. Both of the larger resorts offered slopes for both beginners and more advanced skiers. None of the resorts are linked by slope or tickets so you need to buy individual tickets at the ski slopes. There are also a number of other ski resorts further on down the road if you ever need to look for something different during your stay. Getting to Hotel Listel is simple. Take the Tohoku line Shinkansen to Koriyama which is about 90 mins from Tokyo and then switch onto the BanEtsu West line which is a 5 minute walk down from the Shinkansen platform to the BanEtsu West platform which is right under the Shinkansen platform and clearly marked when you exit the Shinkansen turnstiles. If things don't change then it is the first platform on your right down the stairs heading towards Aiku Wakamatsu and leaves about 15 mins after the arrival of the Shinkansen which is plenty of time for you to locate the correct platform after stepping off the Shinkansen. The BanEtsu line accepts the tourist ticket if you purchase this from JR East in Tokyo. The journey to Inawashiro takes about 30 mins and you will know when the station is approaching when you see the first ski slopes looking out to your right side. That is the Listel Hotel ski slopes. The larger Inawashiro ski slopes will also come into view and then the Alts Bandai ski slopes then you arrive at Inawashiro station. From there you either wait for the shuttle bus which is dark green in color and has Hotel Listel written on the side or simply take a 10 minute taxi ride for about 2,300 yen. The taxi driver understands where to take you when you say "LISTEL". Be aware that the hotel has two sections with the West Tower sightly higher up the hill. The shuttle bus arrives at the station about 6 times a day at 2 hour intervals. There is a tourist office just outside the station you can walk to and they have the shuttle bus schedule posted. The tourist office is not sign posted. It is a red building with a curved roof to the left when you walk outside the station. While Inawashiro doesn't have the grand size or spectacular views of Shigakogen or the stunning powder of Hokkaido it is very local and few if any foreigners around and offers even the most avid and experienced skier some great skiing.

  

• jbreynolds

  31 marzo 2018
  Ski Trip

  Stayed at the Hotel Listel Inawashiro for 5 nights with my father on a ski and cultural experience in Aizu, Fukushima Prefecture Transferred to Inawashiro from Urabandai via Hotel Listel Inawashiro shuttle bus. Arrival - warmly greeted and welcomed upon arrival at the hotel. Front desk were expecting the arrival of Western non-Japanese speaking guests and ensured an English speaking staff member was present to check us into the hotel, explain the hotel facilities and answer all our questions. Room - large by Japanese standards; although dated the room was clean, functional and boasted a spectacular view over the lake and remote towns. Amenities and housekeeping where of good standard. Onsen - hotel features both a large indoor and outdoor onsen (water drawn from 1.4km underground) Day Spa - offers selection of massages and treatments at usual hotel prices; ensured a facial by a masseuse that spoke basic English Dining - at the time of our visit there where several dining options. The BF buffet was satisfactory - best catered to the Japanese/Thai/Taiwanese markets. We did not dine in house for dinner as we ate on the ski mountains most days. Gift Shop - large and expansive shop on the ground floor. Expansive selection of gifts and souvenirs; good selection of food and beverages suitable for consumption in-house. Ski Hire - available in-house - although the majority of guests used this service we brought our own equipment Nearby Ski Mountains include: (1) Ski Fantasia - ski in/out from hotel, (2) ALTS, and (3) GranDeco, and (4) Inawashiro. Mountain maps are readily available from the lobby. The hotel offers a complementary shuttle service to all three mountains plus to Inawashiro train station - please note you must a reservation the night prior. Overall a very satisfactory stay - great location with access to ski mountains and Wakamatsu City. The hotel needs to invest in new carpet throughout the rooms and hallways to improve guest comfort. Other than this I would happily stay here again.

  

• RealityChecksIn

  06 agosto 2018
  Give Fukushima a chance

  Rising from the foot of the mountain it seems like a sci-fi office block thats been somehow extracted from Tokyo or even New York and plonked into the wilds of a wintery inland Fukushima. The Listel Inawashiro Hotel is certainly unmissable in this snow-covered landscape. It is a vast structure, or even collection of buildings, with its central edifice and wing. Being well away from everything the Listel Inawashiro caters well for its guests, offering a range of luxury and mid-range accommodation, onsens (hot spring baths), restaurants, a spectacular indoor pool complex, convenience store, gift shop and best of all in winter its very own ski facilities, including ski slopes, chair lift and equipment hire. And within half an hour of the hotel are many other ski slopes. Such is the image of Fukushima as a place of devastation following the 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear power plant meltdown, there was not another western guest to be seen at the hotel. But from what I have read (as a non-scientist) inland Fukushima is quite safe and has very low levels of radiation so it is unfortunate that the rest of the world doesnt know or accept this. The people of Fukushima are desperate for the rest of the world to revisit this beautiful prefecture and see it for what most of it is stunning mountains, lakes, agricultural country and friendly towns. The Listel Inawashiro can seem a little impersonal and confusing to the non-Japanese speaker, and despite English language limitations with the staff they are friendly and do their best to help. It took me some time to work out how to get to my room from the reception area, and on at least two occasions I managed to take the wrong lifts to the wrong floors in the wrong wing! The hotels main rooms are very comfortable and spacious, mine offered stunning views over the snow-covered plains below the mountain. Waking up early to drink green tea in the warm room and watch the faintly orange sun rise while the snow ploughs go their hardest to open the roads is a calming start to the day. Add a visit to the outside onsen, complete with a bracing walk from the door to the water and back again, and you are ready for a bumper buffet breakfast (there are indoor onsens). Like the hotel the breakfast restaurant is vast and somewhat impersonal but offering a range of foods perhaps catering more to the Japanese taste. I like Japanese food and according to some of my Japanese friends am possibly the first Westerner to delight in Natto (fermented soy beans stirred in a gooey mustard and soy sauce), so a local breakfast is fine with me. But there is plenty enough for everyone if you look hard enough. There are a few other restaurants dotted about the complex offering a range of western and Japanese menus. I am not much of a skier but was told that the Listels slopes are good for families and beginners, the more serious skiers may take the bus or their own cars to some of the other more challenging resorts nearby. For me the tobogganing was excellent and great fun, but most amazing was the offer to ride in an inflated rubber boat towed behind a snow jet ski. Swerving and sliding smoothly but uncontrollably around behind the jet ski (the rider didnt speak English but seemed to be known what he was doing), hanging on to the handle grips for dear life, it was fantastic, and you cant stop laughing. All of the snow activities are organised through the hotel at their snow centre on the lower floor plus they offer plenty of gear for hire. If you dont have a car you are somewhat captive to the hotel and its facilities and prices. It is reasonably expensive, but if you stay in the less salubrious wing rooms you can save quite a bit over the hotels main rooms. If hotels such as the Listel Inawashiro want to attract tourists from beyond Japan, they would be encouraged to lower their prices and offer tempting deals across the web booking sites. Australians are hungry for any opportunity to ski in Japan, and many are on the lookout for new and interesting hotels and slopes in areas other than Niseko in Hokkaido, that tends to feel like the wintry equivalent of the Gold Coast during Aussie holiday periods. The Listel Inawashiro is not amazing but a good (and very solid!) hotel, worth a visit and good for families.

  

• AndraYo

  18 septiembre 2019
  Experience Four Seasons-Their Motto, Yes, You Can!

  Early Summer Trip: 1. Go to Lounge on the 18th Floor for afternoon tea, has an excellent view of lake, sunset on the water. 2. Visit the herb garden ¥310. Beautiful red poppies covering the field were in bloom early June. Many fascinating sculptures in garden, dragon is outstanding! Lavender blooms later in June. Or autumn has the red KOKIA Burning Bush with fireworks on September weekends. We had the delicious Japanese buffet which was celebrating different regional dishes of the Tohoku area. The roast beef torch-blasted on Himalayan pink salt was unbelievable! Rooms were very clean and large. Bedroom and a separate tatami room. Thick bathrobes. My husband went to the large Onsen Bath but we never saw the Outdoor Bath or where it was located (poorly communicated- maybe in another building?)

  

• Yeung N

  29 enero 2020
  Pleasant stay

  Hubby and I stayed at this hotel for 5 nights on a ski trip. The hotel is a little dated but the room is very spacious by Japanese standard. We were given a western room (twin bed) and additional tatami area with 2 futon beds. The room can totally accommodate 4 people. Breakfast was very good with lots of options. There is a small ski field in front of the hotel and there is ski rental shop in the basement. The hotel provides free shuttle bus to other ski fields nearby but we had a rental car so didn't use the service. There are a number of restaurants inside the hotel, we had dinner in an izakaya in basement one night, it was pretty standard. There is a gym in the hotel but they charge 1500 yen per visit (which is also standard in Japan).