Niseko Grandpapa Lodge / accommodation

Great Japanese style lodge / pension for backpackers and solo travellers. The staff were very friendly and helpful. Very good location to get to Harifu ski lifts and surrounded by cafes, restaurants and food trucks within walking distance. Basic food available from the kitchen but recommend just getting out to the local places to eat. Shared bathroom could use a renovation and cleaning up the bar / lounge room would make it alot more inviting.

We stayed at Grandpapa Lodge for 5 days while skiing in Niseko. The location is great -- short walk to downtown / food / drink options, and, while this is not a ski in/ski out, the owner (Kohei-san) runs a shuttle bus to the first chair, which is great! For the return leg, there are free city shuttles (or you can walk, but the walk is a bit long). The rooms (and the rest of the place!) are very neat and clean, breakfast eggs in the basket are delicious. Would highly recommend for a ski trip to Niseko! Pro tip -- if you bring your ski boots, you can rent the skis that Kohei San makes, and those are great too -- we had much better experience than our friends renting at rhythm (rhythm had very long lines, charge twice as much for a pair of skis, and the first set of skis that our friend got were not great, so he had to stand in the line again to swap them)

Me and my boys enjoyed our stay at grand papa greatly. While priced for value, this place went above and beyond our expectations. You may notice all the negative reviews mention the cheese fondue, this is because that is the only bad thing about this joint and it brings the overall score down :(. While the location isnt great, this is unimportant, considering how close the place is to the free shuttle bus around the corner which comes quite often. They have a traditional shower situation so you even get to meet people in the bath. Owner and staff are very based

Loved our trip here. Owner is super nice. Big room and clean facility. It’s not onsen water, but you can take hot bath. Drop us off around 8:15 in the morning to the slope, so you don’t have to walk. We also enjoyed cheese fondue dinner. It was snowing really hard to go out for dinner, so it was good option to have dinner in the lodge. Recommended!

Very charming lodge with a hospitable host. Kohei, the owner, is very accommodating with last minute bookings and pickup / drop-off to the airport shuttle and daily ride to the first lift. Really cozy common areas. Highly recommend the fondue dinner (need to reserve in advance).

Grandpapa is the real deal Japanese ski lodge! The hotel (lodge) is currently run Kohei-san, who grew up in Niseko and is a former pro skier. He's incredible kind, very knowledgeable and super helpful - but also super busy during the winter months. ||||Location: the location of Grandpapa couldn't be better. It's a short walk to some of the best restaurants and bars in Niseko (like Fridge Bar!), and just a few minutes walk to a bus stop that comes frequently and drops you at the gondola. Really, the location is about as good as you can get in Niseko, unless you are ski in, ski out. ||||Vibe: the vibe is super chill! I normally stay at international luxury hotel chains, but Grandpapa was a welcomed change to this blandness. Every evening the staff lights a fire in the "living room" area, filling it with that fire place smell that makes any ski trip that much better. The living room has darts and board games. My friend and I cracked a bottle of wine and played Jenga. It was amazing. ||||Food: the breakfast at Grandpapa is a cool experience. Your room is assigned to a table, and breakfast starts at 8am every morning. It's fun to meet the other guests and chat about mountain conditions, etc. It's like the whole house is getting ready to go shred the mountain together. The breakfast dish changes daily. It was always fairly good, filling me up before hitting the slopes. ||||Rooms: Rooms are basic but cosy. When I was in the room, I enjoyed watching the snow fall from the window. It's worth noting that the walls are quite thin, and you can hear your neighbors pretty easily, but not the end of the world. ||||Overall: my most recent trip to Niseko was incredible, and I credit the location and the relaxed vibe of Grandpapa for making it so good. ||||This was the REAL Japanese ski lodge experience!

Review is in regards to the restaurant. Ridiculously expensive for what you get. Also falsely advertising the set menu on the board downstairs which indicates it includes red meat, dessert and coffee (which it did not). Avoid and enjoy some of the other restaurants in town that offer better value for money.

I’ve stayed at the Grandpapa three separate times and have had a very positive experience each time. The staff is always accommodating and friendly. The manager Kohei is always responsive and has provided me a complimentary ride from the Hirafu visitors center. The rooms are cozy and most have nice views of Mt. Yotei. The free shuttle bus stop to Grand Hirafu and Hanazono is located at the end of the street. |Each morning a nice, western style breakfast is offered. |There is a very nice, affordable onsen located around the corner. It’s only 600 Yen for a very relaxing way to end the day. |There are many restaurants, shops, bars, etc. about 10 minutes walk in the village.||I would highly recommend the Grandpapa and I will be staying here again I am sure.

Great Japanese style lodge / pension for backpackers and solo travellers. The staff were very friendly and helpful. Very good location to get to Harifu ski lifts and surrounded by cafes, restaurants and food trucks within walking distance. Basic food available from the kitchen but recommend just getting out to the local places to eat. Shared bathroom could use a renovation and cleaning up the bar / lounge room would make it alot more inviting.

We stayed at Grandpapa Lodge for 5 days while skiing in Niseko. The location is great -- short walk to downtown / food / drink options, and, while this is not a ski in/ski out, the owner (Kohei-san) runs a shuttle bus to the first chair, which is great! For the return leg, there are free city shuttles (or you can walk, but the walk is a bit long). The rooms (and the rest of the place!) are very neat and clean, breakfast eggs in the basket are delicious. Would highly recommend for a ski trip to Niseko! Pro tip -- if you bring your ski boots, you can rent the skis that Kohei San makes, and those are great too -- we had much better experience than our friends renting at rhythm (rhythm had very long lines, charge twice as much for a pair of skis, and the first set of skis that our friend got were not great, so he had to stand in the line again to swap them)

Me and my boys enjoyed our stay at grand papa greatly. While priced for value, this place went above and beyond our expectations. You may notice all the negative reviews mention the cheese fondue, this is because that is the only bad thing about this joint and it brings the overall score down :(. While the location isnt great, this is unimportant, considering how close the place is to the free shuttle bus around the corner which comes quite often. They have a traditional shower situation so you even get to meet people in the bath. Owner and staff are very based

Loved our trip here. Owner is super nice. Big room and clean facility. It’s not onsen water, but you can take hot bath. Drop us off around 8:15 in the morning to the slope, so you don’t have to walk. We also enjoyed cheese fondue dinner. It was snowing really hard to go out for dinner, so it was good option to have dinner in the lodge. Recommended!

Very charming lodge with a hospitable host. Kohei, the owner, is very accommodating with last minute bookings and pickup / drop-off to the airport shuttle and daily ride to the first lift. Really cozy common areas. Highly recommend the fondue dinner (need to reserve in advance).

Grandpapa is the real deal Japanese ski lodge! The hotel (lodge) is currently run Kohei-san, who grew up in Niseko and is a former pro skier. He's incredible kind, very knowledgeable and super helpful - but also super busy during the winter months. ||||Location: the location of Grandpapa couldn't be better. It's a short walk to some of the best restaurants and bars in Niseko (like Fridge Bar!), and just a few minutes walk to a bus stop that comes frequently and drops you at the gondola. Really, the location is about as good as you can get in Niseko, unless you are ski in, ski out. ||||Vibe: the vibe is super chill! I normally stay at international luxury hotel chains, but Grandpapa was a welcomed change to this blandness. Every evening the staff lights a fire in the "living room" area, filling it with that fire place smell that makes any ski trip that much better. The living room has darts and board games. My friend and I cracked a bottle of wine and played Jenga. It was amazing. ||||Food: the breakfast at Grandpapa is a cool experience. Your room is assigned to a table, and breakfast starts at 8am every morning. It's fun to meet the other guests and chat about mountain conditions, etc. It's like the whole house is getting ready to go shred the mountain together. The breakfast dish changes daily. It was always fairly good, filling me up before hitting the slopes. ||||Rooms: Rooms are basic but cosy. When I was in the room, I enjoyed watching the snow fall from the window. It's worth noting that the walls are quite thin, and you can hear your neighbors pretty easily, but not the end of the world. ||||Overall: my most recent trip to Niseko was incredible, and I credit the location and the relaxed vibe of Grandpapa for making it so good. ||||This was the REAL Japanese ski lodge experience!

Review is in regards to the restaurant. Ridiculously expensive for what you get. Also falsely advertising the set menu on the board downstairs which indicates it includes red meat, dessert and coffee (which it did not). Avoid and enjoy some of the other restaurants in town that offer better value for money.

I’ve stayed at the Grandpapa three separate times and have had a very positive experience each time. The staff is always accommodating and friendly. The manager Kohei is always responsive and has provided me a complimentary ride from the Hirafu visitors center. The rooms are cozy and most have nice views of Mt. Yotei. The free shuttle bus stop to Grand Hirafu and Hanazono is located at the end of the street. |Each morning a nice, western style breakfast is offered. |There is a very nice, affordable onsen located around the corner. It’s only 600 Yen for a very relaxing way to end the day. |There are many restaurants, shops, bars, etc. about 10 minutes walk in the village.||I would highly recommend the Grandpapa and I will be staying here again I am sure.