白馬栂池高原の宿 エスポワール みさわ(Hakuba Tsugaike Ski Slope Side Espoir Misawa)

The hospitality provided by the owners (Aya-san and her husband and son) is incredible. So friendly, helpful, courteous and prompt. The way this place is run is faultless & I cannot recommend Espoir Misawa highly enough. Aya-san herself picked us up from the bus stop and also dropped us off at the end of our stay. Her English is good enough despite her thinking its not so great. Any questions we had were answered with respect, accuracy, and friendliness. It was just so wonderful staying here knowing our comfort is at the forefront of their mind. They have a relaxing lounge in the foyer playing soothing jazz and when I mentioned I'm a jazz musician myself to Aya-san's husband...well! Out came the good stuff and he even swapped the piped Bose speakers to floorstanding speakers which were amazing quality. Espoir Misawa is one of the few places in Tsugaike that have certified onsens. Other accommodations state they have public baths but be warned - that might just be tap water. Here, there are certificates framed on the walls (probably a legal requirement?) stating the date inspected, temp, chemical/mineral makeup et al. The genuine ski in/out door was fantastic. It really is ski in, ski out. Just a quick few metres down to the lifts or gondola. Ice cold Asahi beer from the vending machine for only 350 yen! Awesome! I really don't want to be critical when the hospitality was just well beyond expectations but here goes. 1. The mattresses were quite hard and old. New, pillow-top mattresses would go a long way towards making the rooms (at least, the western rooms) more comfortable. 2. The towels provided were an odd fabric - I think microfibre which were utterly non-absorbent. Towels have 1 job - to dry. But they didn't. Also they had been washed in a decent dose of fabric softener which might've helped to repel moisture and also gave the room a smell of the fabric softener. Some might like it, some might not. 3. There was no hanging space for said towels. There is a small hanging rail in the room but the length of this could easily be tripled. 4. The room was very hot. As soon as we entered we immediately asked how to turn off the heater. It remained off for our entire stay and even at night we kept the window open a few inches as it was still too hot. This is winter mind you! 5. Not important but it would be a nice gesture to provide a yukata for popping down to the onsens. All in all, a really fantastic stay and many thanks to Aya-san and her family for such warm hospitality. We'd come back again if points 1 & 2 above were addressed.