Snowgum – Testimonials

The owners of the place were so nice, knowledgable and provided shuttles to and from the Hirafu Welcome Center. They have shuttles that go to and from the village all day long – very easy!! They have cute, warm rooms, kitchens and lounge areas that are comfortable and spacious and in the Ramat building there’s a bar, pool table and games plus they do a sweet happy hour and family dinners! I HIGHLY recommend this property and I will definitely stay there again if I go back to Niseko.

Liked it all! They made my trip so easy and stress free and it we met some other awesome people also staying there.

The staffs are very informative, friendly and helpful. They offered a lot of help to us. The villa and even the lodge (which connect to each other) are really homey and comfy. We really feel like home especially during Christmas time. The warm breakfast was served every morning and they all great. The sausages are so yummy…

comfortable beds, social events, a bar with happy hour and the list goes on. I have stayed here twice now and loved it even more the second time. When I go back to Niseko I’m coming back here for sure.

We wanted to experience skiing in the incredible snow powder. We were glad that we stay at Ramat Niseko. The place was like home. It is not that close to Hirafu City Centre, but you can easily take a shuttle (yellow color) not far from the place. They provided the pick up service from the centre to the place. There were 6 of us and we chose villa type instead of lodge. I guess it was more private. The villa was so cozy and really feels like home. The place was clean and neat. The staffs also very helpful. They always give fast response of all the questions that we’ve asked regarding our stay and skiing (we are the first timer so we have no idea what to prepare). They even helped us arrange the lesson, ski lift passes and gear rental. They served warm breakfast every morning and you can use your own kitchen in the villa. You can also find few nice restaurants near the place. They were walking distance. We really recommend this place if you visit Niseko.

Always available when needed. Very consistent work and services their offer. Bravo. I will be back, and I hope you still will be here. Bus stop 24 every 30 minutes at the front door is great. Your shuttle bus twice a day is handy, and once again a personal touch to your guests. Regards and thank you.

Meeting new people every other day was really cool too. The best part was most of the people were ski/snowboard enthusiast, so we get to learn from each other about the mountains and secret snow places.

clean carpeted floors, washer/drier, awesome kitchen, vibe of the people staying there. I liked the pick up and drop off van for when i need to rent gear, go to train station, to the lifts, etc. Staff were awesome, Katie and Sue were super welcoming and helpful, treated us like friends/family. Despite the not so smooth pick up from the late train, i will probably only stay here when i am in Niseko.

There is a bar with darts, a snooker table and TV in Ramat which is available for all guests of both lodges to use. The owners of the property are super friendly, and do regular pick up and drop off runs from the lodge to the main town for first tracks and later at night (07:00, 18:30, 22:00) in addition to the public shuttle.

nothing is too much trouble. Facilities are great, breakfast is great. Good WiFi. You have to catch a shuttle to the base of the mountain, but that seems to be pretty standard.

Included mini fridge in each room and lots of space for hanging up and drying your ski gear / clothes.
Bring your Aussie banter. Everyone is very social – they way a hostel should be.
Highly recommend to anyone going to stay in Niseko.

Extremely helpful staff: with the bookings done in English, multiple easy payment methods, comprehensive itineraries including organizing lift passes and rentals.
On arrival I left some of my gear in a friends pack who was staying on the other side of the village, the staff were very helpful in driving me to get my gear so I didn’t miss a minute of skiing the next day.

Friendly atmosphere, no noise complaints or ques for bathrooms.

Ample storage space in our 4-share bunk room for dry gear and very safe storage outside for wet gear.

We were in the villa for about a week with some family friends and it was a perfect set up – it even had heated carpet. The staff were also very helpful and willing to assist where ever they could which made the stay much more pleasant. The lodge is a short shuttle ride to the ski slopes so I would definitely recommend for people visiting Niseko!

The worlds best snow, food and service can be found at Niseko, but what good is it without friendly affordable accommodation? Staying out at Snowgum provides a great quiet base with the busyness of Hirafu just a ten minute walk away. The best of both worlds.
I did find one big problem though: beware – after such a relaxing break, going back to work has never been so hard.
Sue, Allan, Katie, Sarah, Will, Alex, Leanna, Mitzi and Gary all work so hard to provide their guests with the best ski holiday possible. They obviously enjoy what they do, which produces a great atmosphere for the guests.
Bring on next year!

the continental breakfast is very, very good and the first tracks bus to Hirafu Gondola and Base is great if you want to get to the slopes early and take advantage of untouched powder. However, it is quite overpriced for the size and quality of the room that you receive, and the rooms do not have their own bathrooms. However, the communal bathrooms are extremely clean and hygienic, although it was disappointing that the in-lodge Onsen looked like it hadn’t been used in years. You really feel at home in a community-type atmosphere with the sister lodge Ramat Niseko next door, where we played pool, drank beer, played cards and shared travel stories with other Western travelers. Snowgum also consists of two large common rooms where you can relax of a night after a long day on the slopes. It is surprisingly not as close to the slopes and nightlife as you would expect from a lodge of this price – however, the shuttle bus (yellow dot) from Hirafu and Annupuri stops 50 metres outside the lodge and runs every 20-25 minutes.

Our room was HUGE to say the least with plenty of storage space, huge comfy king bed, mini fridge, a corner room with 2 x large windows and it was spotless clean. No ensuite but with toilets just down the corridor this was not a concern at all (carpeted corridor so no cold feet in middle of the night). 2 x Shower/bathrooms on the upper level were also very very big and was no problem accessing when you needed (no line up). There are 2 x lounge rooms – both with large screen tv and dvd. Free internet was also good.

The communal kitchen was large and ample to do own cooking if you wanted. Breakfast was provided each morning and consisted of cooked oats and other cereals, toast and condiments, fruit, yogurts, juice, tea/coffee and boiled eggs – you could also choose to cook your own eggs a different way. There was plenty to eat for breaky. There is ample storage and drying space for ski equipment. The lodge bus took us up for first lifts/tracks each morning or if you did not want to go to the slopes that early a Hirafu courtesy bus stopped out the front every morning about every half hour.

We are a couple in our early 50’s and we had no problem with other guests in respect of waking us up in the middle of the night or doors banging etc All guests were friendly nice and a mix of ages from youths to retirees.

Special mention to the fantastic staff of the lodge who were always smiling and helpful – Katie, Lauren and Wazz (Warren) – thanks for making our trip a happy one. Second lastly – there are plenty of yummy restaurants within walking distance – advise you to book in advance though so you don’t get disappointed and lastly the lodge does a supermarket run every few nights that you can join. I could rave on more about Snowgum Lodge – it truly is a lovely lodge with a homely welcoming feel. Glad we had the opportunity to stay there and hope we get back there again.

From the moment I enquired about a bed to the moment I left, the lodge staff were so helpful and friendly and made me feel part of the Snowgum/Ramat family. 
From the pick-up service when arriving at The Welcome Centre, to the “first-tracks” shuttle service, there is nothing that is too much trouble for the staff. Providing breakfast in the morning was completely unexpected and Sue’s bar meals at Ramat (co-owned lodge) were so welcome after a long day on the slopes and having no energy to go out for dinner!
The rooms/beds were more than comfortable and the common areas were always filled with guests trying to choose a movie from the huge catalogue on offer. 
And don’t miss the inter-lodge Crud challenge on Friday nights at Ramat!
More than anything I hope to come back soon.

Hunting through reviews on TripAdvisor and asking friends for recommendations, SnowGum Lodge was one of the most common to pop up. We had no problem booking in for a 4 week stay from Xmas eve until late January.

From beginning to end of our stay, Barry, Gayle, Sarah, and owners Sue and Gary made us feel like part of a family. Naturally we are all bonded by the hunt for powder, but we shared many laughs and great times in the lodge. For me personally, I was unable to ski this trip due to knee damage, so I spent a lot of time in the lodge. Sme would go mad, and sometimes I almost did, but we were made to feel so relaxed that it really became like hanging out at home…… Just with more people to talk with and moan to about how I wish was out skiing. Lol.

In any time of need, the staff were always there to help and make sure we got to town for shopping, or knew which bus to catch etc. it was little things like that that make a difference during a long term stay. We can’t wait to return again (and hopefully skiing next time….stupid knee).

Thank you all for a great stay. Bring on the Pow Pow

The accommodation was excellent value, clean and provided everything that you might reasonably expect – but wait there’s more! The welcome and assistance provided by Gayle and Barry in particular, (although not limited to them) made a huge difference – as they went out of their way to help us maximise our snow time, feel welcome, feed us well and help out when we had a minor hiccup with mislaid teenager!

The first tracks bus gets you to the snow early, included breakfast very Aussie friendly and tasty and the facilities provided by their sister lodge, the Ramat, rounded out our experience. We’ll be back.

They took us all over Hokkaido looking for powder, guided us around Niseko mountain on several occasions, only too willing to help out. Everything else is good for the price. The location requires a short free shuttle to the ski-lifts, but the staff will usually run you there or elsewhere at any time of day. Special thanks to thanks Gayle, Barry, Sarah and Katie! Looking forward to adventures there next year…

their adjacent lodge) were very helpful both with the accommodation itself and with transport, advice and assistance. For example, my travel agent stuffed up my lift pass, and Barry, Gayle and Kate made several phone calls and drove me to Grand Hirafu Base to sort it out (which meant I was able to snowboard as intended from day 1). Thanks all!

We booked the Snowgum Lodge apartment which has four bedrooms downstairs and the living area and kitchen upstairs. Right from when we first arrived at Kutchan railway station we were extended the most extraordinary levels of service and hospitality. The welcome was sincere, wholesome and informative being newcomers to this particular accommodation. We were flying blind and had not skied Niseko before. We were given an thorough briefing on the area, introduced to transport access, and familiarised with the property. An additional benefit of staying at Snowgum Lodge is that the owners also run the adjacent Ramat Niseko lodge and we were able to enjoy the restaurant, bar and entertainment facilities there as well. The level of personal service we received was extraordinary and management are very well organised with a dedicated management team – Barry and Gayle (both Australians) on site.