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Villa Alpen

3.0 star property
3-star ski-in/ski-out lodge near Shiga Kogen Ski Area

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Photo gallery for Villa Alpen

Bar (on property)
Desk, free WiFi, bed sheets
Exterior
Public bath
Restaurant

Reviews

9.2 out of 10
Wonderful

Popular amenities

  • Parking included
  • Free WiFi
  • Restaurant
  • Air conditioning
  • Business services
  • Bar

Explore the area

View in a map
7148 Hirao, Yamanouchi-cho, Sun Valley, Shiga Plateau, Yamanouchi, Nagano-ken, 381-0401
  • Place, Shiga Kogen Ski Area
    ‪1 min walk‬
  • Place, Maruike Ski Area
    ‪1 min walk‬
  • Place, Hasuike Ski Area
    ‪1 min walk‬

Room options

View all photos for Western Japanese Room or Japanese Style Room (Bed)(w/ Toilet, w/o TV)

Western Japanese Room or Japanese Style Room (Bed)(w/ Toilet, w/o TV)

Western Japanese Room or Japanese Style Room (Bed)(w/ Toilet, w/o TV)

  • 18 sq m
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 3
  • 2 Twin Beds and 1 Twin Futon
  • Free WiFi

View all photos for Family Room, Non Smoking (Japanese Style, w/ Toilet, w/o TV)

Family Room, Non Smoking (Japanese Style, w/ Toilet, w/o TV)

Family Room, Non Smoking (Japanese Style, w/ Toilet, w/o TV)

10.0 out of 10
Exceptional
(1 review)
  • Mountain view
  • 24 sq m
  • Sleeps 4
  • 4 Twin Futons
  • Free WiFi

View all photos for Family Quadruple Room, Non Smoking (Western Japanese, w/ Toilet, w/o TV)

Family Quadruple Room, Non Smoking (Western Japanese, w/ Toilet, w/o TV)

Family Quadruple Room, Non Smoking (Western Japanese, w/ Toilet, w/o TV)

  • Mountain view
  • 24 sq m
  • Sleeps 4
  • 1 Double Bed, 1 Twin Bed and 1 Twin Futon
  • Free WiFi

About the area

Yamanouchi

Near the slopes.At this Shiga Highlands lodge, you'll be steps from Shiga Kogen Ski Area and within a 15-minute walk of Shiga Kogan Nature Conservation Center. Maruike Ski Area and Hasuike Ski Area are also within half a mile (1 km).
View more Lodges in YamanouchiOpens in a new window

What's nearby

  • Shiga Kogen Ski Area - 1 min walk - 0.0 km
  • Maruike Ski Area - 1 min walk - 0.0 km
  • Hasuike Ski Area - 1 min walk - 0.0 km
  • Joshin'etsu-kogen National Park - 1 min walk - 0.0 km
  • Ishinoyugenjibotaru Park - 12 min drive - 8.0 km

Getting around

  • Yudanaka Station - 21 min drive
  • Shinshu - Matsumoto Airport (MMJ) - 105 min drive

Restaurants

  • ‪山ノ内大勝軒 - ‬14 min walk
  • ‪中国料理 獅子 - ‬8 min drive
  • ‪大勝軒 - ‬7 min drive
  • ‪猿座カフェ (ENZA Cafe) - ‬9 min drive
  • ‪レストラン Hi HAPPY - ‬7 min drive

About this property

Villa Alpen

3-star ski-in/ski-out lodge near Shiga Kogen Ski Area
For a free ride to the slopes, hop on the lodge's complimentary ski shuttle. Villa Alpen helps provide the perfect winter holiday with ski storage and ski equipment rentals. At the end of the day, order après-ski drinks at the lodge's bar.

Along with a restaurant, there's a coffee shop/cafe on site. A computer station is on site and WiFi is free in public spaces. Limited free parking is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

This 3-star Yamanouchi lodge is smoke free.

  • 28 guestrooms or units
  • Ski equipment storage
  • Ski equipment rentals
  • Self-service laundry
  • Front desk (24 hours)
  • Staff is multilingual
  • Storage area for luggage
  • Tour and ticket information
  • Gift shop
  • Computer for guest use
  • Fireplace in lobby
  • Television in lobby
  • Elevator
  • No smoking on site
  • Bar or lounge
  • Coffee shop
  • 1 conference room
  • Dining venue
Villa Alpen offers 28 air-conditioned accommodations with slippers and complimentary toiletries. This Yamanouchi lodge provides complimentary wireless Internet access. Business-friendly amenities include desks and phones. Housekeeping is offered daily and hair dryers can be requested. Housekeeping is provided on a limited basis.
Public bath/onsen services include an indoor public bath (no minerals).

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  • Parking included
  • Restaurant
  • Breakfast available
  • Bar
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Property amenities

Family friendly

  • Free area shuttle
  • Laundry facilities
  • Playground

Internet

  • Available in all rooms: Free WiFi
  • Available in some public areas: Free WiFi

Parking and transportation

  • Free area shuttle
  • Free ski shuttle
  • Free extended parking on site
  • Free RV/bus/truck parking on site
  • Limited onsite self parking

Food and drink

  • A bar/lounge
  • A coffee shop/cafe
  • A restaurant

Things to do

  • Playground
  • Ski equipment rentals
  • Ski storage
  • Ski-in/ski-out access
  • TV in common areas

Accessibility

  • If you have requests for specific accessibility needs, please contact the property using the information on the reservation confirmation received after booking.
  • Elevator
  • Handrails in hallways
  • Stair-free path to entrance
  • Valet for wheelchair-equipped vehicles
  • Well-lit path to entrance
  • Wheelchair accessible (may have limitations)
  • Wheelchair-accessible path of travel
  • Wheelchair-accessible path to elevator
  • Wheelchair-accessible registration desk
  • Wheelchair-accessible restaurant
  • Wheelchairs on site

Room amenities

Bedroom

  • Bedsheets provided

Bathroom

  • Free toiletries
  • Hair dryer (on request)
  • Private or shared bathroom
  • Slippers
  • Towels provided

More

  • Air conditioning
  • Desk
  • Phone

Policies

Check-in

Check-in start time: 3 PM; Check-in end time: 6 PM
Late check-in subject to availability

Check-out

Check-out before 10 AM

Special check-in instructions

Guests must contact the property in advance for check-in instructions; front desk staff will greet guests on arrival at the property
To make arrangements for check-in please contact the property at least 24 hours before arrival using the information on the booking confirmation
If you are planning to arrive after 6 PM please contact the property in advance using the information on the booking confirmation
Information provided by the property may be translated using automated translation tools
Vegetarian dinner options are available for guests booked in Half Board rate plans. Additional fees of JPY 1,200 apply for vegetarian options and guests must contact the property 2 weeks prior to arrival to request this dinner.
This property is unable to accommodate dietary restrictions, including gluten-free diets.

Access methods

Staffed front desk

Pets

  • No pets allowed, but service animals are welcome

Children and extra beds

  • Children are welcome.
  • Rollaway/extra beds are not available.
  • Cribs (infant beds) are not available.

Property payment types

Important information

Fees

Guests will be asked to pay the following charges at the property:

  • A city tax may be collected at the property. The city tax ranges from JPY 100–10,000 per person, per night based on the nightly room rate. Please note that further exemptions may apply. For more details, please contact the property using the information on the reservation confirmation received after booking.

We've listed all charges provided to us by the property.

You need to know

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
The name on the credit card used at check-in to pay for incidentals must be the primary name on the guestroom reservation
This property accepts credit cards
Noise-free guestrooms cannot be guaranteed
Safety features at this property include a fire extinguisher
Charges for extra guests may apply and vary according to property policy.
A cash deposit or credit card for incidental charges and government-issued photo identification may be required upon check-in.
Special requests are subject to availability at the time of check-in. Special requests can't be guaranteed and may incur additional charges.
    This property is managed by a professional host. The provision of housing is linked to their trade, business, or profession. The name on the credit card used at check-in to pay for incidentals must be the primary name on the guestroom reservation. This property accepts Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, Diners Club, and JCB International. Noise-free guestrooms cannot be guaranteed.
    For guests' safety, the property includes a fire extinguisher in each accommodation.

We should mention

  • Registered guests are the only ones allowed to be in guestrooms.
  • As required by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare, all international visitors must submit their passport number and nationality when registering at any lodging facility (inns, hotels, motels, etc. ). Also, it's required that lodging proprietors photocopy the passports of all registering guests and keep the photocopy on file.
  • Please note that some properties do not permit guests with tattoos to use the onsite public bathing facilities.

Property is also known as

Villa Alpen
Villa Alpen Hotel
Villa Alpen Hotel Yamanouchi
Villa Alpen Yamanouchi
Villa Alpen Lodge Yamanouchi
Villa Alpen Lodge
Villa Alpen Lodge
Villa Alpen Yamanouchi
Villa Alpen Lodge Yamanouchi

Frequently asked questions

How close is Villa Alpen to the airport?

Villa Alpen is 70.1 mi (105-min drive) away from the Shinshu - Matsumoto Airport (MMJ) airport, the closest popular airport to the property.

Does Villa Alpen have an airport shuttle?

Airport shuttle services are not available at Villa Alpen.

Does Villa Alpen offer free breakfast?

Villa Alpen does not offer free breakfast.

Is there a casino at Villa Alpen?

No, there is no casino at this lodge.

What time is check-in at Villa Alpen?

Check-in start time: 3 PM; Check-in end time: 6 PM.

Is there free parking at Villa Alpen?

This lodge offers free self parking and extended parking.

Does Villa Alpen have a pool?

Villa Alpen does not have a pool.

Does Villa Alpen have a restaurant?

Yes, there is a restaurant on site.

Does Villa Alpen have a spa?

There are no spa services available at this lodge.

How close is Villa Alpen to downtown Yamanouchi?

Villa Alpen is 2.9 mi away from Yamanouchi.

Villa Alpen Reviews

Reviews

9.2

Wonderful

Rating 10 - Excellent. 26 out of 40 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 10 out of 40 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 4 out of 40 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 0 out of 40 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 0 out of 40 reviews

8.6/10

Cleanliness

9.8/10

Staff & service

8.8/10

Amenities

7.8/10

Property conditions & facilities

Reviews

Verified

8/10 Good

Mark

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Nice place to stay with great staff, onsen and food. No other options for food locally
Stayed 4 nights in Jan 2025
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Alexander

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The staff was lovely and went out of their way to make you feel welcome. They dinner and breakfast for half-biard was excellent.
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2025
Verified

10/10 Excellent

luke

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
My stay was amazing, our host made a point to ask how the day went and what plans we had to see if he could help in anyway! Great location for getting in some laps at the ski resort
Stayed 4 nights in Mar 2025
Verified

8/10 Good

Peter

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
The family running this are the most pleasant and helpful I have found in Japan. Further the staff all speak English well.
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2024
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Jonathan

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Staff was great and ver accommodating. Ski rentals were found at hotel facility.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2023
Verified

10/10 Excellent

asia

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Wonderful staff at villa alpen. Food was excellent and Onsen was hot. Easy access to sun valley and a quick couple chairlifts and traverses to the other hills. 30 seconds to chairlift and 2 minute walk to the free ski bus.
Stayed 4 nights in Feb 2025
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Clinton

Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Hospitable and warm doesn’t even begin to describe this place. Captain, his family and staff took amazing care of us during our stay. Captain’s wife prepared delicious healthy meals for us every day. Guests from all over the world gathered in the evenings to enjoy games, drinks and conversation. We booked a Japanese style room, the beds were comfortable and the room was spacious. Monkeys can be seen in the trees while enjoying the onsen. Shared showers and washrooms were clean and well maintained. Located on the ski run in Sun Valley. Easy bus access to Nagano Station. Had an amazing time here, would love to come back again soon.
Delicious home cooked meals
Stayed 4 nights in Jan 2026
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Highly recommended

We stayed for 5 nights and we ski out using the sun valley chairlift just outside the hotel. Captain, Ken and the staff are very friendly and willing to help. The food is great and there is a very relaxing bar area as well.
Stayed 5 nights in Mar 2023
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Veronica

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort

Sun Valley Shiga Kogen

In the middle of extraordinary mountains, a ski-in hotel . All the staff speaks English and a bit of French.Everybody was super kind and nice.
Stayed 4 nights in Feb 2024
Verified

8/10 Good

Khloe

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Villa Alpen was like a home away from home. A lovely welcoming family run older traditional hotel. The hosts could not do enough to help through out our stay. Meals were wonderful and plentiful. The cosy fire place where guests gather and relax in the evenings is wonderful place to meet fellow guests and share stories.
Stayed 3 nights in Feb 2024
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Lisa

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Everything needed for a ski holiday in one spot

Convenient base from which to explore the various ski resorts of Shiga Kogen. Sun Valley is one of the first areas you approach from Nagano, so arrival by bus from Nagano station was quick and easy (a 3+- min walk from the stop on the highway.). Sun Valley's chairlift is right outside the front door, from there we were able to piece together the chair/gondola lifts to make it to all the other resorts too (1.75 hrs skiing & lifts to Okushiga Kogen.) Communal bath was a highlight, indoor only but with big windows overlooking the forest outside. Loved their bar/breakfast area when open, and the dinners we had each night were great - Japanese style with a variety of foods even picky eaters looked satisfied. Thanks to the Captain and entire staff for making us feel well taken care of :-).
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2025
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Thomas

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Friendly fun ski lodge

Great fun hotel. The Captain who owns the place is an 80 year old Japanese Olympic ski racer and full of interesting stories and enthusiasm for skiing and the mountains. His son Ken is also a good and enthusiastic skier. Everyone speaks great english. Dinner was excellent and included the best fried chicken my 12 year old son has EVER had. Breakfast good too. There is a pleasant bar on site open until 10 pm. The hotel is genuine ski in ski out and about 15s ski to the lift. My kids borrowed sledges for free too. There is a ski rental downstairs run by the same family which we didnt use but others said was great.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Tom

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The family that runs Villa Alpen is wonderful and make you feel right at home. The onsen was amazing and perfect for post-powder day rehab of the muscles! It is a simple, older property (as many are throughout the region) but very well kept. Like a lot of Shiga Kogen villages, there is no (or limited) resaurant options, especially for dinner Thus recommend going with with hotel provided breakfast and lunch. If you plan to use shuttle service between villages, pay close attention to the schedule as last one runs around 6:30pm (depending where you are) and there are no taxis. The skiing was top notch at Yakebitai and Osokogen. Helped that they got a ton of snow when i arrived ; ) Was very hard to leave and miss another poweder day after 1 foot fell the morning I left. : ( Highly recommend staying a few days minimum and explore all the ski areas.
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2024
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Yoko

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

落ち着いた癒される宿です

到着から出発まで、宿の方の温かいおもてなしの気持ちが伝わり、ゆったりと落ち着いて過ごせました。建物は古いですが、その古さが落ち着きあり癒される素敵な空間になってます。綺麗に清掃されてあり清潔です。 料理も手作りで程よく美味しくいただきました。
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2023
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Quel accueil ! Un hôtel familial, vous serez reçus comme des rois par le “Captain”, sa famille et son staff ... Toujours prêts à vous rendre service, l’équipe vous fera vous sentir comme à la maison. La situation aux pieds des pistes et à côté des arrêts de bus est idéal. ありがとう (ございます)
Stayed 9 nights in Feb 2020
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Johnny

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Out of the extraordinary

One of the most family-kind-of experiences! fantastic service, friendly staff, great food, and great facilities - only 50 meter to the ski lift
Stayed 4 nights in Dec 2019
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Fitty

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

just beside Sun Valley Chair Lift

Very warm and tidy hotel, Captain, Ken and the family members are all very nice and they are all very good ski instructors, very warm and good to stay.
Stayed 6 nights in Jan 2018
Verified

8/10 Good

fitty

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort

The hotel just beside sun valley chair lift

We have a very good time while staying at this hotel, this is a family run hotel and Captain and Ken are both ski expert. They just like our friends and family and we have a very good time here. Hotel room not new but very clean and the breadfast and dinner are good too.
Stayed 6 nights in Jan 2018
Verified

8/10 Good

Ripman

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

A recommendable hotel

Villa Alpen is located in Sun Valley area, the most West-end of the Shiga Kogen skiing fields, connected to other fields by charge-free shuttle busses. There are a number of selling points for Villa Alpen, 1)it is a small but cosy place, a family running hotel. Captain Nobody Okazawa sang, the owner, his wife and son, Ken, are all very kind and helpful person. You will feel very comfortable with them. 2) you can rent any skiing or snow boarding equipment from the hotel but without caring for rental and storage troubles. 3) about 50 meters to a Monkey Swing from the hotel, very convenient to get start a fun. 4) even the room site is not space as expected but a tatami area is very suitable for a family living. 5)with a build-in onsen(hot spring), very convenient and comfortable for a recovery day-activity-after. 6)and, we would like to say many thanks to Ken for him always try to help us in traffic arrangements and fields instructions. Totally, a very good memory to us when a week vacation there.
Stayed 6 nights in Dec 2017
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Warm retreat in sun valley shiga kogen

Well worn but comfortable lodge. Some may find facility not modern but it actually has its own atmosphere which is centred around the warmth of the family and staff that run villa alpen.
Verified

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Staff & service

Location

We stayed in a family room for 5 nights, the room is ok need to update. Great location for skiing, plenty snow and we hired our ski gears at the Alpen, professionally fitted, very friendly staff & helpful.
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Hanne Lodberg

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Helt fantastisk service

Hotelservice topkvalitet. Ejeren også kaldet Captain er hel utrolig hjælpsom, han gør alt for, at sine gæster føler sig godt tilpas. Taler engelsk og er behjælpelig med ture i området. Vi følte os meget velkommen. Vi var ikke kommet for at stå på ski. Vi lejede ski sko og gik skønne ture og besøgte abe parken. Ellers Suveræn ski sport sted. Herlig Onsen på hotellet, hyggelig bar og dejlig mad. At hotellet var lidt slidt havde kun sin charme, alt det andet får top karakter.
Verified

6/10 Okay

PearlF

Liked: Staff & service

Close to great ski slopes

It's a family owned hotel so service is very personalised and friendly. They helped us to arrange for taxi pick-up from Narita airport to ski lodge, gave us guidance on bus schedules and monkey park operating hours etc. Real ski-in/ski-out resort and we managed to get english speaking ski-instructors. Breakfast spread is simple but adequate and dinner is good. We stayed in the family room so it was basic but comfortable considering we had to sleep on futons. The room had great view of the ski slopes and surrounding mountains. Only wish that the rooms had internet connection. Wi-fi connection in the public area was poor.
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Shaun

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Close to lifts

Was an excellent location to lifts and bus stops staff where very helpful and friendly and the Captain is a really good host!
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Great Hotel

Great hotel. Family Atmosphere. Not flash or fancy but very servicable. Staff were fantastic! Very friendly and helpful. Hotel in great location right next to lift. Quiet location ideal for families.