A fusion of the best of the east and the west, Hotel Alpenburg was built in the 1990s in preparation for the area’s hosting of the 1998 Winter Olympics. It is a ski-in/ski-out hotel that enjoys a 60% repeat customer base. It has Austrian style and was built by European carpenters who were brought in just to build the hotel, so everything is authentic both inside and out. Not surprisingly, it was the home of the Austrian ski team during the Olympics including the giant slalom gold medallist, Hermann Maier. But the king of ski racing isn’t the only Royalty that has stayed here, there was a room built especially for Japan’s prince and princess to use during the games (the room is available for rent and is, not surprisingly, called the Princess Room).
All the rooms are western style and feature lots of woodwork and traditional European style furniture. Rooms types are standard twin, deluxe twin and special rooms. All the rooms have bathrooms and are very spacious and comfortable; and most of the rooms have balconies and great views of the slopes and of the Giant ski area. The larger rooms have sofas which can be turned into sleeper sofas.
All the rates include breakfast and dinner served in a lovely dining room (It is not possible to get only breakfast since there are no nearby alternative restaurants for dinner). The dinner alternates between western style dishes and Japanese cuisine. The menu is in English so you know what you are exactly eating. The dining room also serves lunch. The hotel has a bar with a nice fireplace where you can relax and chat with Kodama-san who will be more than happy to share some Japanese whisky, beer or sake with you, and he seems like the sort of guy who’ll be very happy to share more than one.
You will love the outdoor onsen of this hotel which Scout thinks is one of the best in the area. It’s set in stones with lots of snow around and the natural hot spring water emits a slight sulfur smell (which means it’s great for your skin!). The hotel also has an indoor onsen, swimming pool, sauna and Jacuzzi.
Hotel Alpenburg will make you feel like you are in Europe but in a different setting and with Japanese hospitality and warmth. No wonder, it is a long-time favorite of skiers who come to Shiga Kogen to enjoy the skiing.
