How was your summer holiday?

Summer surprise

1. Breathe the fresh air and try to get used to sleeping without the hum of an air conditioner in the middle of the summer.
2. Lazing around Country Resort with family & friends while watching the kids catch bugs, ride bikes and discover nature
3. Fishing in the streams, lakes, and rivers
4. Drinking the fresh spring water from Mt. Youtei
5. Fruit picking and devouring the subsequent pies, cobblers, and crisps.
6. Swimming in Lake Toya, Shakotan peninsula, and the other nearby beaches.
7. Golf (spoiled for choice at any of the 3 championship courses near to Country Resort) and park golf is fun too
8. Adventure centres (Niseko Village and Hanazono provide zip lines, ski jumps, wake boarding, tubing and an assortment of other activities)
9. White water rafting
10. Star gazing at night 
11. Munching on the fresh vegetables from the many local farms, the Tofu factory at the base of Mt. Youtei, the yogurt drink at Kyobo milk farm, the fresh sushi from Otaru (we could go on and on and on here).

We’re still looking to add to the list, so be sure to contact Stuart and his team for the best in Niseko activities.

Concierge Corner

Capturing domestic tourists is an important component in increasing yields for chalet owners. Japanese tourists tend to visit during Golden Week in May, the Obon festival during the summer, and in the fall when the leaves are turning color – all times when the foreign tourists are not prevalent in Niseko. Well, at least not yet.  

Looking for a winter break?

Preparations for winter have begun in earnest.  We are completing another 5 chalets this year which will increase our community to 33 chalets.  We have also planted a garden and put in a new driveway with additional parking spaces for the Private Kitchen which we hope to have in operation as a cafe during the entire winter season.  More on this exciting development in the next newsletter.  

Season Forecast – Snow, Snow and Snow

Domo Arigato Country Resorto!

Arriving at Country Resort in Niseko is like landing in a quiet little hamlet where the scene is tranquil, the people friendly, and the service is superb. We landed by bus at the Welcome Center in Hirafu and were greeted by the always friendly and upbeat staff (Stuart, I hope you enjoy Indo!) of The Chalest who whisked us the short drive to our home away from home just 10 minutes from downtown. Our house had a warm slate floor entry/ski room where we would hang up wet ski clothes nightly to find them totally dry in the morning. On a ski trip, this is critical and The Chalets had this dialed. Our modern kitchen was compact and complete making for efficient cooking (although we did eat out most of the time as Niseko/Hirafu has some excellent restaurants). The kitchen had a simple dining area suitable for six adults plus kids in the open living area. Trimmed in local wood, the very modern house has a warm and functional feel. There are additional closets downstairs if needed. Modern bathrooms are equipped with all the latest conveniences you would expect in the Japan of today. Spacious and comfortable to share with another if you like. The bedrooms are fitted with carpeted floors (hardwood is used everywhere except in the bathrooms where it’s slate tile) luxurious linens, dreamy mattresses, and cozy warm comforters. In a word: plush. The windows let in as much light as we wanted, and we would simply adjust the shades as desired. 

Now this trip is about skiing right? Well, skiing and eating. And the team at The Chalets at Country Resort makes sure that you will get to town when you need to by providing shuttle service on the half-hour (most of the day) with pick-up at your door. It could not be more convenient. Simply step outside and the van is there as scheduled to carry you into town to ski, eat, onsen, shop, or just walk around.

The Chalets at Country Resort and Niseko Hirafu is blessed by amazing food, incredible scenery, one of the snowiest ski regions in the world (18 meters of snowfall annually!), and certainly some of nicest people who really do make the effort ensuring you will enjoy your vacation. 

Thank you so much!

Tony Pastore

 California, USA

We had another wonderful visit to The Chalets at Country Resorts a few weeks ago and wanted to let you know what a good job Stuart Cady and his team did for us.

I’ve written a Letter of Commendation for Stuart, as we felt his service and pleasant attitude needed to be recognized.  I’ve attached it to this email. 

We were amazed at how much snow there was at the end of March!  We would love to come back again sometime for the snow, the skiing, the dining and the staff/accomodations at The Chalets at Country Resorts.

We will recommend the Chalets and skiing in Niseko to our friends and wish you all the best in your future endeavors.

 Sincerely,

Mary Lee Stenson

Jakarta, Indonesia

13 April, 2010

Mt Yotei from our Window in Country Resort

Well, it has been 2 years since we last enjoyed our home in the snow and wow has it blossomed.  We have new chalets, new neighbors, a new private kitchen/kids club, new concierge team, and tons of new powder.  I didn’t expect this much snow so soon but we are not complaining!  We fell in love with Country Resort when there was nothing here and now that we have a community, it rocks.  We have made new friends during the Christmas and New Years parties we hosted at the private kitchen.

Winter wonderland in Niseko Country Resort

Everyone on the team has been fantastic.  Geoffrey has made the wonderful dinners a reality with the help of Guy and the team.  Stuart, Ben, the always smiling Kana, and the team made a fantastic ice bar that was huge hit.  Our English roses Helen, Philippa, and Katie made sure the glasses were full and the spirits high.  The highlight of the night was Santa’s appearance (Guy) with his trusty Rudolph (Kana) and Christmas tree (Katie) in tow.  Good times had by all…

Santa, Rudolph and the tree

Chi and Eddie at Country Resort Xmas party

Helen Katie and Philippa

Master Chef Geoff and Chi

Stuart and Ben

2 More sleeps until 2010!

Santa proves guests not all naughty

As Christmas Eve drew to a close there were some worried guests at The Chalets. It seems they were a little worried as to whether Santa could find them under so much snow.

Concierge Corner

Last month’s tips from our ever resourceful concierge team received the most comments of any feature we’ve run (better than last year’s interview with Santa). They’re back this month with more tips to make your holiday a great one.

Looking for a winter break?

We’ve had a record December for bookings and have a good flow for the rest of the year. If you are thinking of a winter break, contact (steve.reck@nisekoresortsgroup.com) immediately for to see if there is availability.  There are some open spots in January and we will offer a great deal for newsletter readers to take advantage of.  We want everyone to feel the rush of thrashing through the powder so contact him soon so you don’t miss out.

Season Forecast – Snow, Snow and Snow

It’s official, the lifts are open!

Growth Continues

The long awaited cafe, The Private Kitchen is nearing completion. We’re releasing an early picture here complete with the Gazebo to get you thinking about the possibilities.

Concierge Corner

Our team on the ground prides themselves on knowing how to have fun and they want you to benefit from that experience.  We asked them to start out with their Top 5 Tips for Niseko Visitors.  Here’s what they came up with.

Looking for a holiday?

We have had a record breaking pre-season for bookings and anticipate that most weeks will be close to sold out.  Already the Christmas to New Year and Lunar New Year times are fully booked out (it’s a good thing we’re building more).  If you haven’t reserved your holiday with us, or you want to let your friends share in the good times to be had, contact Steve Reck at steve.reck@nisekoresortsgroup.com quickly to check availability.  We want everyone to feel the rush of thrashing through the powder so contact him soon so you don’t miss out.

Season Forecast – Snow, Snow and Snow

Niseko, Japan, Receives Up To 60cm–Check Out Photos

By jstifter – November 5, 2009 – 14:08

Welcome!

It’s official, there’s snow on Mt. Youtei (hatsu yuki = first snow) and that can only mean one thing – the winter season is on the way. While the official season doesn’t start until next month, our thougths are racing in anticipaton of all the good times to be had here at The Chalets at Country Resort. 

Update from “Powder Paradise”

This fall has once again seen activity bubble up in our part of Country Resort.  There are 3 new chalets under construction as well as our long awaited restaurant.  The team from Niseko RDC have been out in force to help us complete the project on time and word is that things are flowing smoothly. 

We’ve also completed hiring our expanded ground staff for the year. With all the new chalets from last year and this year, we know that we have to expand our service team to deliver the personal service that you have come to expect.  This year we’ve gone with the credo of “many hands make light the work” and have doubled our staffing.  You’ll meet most of them in the next edition of this newsletter and they look forward to meeting you on your next visit to “Powder Paradise”.

We had a great summer here at The Chalets.  For those of you who didn’t join us, you missed out on the fun.  Along with landscaping our little village, we found some great spots to fish, cycled like crazy on the many different nearby roads and played golf on the courses that seem like they are in our backyard.  Even though we were doing some construction, we managed a record summer for guests to The Chalets and certainly proved that Niseko is an “all seasons” place.  That being said, we’re ready for a powder fix.  We experienced above average rainfall this summer and speculation is rife that it will lead to even better snow this season.  Can that be true? You’ll have to be here to find out.  As always, you can leave your comments on our blog at www.nisekoresortsgroup.com/blog and tell the world what a great time you had while you were here.

Just about a month ago, we released our new website to the world. For those of you who haven’t seen it, www.nisekocountryresort.com, is getting rave reviews.  We’ve more than doubled the traffic from last year to the site and that is resulting in a large increase in booking opportunities. Our Chalets are filling up fast and the major holiday weeks are almost sold out. If you are thinking about a holiday in the luxury of our Chalets and haven’t reserved yet, do not hesitate to contact Steve at steve.reck@nisekoresortsgroup.com to see if your favourite dates are still available.

We all want to be our best this season when we arrive in Niseko and head out to the Mountain that first time. To help us get the most of it, we’ve asked a friend of the group, Katie Jackson from Jackson Hole’s Training to Be Balanced, to give us some tips on exercises we could be doing now to make sure we are prepared for the powder.  You can check her website out at www.t2bb.com.

The exercises below focus on core, glute and hamstring activation and single leg movements for better ankle knee and hip alignment which is key for all winter sports.

Single Leg Quick Squat

1. Stand in an athletic stance

2. Swing leg behind body

3. Squat up/down at a moderate speed being careful to keep good hip/knee alignment

**Avoid major inward knee bend & shift weight to heel for added balance

Mountain Climbers

Get into push up position with back and hips straight & parallel w the floor, hands positioned slightly outside of your shoulders. Keep one leg straight, with the other bent and near your chest.

Quickly drive bent knee back while bringing straight leg up to chest. Alternate for 1 minute.

24’s (why 24’s – you’ll find out soon enough)

1. Standing squats. Stand with your feet a little more than shoulder width apart. Hands are behind head. Push off heels and squat quickly 24 times.

2. Alternating forward lunges. Quickly lunge forward & down, keeping your back straight. Repeat 24 times.

3. Scissors lunge jump. Lunge jump 24 times alternating legs forward. Switch feet in the air.

4. Jump Squats. Repeat exercise #1, adding a jump to each squat 24 times.

When you’ve caught your breath, continue reading…

There is a rumor that we will be testing everyone on arrival. It could be worth some drinks in the bar so get in there and get started.    

We think that the 2009/2010 season will be one of the best ever. Our aim is to help more guests have more fun ever. Your holiday is our business so if we can help in any way, do not hesitate to contact us. You might be surprised what our ground staff can pull off!  If you have friends who want to come join you on a great holiday or who you think would enjoy the area, be sure to have them email Steve on steve.reck@nisekoresortsgroup.com and we will make sure they get our absolute best price – unless you want us to charge them more…

We look forward to seeing you here!

The Team 

Spring has sprung!

Your Periodic Update from “Powder Paradise”

Goodbye Winter…

We are coming to the end of our first winter season in Niseko with guests enjoying the light, dry snow by day and the warm, peaceful nights in their comfortable Chalets. We’ve had a busy season. We almost doubled our number of Chalets for rent and are anticipating a busy Summer building season. There will be more than just building happening this summer. We have had a large number of inquiries about the summer season. As a fours season resort destination, there is plenty to do in Niseko in the summer. Hokkaido itself is the most popular tourist destination for Japanese. They love the outdoor activities (there are 152 golf courses in Hokkaido, you have to go to Scotland to find more per capita) and they really love the weather. There are very few places in Asia that you would describe as “non-humid,” Niseko is one of them providing a perfect backdrop for summer holidays. If you haven’t scheduled some time to check out what Niseko has to offer, be sure to contact Hayley (hayley.richards@nisekoresortsgroup.com) now to see when we have availability.

The Cure for Spring Fever? Plenty of Sunshine and Snow

The Concierge Team’s Top 3 Onsens

The Grand Hotel Annupuri – This mixed onsen offers a therapeutic outdoor pool setting overlooking the tranquil, snow-covered surrounds. It’s particularly enjoyable after a hard day of skiing with friends at the nearby slopes of Annupuri and Moiwa. The onsen complex also has 2 men’s indoor pools and 5 pools for women to choose from (including a private outdoor pool for the ladies).

Yuki Matsuri (the Sapporo Snow and Ice Festival) was held between February 5th and the 11th this year. During the festival, hundreds of snow and ice sculptures are created in three areas of Sapporo – Odori Koen, Satorando/Satoland and Susukino. They are lit up by a multitude of lights and accompanied by traditional shows and songs as well as contemporary events such as ski and snowboard jumping competitions. The magnitude of the festival is aided by the fact that the Japanese military builds most of the sculptures, some of which reach the height of 20 meters. So when you are planning your next winter visit to Niseko, be sure to think about squeezing in a trip to the festival. We highly recommend it for kids and adults alike. As always, you can contact Hayley (hayley.richards@nisekoresortsgroup.com) for any vacancies we might have during that time.

More Things People are Saying About The Chalets at Country Resort