We had a very enjoyable one-week ski vacation at Niseko Park Hotel at the beginning of February. I shared a room with my teenage daughter, with a group of friends occupying adjacent rooms.

The hotel is conveniently located in the heart of Hirafu, the main village in Niseko area. It is surrounded by ski rental outlets, some shops, eateries and entertainment. The village is pleasant in the day, and becomes very charming after dark. While not quite ski-in / ski-out, the nearest run is only about a 100-meter walk.

The hotel offers Japanese and Western-style rooms. Ours was Western-style with twin beds: large for Japan, medium size by international standards; not new, but warm and clean. Our friends staying in Japanese-style tatami and futon found it comfortable. The relative lack of storage in the room was compensated by heated common lockers for all our ski equipment.

Common facilities include an onsen with indoors and outdoors hot bath, which most guests will find relaxing after a day of skiing; and a very cosy, large, comfortable lounge, complete with fireplace, to unwind after dinner.

4-star comfort, during the peak season, came at the 5-star price of JPY12,600 per person i.e. about US$300 for a twin room. This includes a hearty buffet breakfast, with Japanese and Western food.

Niseko Park is obviously a family-run hotel; the manager Mr Fukui is very kind, eager to help, and gives the place a personal touch. For instance, on a phone call on arrival he drove to the bus station to pick us up with our luggage; upon check-out his colleague drove us back there; this service appears to be routinely offered to guests. The attendants will quickly be at your side with a glass of water or a cup of tea; their level of English is uneven, so be patient with some of them and use simple language in your requests.

When vacationing in Japan, one has to allow for local idiosyncrasies. For some reason, the hotel is for some reason unable to issue more than one key card per room, which is not much of a problem since you can always leave it at the reception. Paying the bill can be hit-and-miss: it took me just a couple of minutes; one of my friend had to wait half an hour for his credit card to be cleared for payment; another one got his visa card rejected, in which case the hotel offered credit, and issued an invoice for further settlement by bank transfer.

Having dinner in Niseko requires some preparation for a large group. The hotel's dining room can offer high-quality Hokkaido-style sets, but not later than 7pm and subject to booking one day in advance. There is a good number of very good restaurants nearby, but they can be quite full during the peak season, so before going out one shoud get the reception to call and ensure the availability of a table.

Our final experience came after our departure. We had left at the hotel my daughter's doll, an object of zero dollar but considerable sentimental value, that she had carried all her life. We then contacted the manager by e-mail; not only did the hotel find the doll and mail it to us back home in Hong kong, but it had been cleaned, nicely packaged and came together with a box of chocolates. That level of thoughtful attention will ensure that we keep fond memories of the place, and have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone looking for the a centrally located base to enjoy the famed Niseko powder.