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Australia House – reviews, photos

193 Yamada, Kutchan-cho, Abuta-gun, Hokkaido 044-0081, Japan
Hotel amenities
Australia House
4.0 of 5 stars 5 Reviews
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5 reviews from our community

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Telford, United Kingdom
Senior Contributor
27 reviews 27 reviews
Reviews in 12 cities Reviews in 12 cities
11 helpful votes 11 helpful votes
“not what we expected”
2 of 5 stars Reviewed 30 December 2011

We were expecting a warm & inviting mountain chalet - where we could relax after a cold day on the slopes. It was not as expected - so trying to write this with an impartial view after paying the full amount up front before our stay. On the positive side - the location of the property is excellent & central near the main crossroads & easy to walk to other restaurants & ski lifts etc.

We arrived right at the start of the season & were the first guests there for the winter, so making allowances for that. There were lights missing in long cold corridors & we had to drag our suitcases up a couple of flights of wooden stairs. We could not find our way into the reception downstairs - which was actually a garage where boards & skis were to be kept & also as we were told our shoes which we had to remove in the freezing cold.

The house has a restaurant - which was not open at that point so we also had to climb over disconnected phones, chairs & other things which we were told were going to form the restaurant opening the following week.

Our room had no heating on & had not since the last season it seemed. The en-suite bathroom could not have been smaller with no place for storage of toiletries. It appeared it was connected to the room next door in the past - but had been made separate by a "wall" nailed in place & we could see light coming through the cracks in each side.

Next door is a lively pub & though they finish by midnight - the sound felt as if we were in the same room.

After getting ourselves sorted after a long trip & over some food & a beer in a local restaurant (which was great) - we decided not to stay there. The owner was not there for the evening - so we informed the staff the next morning as they made us breakfast. the staff were excellent & friendly & we discussed with the owner over the phone, who was reluctant to refund. We also had friends joining us for their honeymoon & felt it was just not the right place for them to stay & asked refund for them also.

We checked out & went to the Hilton -( which cannot rate highly enough for comfort & value).

We were worried we would not get a refund but after heading back the following day - Scott the owner finally agreed to refund half of our bill & all of our friends, which finally I was happy to accept.

In summary - would suggest NOT to pay up front unless you know what to expect. The accommodation is ok for back-packers or people who do not mind putting up with what is described above. It is not in the same league as the Hilton or any luxury hotel (that has heat).

Personally - traveling around the world constantly for many years - it was not for me & have stayed in all sorts of hotels.

We left under reasonable terms after discussion with Scott - but personally also feel if you are not happy then a refund should be given in full - all other industries do that now as standard - right?

  • Stayed December 2011, travelled with friends
    • 2 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Location
    • 1 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 1 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 1 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 2 of 5 stars Service
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