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The 10 Best Guesthouses in Zaō Onsen, Japan

Check out our selection of great guest houses in Zaō Onsen

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Wonderful: 9+ Very Good: 8+ Good: 7+ Pleasant: 6+
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Located within the Uwanodai skiing ground, the charming Petit Resort Hotel Der Barte offers ski-to-door access, cosy Western rooms and French course dinners. Drinks vending machines and ski storage facilities are on-site. The ski lift is right in front of the inn.

This was a wonderful boutique ski in ski out resort with wonderful food and friendly service. It was exactly what we were after!

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8.5
Very Good
116 reviews
Price from
$62
per night

Only a 1-minute walk from the Zao Onsen Ski resort, Pension Puutaro offers Japanese-style rooms, a French course for dinner and free Wi-Fi. The property is located just a minute's walk from Shinzaemon No Yu, a hot spring bath complex. Free parking is available, and Zao Ropeway is just 1 minute on foot.

Very good loacation 3min walking to lift.

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8.7
Excellent
173 reviews
Price from
$76
per night

Set amidst a natural landscape, Yamagata Zao Pension Aplon Stage offers a peaceful retreat. Just a 2-minute drive from Yamagata Zao Onsen Ski Resort, it provides cosy rooms.

Breakfast and dinner are served at the resort’s dining area. Japanese and Western dishes are offered. A glass of wine is served for dinner.

This is a great pension run by a lovely family. The husband picked us up at the bus station and drove us to the pension and also took us to the slopes in the morning. They gave us a coupon for renting gear and a map explaining the different onsen options around town. Their English is pretty limited, but they are happy to use Google translate. Also, it was not a big deal, but I think it is important for foreign guests to be aware that ski culture in Japan sort of assumes you are eating dinner at your accommodation. We did not know this and did not book dinner at the hotel. Most restaurants in town were fully booked with reservations (although there is a convenience store with good takeaway food), so try to book dinner at the hotel or make a dinner reservation somewhere well in advance. We were very luck and managed to make a reservation at the Mongolian lamb place Kasheru for the second night and that was amazing. But we saw restaurants turning people away repeatedly because everywhere in town was full. Also, the family will not pick you up by car any later that 6:45 pm (perfectly reasonable) and the public ski shuttles don't run on weekdays, so you need to pre-book a taxi if dinner will end later than that (which it probably will since most restaurants open at 6 pm). And there are not a lot of taxis and no Uber. I wish I had realized all of this up front, but that was our own ignorance and our stay was great regardless. Again, this is just the local ski culture and not the hotel's fault. It's just helpful information for future guests.

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9.1
Wonderful
85 reviews
Price from
$76
per night

Situated in Kaminoyama, 2.3 km from Zao Onsen Ski Resort, Zao Pension Aramiya - Vacation STAY 86181v features accommodation with free WiFi and free private parking.

The rooms have a shared bathroom with a shower, free toiletries and a hairdryer. All rooms will provide guests with a fridge.

The food was amazing! I came here for Christmas to see some snow and stayed 2 nights. Both nights the food was soo good and there was soo much. I also had breakfast included and that was good too. The hosts are lovely and even with the language barrier we used translate apps to talk and I had a great time. The house is old and wooden with kerosene heaters, its not super fancy but the blankets on the bed were warm and fluffy, so with a belly full of great food and snow falling outside I slept really well. They even drove me to the bus terminal the day I left. 10/10 highly recommend, especially for the food.

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8.5
Very Good
13 reviews
Price from
$44
per night

Featuring a garden, Snowfall Meteor 飛雪流星 is located in Kaminoyama in the Yamagata region, 2.2 km from Zao Onsen Ski Resort. The guest house features family rooms.

Featuring a shared bathroom, units at the guest house also provide guests with free WiFi.

A lovely and heartwarming place to stay for a winter getaway. The couple that owns this business made us feel like family. Mao and Qu are so kind and welcoming. They treated us like family. They picked us up from the bus station, drove us to a wonderful dinner location (which they recommended), drove us to the ski resort, and helped with all our luggage. I was so happy to meet them and talk with them. The room is just as warm as the owners. The floors are heated and the beds are very comfortable. I wish I could’ve stayed longer.

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9.3
Wonderful
30 reviews
Price from
$134
per night

Looking for a guest house?

Warm and welcoming guest houses are ideal for travelers who prefer laid-back accommodations with a personal touch. Usually family run, these hosts will provide local recommendations and even optional meals. Guest houses sometimes feature a cozy living room or a garden – and are still cheaper than most regular hotels.
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Guest Houses That Travelers Love in Zaō Onsen

  • 8.7
    Scored 8.7
    Excellent
    Rated excellent
     · 173 reviews
    Great location, just 1 min walk to the cable car station and 30s walk to ski-rental shop. The hotel provided the rental discount coupon, only 2500 yen per day!
    Weichia
    Solo traveler
  • 9.4
    Scored 9.4
    Wonderful
    Rated wonderful
     · 42 reviews
    Hosts were extremely helpful and friendly. They made sure we were comfortable with an extra futon, recommended vegetarian places, and showed us the onsen and where to rent equipment. It has a communal vibe, so extroverted people would love it.
    Abigail
    Young couple
  • Avg. price/night: $189.53
    8.8
    Scored 8.8
    Excellent
    Rated excellent
     · 251 reviews
    Great location, 5 mins by foot to the ski lift, great sauna, staff removed snow from my car, good breakfast, clean and quiet room, great view of the forest
    Joshua
    Group
  • Avg. price/night: $189.53
    8.8
    Scored 8.8
    Excellent
    Rated excellent
     · 251 reviews
    The hotel location is quiet yet convenient. The facilities and onsens are exceptional 👌
    Robin
    Solo traveler
  • 9.4
    Scored 9.4
    Wonderful
    Rated wonderful
     · 42 reviews
    Great place to stay Taka, Oraphin and Yui are great hosts and we really enjoyed our time in Zao. The location is perfect easy access to #3 and restaurants in the village.
    Rob
    Solo traveler
  • 8.7
    Scored 8.7
    Excellent
    Rated excellent
     · 173 reviews
    Cozy rooms, friendly host, great location
    Zanna
    Family with young children
  • 9.4
    Scored 9.4
    Wonderful
    Rated wonderful
     · 42 reviews
    Lovely hosts, great location, clean spacious traditional rooms, electric heater available, nice view from the window, well appointed kitchen, and friendly dining room.
    Katia
    Young couple
  • 8.7
    Scored 8.7
    Excellent
    Rated excellent
     · 173 reviews
    This is a fairly simple guest house, but the host is absolutely wonderful. We could not have been looked after better, and this made it our favourite place to stay during a 2 week trip through Japan. We didn't dine there in the evening (we had only booked for 1 night) but wished we had, as the breakfast we had was incredible, and I've no doubt the dinner would have been just as good. Highly recommended. In addition, the property is well located, within easy walking distance of everything in the village.
    Stevie
    Group
  • Avg. price/night: $82.15
    8.0
    Scored 8.0
    Very Good
    Rated very good
     · 204 reviews
    very friendly hosts. great location. large cosy rooms. very good value. happy to hold luggage before/after stay.
    Lewis
    Young couple
  • Avg. price/night: $82.15
    8.0
    Scored 8.0
    Very Good
    Rated very good
     · 204 reviews
    Our hosts were lovely! Fabulous drying room and great location. Japanese breakfast was delightful. Loved the collection of music equipment and eclectic wall hangings
    Rosanne
    Young couple