Fenix Furano provided an amazing stay. The location was just perfect, right opposite the Kitanomine gondola station, so it was just a one minute stroll to the gondola or the slopes. The building and the apartment were aesthetically flawless, with a mix of traditional and modern Japanese décor, combined with western beds and modern conveniences. We stayed in a 2 bedroom apartment (1 bedroom apartment plus hotel room interconnected). The kitchen was modern and the attractive island bench doubled as a dining table. The most striking feature about the apartment was the wall-to-wall floor-to-ceiling windows that looked up to the ski slopes, which made for mesmerizing views early morning or when night skiing was on. It was particularly nice to lie in bed and look at the views.

One bedroom had shoji screens and tatami flooring & a king bed (which could be converted into 2 single beds) & it was picture perfect, but as is common in many Japanese hotels, it had no functional storage for clothing so we had to leave our bag in the lounge room and live out of that. There was a really large wardrobe in the entrance but no shelving and only a handful of coat hangers so we couldn’t make the most of the space. The other room was akin to a large deluxe hotel room and had some decent storage available. Whilst the building didn’t have an onsen (not many hotels or properties in Furano have an onsen), both bathrooms had sizeable baths that were more than adequate for a relaxing soak after a hard day on the slopes. Bed comfort is obviously a personal opinion, but IMO the bed was the perfect mix of soft and hard (as were the pillows) and manchester/quilt divine.

Concierge/reception was comprehensive and had Japanese and English speaking hosts to assist with queries or restaurant recommendations and bookings (although it was hard to go out for dinner at a restaurant because it was tempting just to stay in the nice apartment for the night & gaze out the windows). The adjacent ski/snowboard locker room was large and reception could provide a lock to lock your skis up.

We didn’t utilise the restaurant because you needed to pre-book meals 3 days in advance. We were hoping to have a drink at the bar but whenever we enquired about its opening hours, the reception staff weren’t sure when or if it would open. It seemed a bit of a lost opportunity as an après ski bar considering its location right opposite the slopes and its welcoming aesthetics.

Luxury accommodation is a rarity in Furano, so it was a pretty special time in Furano considering the quality snow and quality lodging. We could highly recommend this as a place to stay.
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