Name: Active Life Madarao
Address: 11492-175 Iiyama, Iiyama, Iiyama, Iiyama, 389-2253, Japan
Rating: 9

Smoke-free property

No elevators

Reception desk

General

Family room

Rooms

Luggage storage

Laundry

Safe-deposit box

Dry-cleaning

Services and amenities

Breakfast

Cafe

Restaurant

Vending machine

Meals

Free Wi-Fi

Internet

English

Languages Spoken

Billiards

Recreation

Parking

Skiing

Winter sports

Pets Not Allowed

Pets

Temperature control for staff

Personal protection equipment for staff

Extra decontamination measures

Temperature control for guests

Personal protection equipment for guests

Contactless check-in and/or check-out

Additional measures against COVID-19

Health and Safety Measures

Location

At the hotel

Active Life Madarao

Iiyama

Lisa, Stuart and the rest of the staff were fantastic. We had a few issues on the trip and they were so professional and helpful. 

Great rooms, comfortable beds, toilet and shower in each room, breakfast was nice and the location is excellent. 

Would highly recommend and hopefully get back there one day.

Snowboarding trip

Comfortable mountain lodge, excellent base for skiing. Friendly staff managed by an Australian couple, everyone knew our names after about 2 days. Warm, clean rooms, solid food, beer on tap, well equipped ski shop, unlimited free beginner lessons, 100m walk till you can put your skis on, bus stop directly adjacent the hotel. 
It’s not The Ritz but it’s perfect

Ski trip

This is my second time staying at one of the Active Life lodges and loved it both times.  I will continue to stay with them when skiing in Japan!  Lisa, Stewart and their staff are the most friendly and accommodating people to book a stay with.  The walk to the lift is 5 minutes.  There are several restaurants very close by.

Lisa made sure the bar remained open until we had our fill.  The 3 dinners we had at Active Life Madarao place were excellent and the breakfast fueled you for the day on the slopes!  

What really makes the stay is the extra warmth received from Lisa and Stewart.  The guests all feed off of them and it makes it like a huge family environment!  I will definitely be staying with them again!  Lisa is truly the Host with the Most!!

Scott A.

Warmest Place You Can Stay in Madarao

A pleasant stay at a simple, cozy and very friendly place. Lisa and Stewart, as well as all the other international staff made us feel so welcomed and well taken care of.

The location is unbeatable with quite a few restaurants to choose from literally just across the street. Make sure you bring some cash as some places (such as Jazzy Restaurant) doesn’t take credit cards. Active Life is also a 5-min walk to the ski rental building. You can store you skis and poles there, but will need to insert 100 yen into the metal locker thingy every time so make sure you have some spare change. Otherwise, you can also bring everything back to the lodge - they have a dry room with a separate entrance. There are no actual lockers, but open spaces marked with your room number to put your equipment. Japan is a high trust society so there is usually no issues at all.

The room size was modest with a separate bathroom. It was a bit challenging to walk around the room if you’ve two suitcases opened but we didn’t mind as we mostly spent our time outside the room. The room was also well equipped with amenities including a blow dryer, hand soap, body soap, shampoo, conditioner and towels. 

Rooms were not cleaned everyday as this is not a hotel - more like a lodge and the vibe is casual…felt like staying at your grandparents’ home. So if you’re looking for a hotel, this is not the place for you - the front desk is also closed at night.

We noticed mostly families with young children aged between 4-10 staying here. So you would see kids lounging around the public spaces and the pool table which we thought was nice and made the place feel homey. There is also a kids area with some toy cars, coloring pencils, board games, TV and some books next to the open dining area.

Breakfast was modest with corn flakes, granola, milk, toast, coffee and tea. You are offered a hot breakfast every morning (fried eggs os scrambled eggs with sausages, or eggs benedict/fritata/pancakes). Temperature of the hot breakfast can be a hit and miss (sometimes lukewarm), and the coffee was watered down on the last two days we were there but that didn’t bother us much.

You can also sign up for free skiing lessons 9am-12pm, the price was “included” when we got our room. If you’ve no one else signing up, you basically get a private lesson. My instructor, Max, was absolutely fantastic - very patient,  pleasant and professional. He would always analyze your moves and give good tips on how you could further improve.

We will definitely be back! Highly recommend.

A lovely stay at a very friendly place!

I have never been made to feel more welcome in my life! Thank you Lisa and Stewart! They made everything so easy and wonderful. Also, hands down, that was the most comfortable bed I’ve ever slept in!! Truly, a wonderful stay! I couldn’t recommend this place more!

Best staff, best bed, best location. Absolutely faultless!

Perfectly located , a short walk to the slopes each morning, walking distance to numerous restaurants, or dine in for a hot pot at night after a long day on the slopes and a relaxing ensen. Lisa and Stewart are fantastic hosts who look after everything you need. Our 3 teenage boys stayed in one of the family rooms, and my wife and I in a deluxe room. The beds are super comfortable, the facilities are great for young kids or teenagers, and the bar is a hit for the adults. Couldn't recommend it highly enough, we had a fantastic stay. 

Great location , Super hosts and Super Comfy

I’ve read a bunch of reviews about the difficulties around getting a refund upon cancellation. I want to share that I accidentally booked and paid twice, refund was processed and received within a day.

Refund went smoothly

Stayed in Feb 2019. Was nice.  Booked for 2020 during 2019 stay. They closed the hotel due to COVID.  Asked for refund,  they've ghosted us.  Cannot reach them by phone,  social media or email.  They now keep sending promo emails enticing ppl to book ahead.  DO NOT PAY THEM MONEY.  They keep it,  don't refund and don't answer emails.   I've sent >10 emails no answer.  I respond to a promo email (from the same email address) asking how to book and they reply within the hour. They're untrustworthy & I don't recommend you do business with them.

Untrustworthy.  They take money & ghost you. Stay somewhere else.

I see others have posted so i know im not alone. We booked for feb 2021 with free cancellation hoping japan would open again. We cancelled September 30th 2020 after they contacted us to say they wernt going to open for the 2020-2021 season. Its been 8 months of trying to get our refund, constant emailing always to be told no further information when we do eventually get replies. 
So sick of this all. This debacle has left such a horrid image of active life. We will never go back there after dealing with all this drama.

No refund poor communication

Have stayed twice. Was amazing (Hakken). Which is why writing this is frustrating. I saw another reviewer had the same experience, so am joining them.  During 2020 (peak covid), Active Life had a 'risk free' booking option. We met all criteria, and have yet to a) get money back and b) hear from them since the 1st March 2021 (and before then, it was weeeeeks). We are understanding and patient. Like, seriously, covid has ruined everything!  But just tell us what hold up is, instead of vanishing.

Active Life Madarao

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