I believe Rusutsu Resort is an exceptionally value-for-money hotel during the summer. For the price of a standard small hotel, you get a full luxury resort experience. There are plenty of paid summer activities to choose from, including outdoor options like fishing, hot air ballooning, and golf. If you prefer staying indoors, there are also wool-crafting workshops available.
Starting with the indoor facilities—as soon as you step into the lobby, you're greeted by a magnificent two-story carousel that kids can ride for free. Opposite the carousel is a claw machine arcade, similar to what you’d find in a regular shopping mall, with about 20 machines. The hot springs (onsen) were another wonderful surprise. There are three bathhouses in total: two located in the North and South Wings, and another at The Westin. The resort itself feels almost integrated into a shopping complex, featuring around four to six restaurants and a convenience store, all with decent food quality.
While there are numerous paid summer activities, most require advance booking at the activity center. The highlight for me was definitely the hot air balloon ride; soaring into the sky to admire the entire Rusutsu view was an unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime experience. The fishing tour was also fantastic. The guide drove us to a nearby stream, provided basic rods, baited the hooks for us, and patiently gave step-by-step instructions on how to catch small fish.
We stayed here for three days. Right before coming here, we spent a day at Hoshino Resorts Tomamu in Furano. After the trip, my family and I unanimously agreed that Rusutsu Resort completely blows Hoshino out of the water in terms of value. Hoshino’s rooms were quite outdated, and the facilities were far too spread out, meaning we spent a lot of time just navigating around. In contrast, Rusutsu is substantially cheaper while still delivering a resort experience on par with Hoshino.
The resort has a strange vibe. I think it was cool to snowboard Mt. Yotei and the surrounding mountains however there was also an animal faeces smell like maybe cow manure and the chair lifts and gondolas were old. We stayed two nights and finding food options between 3-6pm was difficult. Generally however, the food options weren’t great. Snowboard hire is VERY expensive at the resort and the quality of service and equipment is poor. I’d go for a day trip and skip staying more than one night. May be better suited for families…
It was very overpriced for very average rooms with a very low level of service. That's not a reflection of the staff; they were very attentive. It's just for that price I expect a luxurious treatment with room service and lots of inclusions and it was very basic and dated.
I think the price is due to the fact that it's ski in, ski out.
There is a lot to do at the resort, loads of food options and convenience stores.
I would like to comment that the Daniel Street mechanical puppet performance is dated and needs to be either updated or removed. It contains "yo mama" fat jokes which are completely inappropriate for children and unacceptable in this era.
This is a destination Hotel, skiing in the winter, golf in the summer. Plus many other activities like tramping/backpacking, sightseeing, Onsen etc. The hotel is in Las Vagas style. So its efficient. There is a ride patk near by. Liie walking distance.
Situated just a short gondola ride from a major ski domain this resort also offers ski in and out to a smaller ski domain with night skiing. The views are breathtaking and everything is super convenient in the resort with shops, restaurants, ski lockers and other amenities. You do not have to leave the resort unless you dont want to as there everything is accessible and right there.
It is a goof place for families and very child friendly, the venue reminds of a theme park like Disneyland with music, decorations and products similar to Main Street.
I thought I'd find more authentic and better food outside of the resort but in the end the food I had here was really good as opposed to the few restaurants nearby.
The rooms were ok and spacious enough for a family. I would really recommend this place to beginners as there are a lot of easy ski slopes to explore and to family with young kids as this place is really thought with them in mind.
