We spent 10N in Kiroro Peak. A big shout-out and thanks to all the staff for making this trip 1 of the best ever. And also not forgetting new friends we made, still keeping in contact after the trip!
Room: Warm, comfortable, adequate. Water pressure was great, basic amenities provided, pillow menu for different sleepers, comfortable and warm beds. Complimentary mini bar but we didn't need it except for the delicious Japanese potato chips, fantastic view of the mountains.
Food: Lesser in varieties than Grand (were there last year, also had dinner there for 2N), but quality is definitely better. Eg, beef cut is better (had great wagyu a few nights), super big raw oysters, fresh crabs. We were definitely well-fed. We were there for 10N, i don't recall having the exact same dish every night. Of course there is always the beef, chicken, fish etc, but they managed to change the accompanying sauce or cooking method, so it was still ok for us. Big thanks to Vincent the exec chef & restaurant manager (Maldives guy, sorry forgot name) for taking care of us during our stay.
The chefs behind their station were always friendly and accommodating to our requests, hearing them humming and singing to their native songs while serving was such great fun! Tatiana the CdV made a mean chicken dish with fragrant rice and chilli, sedap! She was manning the station !
Restaurant waiting team was super efficient. Even when the place was full, they made sure to quickly clear our plates, tables, fill our wine glasses, all with a smile and speed! The super unsung heroes!
Ski shop: The ladies were efficient, ski boots were impeccably clean, hard to imagine that they are rentals. Maxime was a blessing, he gave fantastic advice on my boots fit, i was lucky to meet him. He basically transformed my entire ski experience, I suffered from pain on 1 day to a 180 comfortable fit the next. Our skis went missing when we came back after lunch (taken by mistake by others, always happens), and no problem, they just gave us new ones, process was smooth.
Ski lessons: Monty was great, he always push us to just the right level of challenge to become better. We went to some of the more difficult reds (we were Club3 for just 2 days) that I couldn't imagine that we could have gone to, and yet conquer it. Big thanks to showing us what we can do. He was great company during dinner, introduced fun instructors to us during dinner whom we couldn't have met if not for dinner.
Henry was such an experienced instructor, had him at Club4 and it was an eye-opener. He was such a technical coach, pin-pointed our mistakes and gave us individual tips to get better. Had fun conversations and great tips during lunch with him.
Kudos to CDV Tatiana for her energy, enthusiasm, candidness, fun, customer service oriented mindset. She was literally on stage every night, and was so funny! I left my jacket at the reception when boarding the transfer to the airport, realised it mid way to airport, and still managed to get back before my flight!
To the GO team at Kiroro Peak, thanks for making this trip so unforgetable, will be talking about it for a long time. Sorry that i didnt get all your names, but EVERYONE made this trip too fun, itching to get back soon.
In all, we will definitely return to Kiroro Peak every year. We had a few good days of super powder snow, and it snowed during skiing. Even on sunny days, it was still good. Weather was weird though, some lifts were closed for a couple of days, but can't help it, Mother Nature. Definitely ski-in/out, ski lifts are just outside the hotel. Enough challenge for the intermediate skiers. The 2 night ski slopes that opens till 7pm: 1 for beginners, 1 for intermediate. The slopes were not crowded, but will be a bit during the weekends due to locals and some foreigners not staying in the area, though not Niseko kind of crowded.
Service and hospitality are beyond expectations. We are completely spoiled by Clubmed. In Niseko, although snow condition was good, the logistics to food, ski shop and lifts was horrible (long q, transfers by bus etc). In Kiroro Peak, after 1 run, we can just drop our skis and go in for a cup of hot chocolate or beer, then return to the slope. Its just so easy and relaxing, exactly what a ski holiday should be.