Setsu Experience with Chirathiwat Family

In conversation with the Chirathiwat Family.

The Chirathiwat family are a lovely family of four from Thailand who have been staying with us in a two-bedroom suite at Setsu Niseko. Today we caught up with them to see how their family ski holiday experience has been going.

Is it your first time here in Niseko?

Pok: It is my second time here.
Margie: Yes, we came 5 years ago for the first time.

What made you choose to come back to Niseko? 

Pok: I had been wanting to come back for snowboarding, Niseko is one of the closest ski resorts from Thailand, so this is convenient, especially when you travel with kids. Otherwise, we would have to go to Europe or North America.

Margie: The snow is very good here. Very powdery. Even people from Europe say the snow quality here is unbeatable. We have been lucky with the weather with lots of new fresh snow.

Do you ski or snowboard? 

Margie: I ski because I like the movement when I ski. Pok snowboards. Our last trip was my first time skiing and my goal is to be able to ski on my own. To help me achieve that, this time I decided to take three days of ski lessons so I could learn from the experts and improve my skiing skills. I believe skiing is similar to cycling, once you know how to do it, it is a skill that will stay with you and you will continue to get more confident the more you do it. On this trip I loved riding through the trees and experiencing the powder snow. It is so much fun.

Pok: I started snowboarding at 15, which felt like a bit of a slow start. That’s why I wanted my kids to try it now when they are young. 

How did Mika and Mia like their first time skiing?

Margie: It was their first time skiing and they really enjoyed it. We plan to come back every winter so they can ski every year. At the beginning, I was worried if they would enjoy it because they wouldn’t have any other kids to watch or play with in their private ski lessons. But they really enjoyed their private lessons, and their instructor was fantastic. The benefit of private lessons is that the instructor can pay more attention to them.

How have you enjoyed your stay at Setsu Niseko? 

Margie: It is amazing and I’m really enjoying my stay here. We can’t go out every night to dine at restaurants because we are travelling as a family with young children. We have found having a room with a kitchen to be very convenient.

Pok: Yes, I agree, the kitchen is really practical. Another thing I like is the ski locker and Rhythm ski rental store which are located next to each other. After fitting your gear, the staff sends all the gear to the ski locker for us, so the next morning when we want to go skiing, the gear is ready to go. This makes it very convenient. And  if you forget your gloves or any other equipment, you can always get what you need from the on-site Rhythm store. Ski shuttles are a great convenience too. 

Margie: I find it very convenient too, even though the hotel is not located next to the ski slopes, I really like it because we get to choose where we want to ski each day. Whether that’s to the Hirafu gondola, Dotbase, or even the Hanazono ski slopes. I like that we can decide whether we want to ski somewhere new each day.

Pok: Yes. Another bonus is that the hotel is within a walking distance to other restaurants too. 

Margie: How about you, Mika and Mia, what do you like the most? 

Mika and Mia: We love the kids playroom. We go there everyday. 

Did you get to try any of our restaurants? 

Margie: Yes, we had ramen at AFURI on the first day, which was really good. Breakfast at méli mélo -Yuki No Koe- was really nice too. I love corn soup, sausage and my favourite is the rice soup (Ochazuke). Yesterday they served it with beef meat, today it was crab. The beef was also really delicious. We have been very happy with the food. 

Pok: Breakfast was nice, I am not a breakfast person but staying here I always have a tasty breakfast to get enough energy for a big day of skiing.

Margie: I would love to try Tempura Araki and Sushi Kato next time.

Would you like to come back to Setsu Niseko and what will you look forward to the most for your next trip? 

Pok: Of course, we would love to come back to Setsu next time. I look forward to everything. Combination of the destination and the hotel is great. Setsu is one of the best places to ski, onsen and enjoy great food and excellent services.

Margie: Yes, I love the bed size. The kids stayed with us on the same bed and it was a comfortable sleep, so I’m impressed with the bed size. I think this is a good hotel option for not just family like us but anyone from couples to groups of friends with the facilities they provide here.  

Pok: Private onsen is nice too. Next time I want to take my kids with us. Mia, do you like it here? 

Mia: Yes, I do. I want to come back and build a snowman. This time, I didn’t know how to make one. 

We look forward to welcoming you back to Setsu Niseko and building a snowman together.