With a stay at Xplore by Active Life in Myoko (Madarao Mountain Resort), you'll be steps from Madarao Kogen Ski Resort and a 3-minute drive from Tangram Ski Circus. .This hotel is 7.6 mi (12.3 km) from Joyama Park and 8.1 mi (13 km) from Myoko Kogen.
What's nearby
Madarao Kogen Ski Resort - 2 min walk - 0.1 miles
Madarao Kogen Picture Book Art Museum - 6 min walk - 0.4 miles
Tangram Ski Circus - 8 min drive - 2.9 miles
Nozawa Onsen Snow Resort - 41 min drive - 17.2 miles
Jigokudani Monkey Park - 61 min drive - 22.1 miles
Getting around
Iiyama Station - 19 min drive
Kaesa Station - 25 min drive
Niigata Airport (KIJ) - 160 min drive
Restaurants
レストラン ハイジ - 17 min walk
トワサンク - 16 min walk
レストランBanff - 2 min drive
レストラン ジグザグ - 5 min drive
飯山駅ナカ酒場 えっぺ - 10 min drive
About this property
Xplore by Active Life
Xplore by Active Life offers 61 accommodations with complimentary toiletries. Smart televisions come with Netflix. This Myoko hotel provides complimentary wireless Internet access. Housekeeping is offered on request and hair dryers can be requested.
The recreational activities listed below are available either on site or nearby; fees may apply.
Stay in one of 61 guestrooms featuring Smart televisions. Complimentary wireless internet access is available to keep you connected. Bathrooms have complimentary toiletries and hair dryers. Conveniences include electric kettles, and housekeeping is provided on request.
Make use of convenient amenities such as complimentary wireless internet access, ski storage, and a television in a common area.
At Xplore by Active Life, enjoy a satisfying meal at the restaurant. Mingle with other guests at the complimentary reception, held daily. Wrap up your day with a drink at the bar/lounge. A complimentary cooked-to-order breakfast is served daily from 6:30 AM to 9:30 AM.
Featured amenities include multilingual staff, luggage storage, and laundry facilities.
A complimentary cooked-to-order breakfast is served each morning between 6:30 AM and 9:30 AM. A complimentary manager's reception is offered each day.
Xplore by Active Life has a restaurant on site.
Property amenities
Internet
Available in all rooms: Free WiFi
Available in some public areas: Free WiFi
Parking and transportation
No onsite parking available
Food and drink
Free cooked-to-order breakfast available daily 6:30 AM to 9:30 AM
A bar/lounge
A restaurant
Free daily manager's reception
Things to do
Games
Ski equipment rentals
Ski storage
Sledding
Snowshoeing
TV in common areas
Family friendly
Laundry facilities
Conveniences
Laundry facilities
Limited-hour front desk
Luggage storage
Safe at front desk
Vending machine
Guest services
Housekeeping (on request)
Multilingual staff
Accessibility
If you have requests for specific accessibility needs, please contact the property using the information on the reservation confirmation received after booking.
No elevator
Well-lit path to entrance
More
Smoking not allowed
Room amenities
Bedroom
Bedsheets provided
Bathroom
Free toiletries
Hair dryer (on request)
Towels provided
Entertainment
Netflix
Smart TV
Food and drink
Electric kettle
More
Heating
Policies
Check-in
Check-in start time: 3 PM; Check-in end time: 9 PM
Late check-in subject to availability
Minimum check-in age: 16
Check-out
Check-out before 10:00 AM
Special check-in instructions
The front desk is open daily from 7:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Front desk staffed during limited hours
If you are planning to arrive after 9 PM please contact the property in advance using the information on the booking confirmation
Information provided by the property may be translated using automated translation tools
Access methods
Front desk (limited hours)
Pets
Pets not allowed
Children and extra beds
Children are welcome
1 child, up to the age of 6 years, can stay for free if using existing beds when occupying the parent or guardian's room
Rollaway/extra beds are not available
Cribs (infant beds) are not available
Property payment types
Important information
You need to know
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card, or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
Minimum Spring Break check-in age is 16 years old
This property accepts credit cards and cash
Safety features at this property include a fire extinguisher
We should mention
This property does not have elevators
The Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare requires all international visitors to submit their passport number and nationality when registering at any lodging facility (inns, hotels, motels, etc. ); additionally, lodging proprietors are required to photocopy passports for all registering guests and keep the photocopy on file
Property is also known as
Xplore Active Life Hotel Myoko
Xplore Active Life Hotel
Xplore Active Life Myoko
Xplore Active Life
Xplore by Active Life Hotel
Xplore by Active Life Myoko
Xplore by Active Life Hotel Myoko
Xplore by Active Life Reviews
Reviews
7.2
Good
All reviews shown are from real guest experiences. Only travelers who have booked a stay with us can submit a review. We verify reviews according to our guidelines and publish all reviews, positive or negative.
Helpful and friendly staff made me feel taken care of in this solo trip to Madarao for snowboarding. Communication before arrival has been great. The manager picked me up early in the morning from the bus stop and had my room ready, which I didn’t expect. This allow me to get changed comfortably in my room and jump right into action without delay. Free breakfast, though simple, has everything that I needed to get me through most of the day. The bath house is fairly basic, nothing fancy but good for a soak after a long day. My room on the top floor and at the end of the hallway was clean and quiet. It’s a comfortable stay. Upon check out, I got another ride to the bus stop from the manager who was already waiting for me in the vehicle ahead of time. I will stay here again next time I go there.
Note: The building has 3 stories and a basement with no elevator. Check in lobby is on the first floor. It’s easier to go in from the side entrance on the 2nd floor and leave the luggage’s at the designated spot before checking in.
Amy
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2026
Verified
6/10 Okay
Stephen
Feb 14, 2025
Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
The property is very dated with no lift only stairs. Basic 3 star and in need of a re fit. Staff were good
Stephen
Stayed 6 nights in Feb 2025
Verified
4/10 Poor
Veronika
Jan 5, 2026
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
During the first night of our stay, there were several unresolved issues:
• one electrical outlet in the room did not work
• the heater made continuous loud water noises for hours at night
• staff said they could not repair these issues
• we were asked to “reduce the heating,” even though it was below freezing outside
Additionally, the bathroom ventilation fan was covered with thick dust, and we saw an insect on the wall, which raised hygiene concerns.
We requested a room change. Although the hotel eventually moved us to another room for the second night, the first night of our stay was significantly affected and we could not rest properly.
We had an amazing time there! The hotel was ran by a couple young Australian people who were great!! It was so nice to go to a hotel in japan and have people who spoke English easily! The food was westernized, which was amazing!!! The Onsen doesn’t fallow Japanese rules, they allow tattoos and you have to wear swimwear! 11/10. Totally recommend
Staff was very nice, but that does not make up for the horrible cost-performance of the hotel. Parts of the building are shut down, the onsen is half disassembled (joint male-female onsen), sauna shut down, rooms very basic, breakfast with bare minimum buffet, yet is priced at double any nearby lodge and at 1.5x the much better Madarao Kogen Hotel.
Guess the investors have to get a high IRR on their investment to buy and minimally renovate the hotel.
Room is very very small, when I made the booking I saw 2 double bed in the pictures and I have booked for 2 adults and 1 child. However once we checked in we found out there is only a queen size bed avail in the room. The worst thing is you have to share one male and one female toilet with 12 other rooms. That’s insane. Dry room is useless there is no heat at all during my stay, the heater has no oil at all . Breakfast is included but allow yourself a hour for breakfast , there is only 2 staff serving 50-100 guest per day and you have to wait for your breakfast at leat half a hour
Pros:
1. Location is super good as it’s close to the ski lift.
2. Bed is very comfy and room is big.
3. Breakfast is good!
4. Staff are in generally nice.
Cons:
1. The front desk lady talks too fast!
2. No Yukata (bath robe) provided in the room even thou they have onsen (hot spring), that makes it hard to go to onsen. And the opening hour of the onsen is very limited, only form 4-9pm.
3. Room is kind of too hot and no control to adjust the air con or heat.
4. No socket in the washroom so that u can’t use your hair dryer in the washroom but have to come out to use it.
5. No tall mirror for clothes matching purpose.
The stay was amazing! Lisa and her team at Xplore were always ready to help. They were a pleasure to interact with.
The room was huge, clean, and comfortable. Wifi signal was strong in the room.
There was a made-to-order breakfast free every morning, with a choice between a smoked salmon or mushroom plate with eggs (your choice of cooking style).
There was also a free laundry machine in the basement (dryer costs 100 yen per use). Large drying room was available for the ski equipment 1 floor down. Unfortunately the snow was too high to ski out of the back door, but it was a short 5-10 min walk to the slope, so it wasn't too much of an inconvenience.
Would definitely stay here again if we return to Madarao Kogen!
Great staff, fantastic location about as close to the run as you can get in private accommodation. Closer to a hostel in my definition but that is the Japanese way. Good food with lots of options close by. Shuttle bus to town and near by resorts made the whole trip very smooth. Definately recommended.
Todd
Stayed 6 nights in Feb 2020
Verified
8/10 Good
Verified traveler
Feb 15, 2020
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
Super close to the ski lift ticket office, standard Japanese room with a sink is good but there is only 1 female and 1 male toilet on the floor, would be too busy if full house as about 10 rooms are sharing . Big drying room on the basement, free breakfast and shuttle to/from Ilyama station.
Big TV in room with only youtube anf Neflix. A kettle and a heater in room. Separated Public bath (onsen) for men and women, strange that 7-9pm is the "communal" time on men's side (i.e. female can get in the men's bath during the period that means all have to be in swim suits).
Better to have a bin inside the room, for the public bath area, it would be great if put a tissue box there and a clock ((guess it has no battery), also replacing the old hairdryer which is too weak.
Staff are all very friendly and the common area has a great mountain view.
Great location, great facilities and free yoga! Good breakfast and helpful staff. Oh and nice traditional style rooms but with the comfiest beds in japan. Will be back!