This was our 3rd outing to Kiroro Grand for a skiing holiday, together with 2 other families. We were very familiar with the resort and the experience was, in general, every bit as good as our previous trips. The room we had was spacious and clean with great bathroom amenities. The main restaurant's buffet offerings were as varied and delicious as always. Head Chef John Dince remembered us and was on hand to welcome us personally. He knew of our group's love of extra-spicy south Indian curries and he conjured up an amazing lamb curry just for us, which was such a treat. We had one meal at Ogon the hot pot restaurant. This was laid back and quieter than the main restaurant as there were fewer young children.
One observation about the ice cream service: One might think this is trivial, but it's important to kids. In the past, this was a self-service free-flow station, where everyone pulled their own soft-serve ice cream and had fun filling cones and mixing flavours and toppings in bowls. This time, it was no longer self-serve, but there were long queues for staff to serve ice cream in rather ungenerous portions. We understood that this change was due to kids spilling ice cream on the floor and creating a mess. While we understand the desire to avoid this, the management should understand that the ice cream station has been a major attraction for the kids, who rave about it to their friends at home and look forward to it every time. With the loss of this fun station, our kids felt disappointed and often didn't even bother to get ice cream. Sometimes, it is necessary to accept a bit of messiness to offer an experience that means a lot to kids. It's not always about neatness and orderliness. After all, Kiroro Grand is for kids and this used to be a selling point.
One reason we keep coming to Kiroro is for the ski runs, which are suitable for all levels of expertise and varied enough for all to enjoy. The ski instructors we had were excellent. Special mention should be made of Kiyo, a Japanese instructor, who despite not being able to speak much English, was very effective indeed with his exuberant sign language! I also had Welsh instructor Will Marsh, who impressed me with his ability to break down skiing skills into individual components to practise, before layering them one upon another to achieve a better skiing technique.
The Onsen was much appreciated to soothe overworked muscles at the end of every ski day. We only wished the spring water tub was bigger, to accommodate the number of people wanting a soak.
The ambiance of the resort was crowded and could be chaotic, but this is only expected of a resort dedicated to families with young kids. Better queue management would be helpful at the Mini Club ski lesson check in every morning. It took far too long to check in. Kids' time in the Onsen was 4-7 pm. While kids should be welcome, some order and decorum should be maintained. On one occasion, there were a dozen kids in the Onsen, who were having snow and water fights across the place, putting so much snow into the hot tub that it cooled down! Adults were merely collateral damage. Staff should help to maintain some order even during family time.
We also noted a new emphasis on up-selling premium food and drink. Menu cards were placed at buffet counters offering high value food options. This was discrete enough. But one episode left a bad taste. We had just arrived and having lunch when a staff member came up to ask if she could help us to secure a dinner table for our group of 11. We thought her to be very kind and thanked her. Only then did she reveal that we would have to pay for an expensive bottle or menu item to have this reservation service. Now, in the past, in Club Med Tomamu or Sahoro, staff would do this for us as an act of courtesy. On this occasion, this bait and switch tactic demeaned the spirit of hospitality and seemed crude and unbecoming. Her approach was insincere and we did not like it. This whole business of upselling also changes the egalitarian spirit of Club Med. In the past, everything was prepaid and once there, everyone was equal. Now one could have a special table reservation, or have guaranteed seats at the shows only if one bought expensive optional food or drinks. So all GMs are equal, but one could buy privileges.
These niggles aside, we had a wonderful time in Club Med Kiroro Grand and plan to return next year.
787 reviews
