Hotel Otsu Biwako was absolutely superb in terms of both facilities and service. It was the most satisfying hotel stay during my entire trip to Japan. We were given a high-floor room with a delightful view. There's a large VALU supermarket just a 5-minute walk from the hotel, and the drugstore next to it offers tax-free shopping. About a ten-minute walk away, there's also a sushi restaurant with excellent value for money and incredibly fresh ingredients.
The hotel's shuttle bus stop is right across the street from JR Station, with departures every half hour. It only takes a few minutes to reach the hotel. The hotel restaurant is lovely, and lunch is a semi-buffet. Breakfast is served in a dedicated breakfast room with a wide variety of delicious food. There's also a hot spring bath available at the hotel.
The front desk is located on the second floor of the Lawson convenience store in the west exit rotary, right next to Kusatsu Station. The three staff members at the small front desk were efficient and helpful. The contracted parking lot is in the building immediately to the left as you enter the rotary, and the signs were easy to find. The overnight parking fee of 500 yen was a welcome bonus. The amenities were also of high quality. The water, tea, and snacks in the refrigerator were all free, which was a nice touch.
Love the overall experience, sunrise view is a bonus, staff are super friendly.
However, we booked through trip.com, the price shows online does not include the kid, even we selected the kid at the begining, so we had to pay additional at check out. This is agent's issue, not the resort.
The Western-style room was spacious, with a large, comfortable bed. The onsen (hot springs) were excellent, with several to choose from, and the area wasn't crowded. The water was excellent, leaving my skin feeling smooth and refreshed. The hotel requires a meal plan; adding dinner upon arrival costs 10,000 yen per person. There are few restaurants nearby, but there's a yakiniku restaurant with excellent beef.
We stayed here during the winter ski season.
The lobby and restaurant were nice, but the twin room we stayed in felt a bit old-fashioned. The view of Lake Biwa from the room was amazing.
Dinner was a bit pricey for what it was. The taste was average. The rice cooked in a pot and raw meat* for breakfast were delicious, but the children's breakfast menu was a huge pile of hamburger steak, fried chicken, bacon, and potatoes, so we didn't feel like eating in the morning.
There were several shuttle buses to Hakodateyama Ski Resort in the morning, which seemed convenient. We went to Makino Kogen Ski Resort, which is about 20 minutes away from the hotel.
I thought it was convenient because it was close to both ski resorts.
It was a great stay at this ryokan! The hotel is able to arrange a car to fetch you from the JR station. You can call them using a dedicated phone at the station which is used to contact the different ryokans. The car arrived in 10mins or so. The ride to the ryokan was also less than 10mins. The hotel also fetched us to the station on the last day of our stay.
The ryokan itself is homely and cozy. We were greeted by an english speaking staff who introduced us to the amenities of the ryokan. There was also a nice welcome tea and matcha chocolate. Our bags were brought to our room as well during this time.
The room is spacious and cozy. The hotel prepared 2 welcome biscuits in the room which was a nice personal touch. The room has a nice living room and a great view of Lake Biwa. Recommend to catch the sunrise over the lake! There are 2 normal beds as well as futon beds (need to set up yourself). Both are comfortable. The hotel also prepared pretty yukata for both female and male guests which you can wear during the stay. There are 4 different designs for ladies, and one design for the guys. You can request for different size if the one in the room doesn’t fit you. There is also a full length mirror and a mini dressing area at the side of the living room. It was fun dressing up in the yukata!
The toilet, basin, shower and hot tub areas are all separate. The toilet is a little small, but the basin and mirror area is very spacious. The shower area is quite small as well and the shower head is rather low so you need to hold the shower head if you wish to wash up while standing. There is a small stool given for you to sit down though. The hot tub area is semi-outdoor and you can see Lake Biwa. But it is quite small (only good for one person). It was too cold so we didn’t use the hot tub.
Instead, we booked the private onsen for 50mins. The private onsen has a private toilet and dressing area which is equipped with hairdryer, body lotion etc. There is a water dispenser as well if you need to hydrate yourself. The onsen area has a washing area, and the hot tub area is spacious for 2 person. There are privacy screens around the onsen area but there is a small gap to let in cold air for ventilation. Wish there is a good view from the private onsen but it was still enjoyable!
Dinner and breakfast was Kaiseki style, and the meals were one of the highlights for my husband and I. We really enjoyed the courses which are clean tasting yet wholesome, fresh and flavourful. It was such a sumptuous treat!
The ryokan also has a souvenir shop if you wish to buy anything back.
Overall, my husband and I really enjoyed the stay here and we agreed this was one of the main highlights of our 12 days trip in Japan. Highly recommend!
The hotel is located by the lake. When you enjoy breakfast, you can enjoy the lake view while eating breakfast. There are not many types of breakfast, but the quality of the food is good, the size of the room is small, the hotel is located close to different attractions, 10 minutes convenient! Staff is kind!
Very good location, close to Shiga station. Many eateries nearby. Walking distance to Hikone castle. Friendly staff with good English. The only downfall is that the layout of the room is rather cramped, so if you have more than 1 big luggage it might be a bit difficult to pack and unpack.
The manager offered us a ride to the station due to the bad weather! Very nice of her! The bbq place is very nice in the raining weather!
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AAnonymous UserIt was a great stay at this ryokan! The hotel is able to arrange a car to fetch you from the JR station. You can call them using a dedicated phone at the station which is used to contact the different ryokans. The car arrived in 10mins or so. The ride to the ryokan was also less than 10mins. The hotel also fetched us to the station on the last day of our stay.
The ryokan itself is homely and cozy. We were greeted by an english speaking staff who introduced us to the amenities of the ryokan. There was also a nice welcome tea and matcha chocolate. Our bags were brought to our room as well during this time.
The room is spacious and cozy. The hotel prepared 2 welcome biscuits in the room which was a nice personal touch. The room has a nice living room and a great view of Lake Biwa. Recommend to catch the sunrise over the lake! There are 2 normal beds as well as futon beds (need to set up yourself). Both are comfortable. The hotel also prepared pretty yukata for both female and male guests which you can wear during the stay. There are 4 different designs for ladies, and one design for the guys. You can request for different size if the one in the room doesn’t fit you. There is also a full length mirror and a mini dressing area at the side of the living room. It was fun dressing up in the yukata!
The toilet, basin, shower and hot tub areas are all separate. The toilet is a little small, but the basin and mirror area is very spacious. The shower area is quite small as well and the shower head is rather low so you need to hold the shower head if you wish to wash up while standing. There is a small stool given for you to sit down though. The hot tub area is semi-outdoor and you can see Lake Biwa. But it is quite small (only good for one person). It was too cold so we didn’t use the hot tub.
Instead, we booked the private onsen for 50mins. The private onsen has a private toilet and dressing area which is equipped with hairdryer, body lotion etc. There is a water dispenser as well if you need to hydrate yourself. The onsen area has a washing area, and the hot tub area is spacious for 2 person. There are privacy screens around the onsen area but there is a small gap to let in cold air for ventilation. Wish there is a good view from the private onsen but it was still enjoyable!
Dinner and breakfast was Kaiseki style, and the meals were one of the highlights for my husband and I. We really enjoyed the courses which are clean tasting yet wholesome, fresh and flavourful. It was such a sumptuous treat!
The ryokan also has a souvenir shop if you wish to buy anything back.
Overall, my husband and I really enjoyed the stay here and we agreed this was one of the main highlights of our 12 days trip in Japan. Highly recommend!
GGuest UserLove the overall experience, sunrise view is a bonus, staff are super friendly.
However, we booked through trip.com, the price shows online does not include the kid, even we selected the kid at the begining, so we had to pay additional at check out. This is agent's issue, not the resort.
GGuest UserThe staff are fluent in English, and it was a pleasant surprise to find some who also spoke Chinese. The hot spring facilities are excellent, with the outdoor baths offering stunning views. Our room also had a fantastic view, overlooking Lake Biwa and Mount Hiei.
__wfo1****Hotel Otsu Biwako was absolutely superb in terms of both facilities and service. It was the most satisfying hotel stay during my entire trip to Japan. We were given a high-floor room with a delightful view. There's a large VALU supermarket just a 5-minute walk from the hotel, and the drugstore next to it offers tax-free shopping. About a ten-minute walk away, there's also a sushi restaurant with excellent value for money and incredibly fresh ingredients.
PPingxinjiejieThe Western-style room was spacious, with a large, comfortable bed. The onsen (hot springs) were excellent, with several to choose from, and the area wasn't crowded. The water was excellent, leaving my skin feeling smooth and refreshed. The hotel requires a meal plan; adding dinner upon arrival costs 10,000 yen per person. There are few restaurants nearby, but there's a yakiniku restaurant with excellent beef.
SshirleywangsjA very satisfying stay. First of all, the location is convenient. Buses, shopping, and restaurants are all within a one or two minute walk. Secondly, the facilities are complete, with a full range of toiletries. Thirdly, the sanitation is well maintained and clean. Except for the sound of trains passing by at night, everything is great. Super cost-effective.
GGuest UserWe stayed here during the winter ski season.
The lobby and restaurant were nice, but the twin room we stayed in felt a bit old-fashioned. The view of Lake Biwa from the room was amazing.
Dinner was a bit pricey for what it was. The taste was average. The rice cooked in a pot and raw meat* for breakfast were delicious, but the children's breakfast menu was a huge pile of hamburger steak, fried chicken, bacon, and potatoes, so we didn't feel like eating in the morning.
There were several shuttle buses to Hakodateyama Ski Resort in the morning, which seemed convenient. We went to Makino Kogen Ski Resort, which is about 20 minutes away from the hotel.
I thought it was convenient because it was close to both ski resorts.
1118325****The hotel's shuttle bus stop is right across the street from JR Station, with departures every half hour. It only takes a few minutes to reach the hotel. The hotel restaurant is lovely, and lunch is a semi-buffet. Breakfast is served in a dedicated breakfast room with a wide variety of delicious food. There's also a hot spring bath available at the hotel.
ししょうちゃん0501The front desk is located on the second floor of the Lawson convenience store in the west exit rotary, right next to Kusatsu Station. The three staff members at the small front desk were efficient and helpful. The contracted parking lot is in the building immediately to the left as you enter the rotary, and the signs were easy to find. The overnight parking fee of 500 yen was a welcome bonus. The amenities were also of high quality. The water, tea, and snacks in the refrigerator were all free, which was a nice touch.
GGuest UserVery good location, close to Shiga station. Many eateries nearby. Walking distance to Hikone castle. Friendly staff with good English. The only downfall is that the layout of the room is rather cramped, so if you have more than 1 big luggage it might be a bit difficult to pack and unpack.
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