Otsu hotels & places to stay

Feels like 5* - quality bed, pillows, cushions, linens, air machine, toilet paper better than everywhere else I've been to in Kansai. Housekeeping not only tops up your items but make sure the basics are topped up + what you've used, also mindful which angle u have left them. Booked here to see Biwako Valley, ski, sightseeing n depended on Otsu Tourist Info Centre for sight seeing recommendations. Sadly they (speak Chinese which I speak too) r not experienced n only suggested 2 typical routes that I didn't enjoy when it was cloudy day n because Otsu City has nothing much but a hike linking to East of Kyoto. Managed to research myself n found an attraction - grass house + hiking to see Lake Biwa at Omihachiman (few JR stops away from JR Otsu). Izakaya straight down the road (don't think is in the map provided by hotel but 2 min walk towards JR Otsu), decent n cheap (many dishes at 380yen). No coin laundry. Huge game centre w/ archery etc right next to hotel w free shuttle from JR Otsu

We stayed in a Sky Floor Double Room on level 32. The view of Lake Biwa is stunning from there. The room is large by Japanese standard, cloaked in happy blue, silver and white shades - a perfect reflection of its location by the lake. Room comfort is worthy of five stars. Location-wise, it stands by Lake Biwa, accessible only by taxi or a free regular shuttle bus that plies between Otsu Station and the hotel. The nearest train station to get on foot is Zeze, about 18 minutes away at a regular pace. One can also walk to Seibu mall, about 15 minutes along the lake. Kyoto is just two train stops from Otsu Station, 10 minutes away. As Otsu Station sits on the Biwako Line, one can easily move onwards to Shin-Osaka (40min by a rapid service), Osaka and even Himeji!

This was my favorite hotel I stayed at on my third trip to Japan. I splurged a bit for this one and it did not disappoint. I had a lovely Japanese style room, where I could see lake biwa from the windows. A yukata was provided for me during the stay. The staff was very accommodating and was very kind right when I walked in the doors. My purpose here was one night of relaxation and good food. That was exactly what I received. I booked a shirodara + body massage and felt amazing. The masseuse was extremely good and helped worked all of the knots out of my back after 3 days of traveling around and walking 10+ miles a day. The food here made me extremely happy. The dinner and breakfast were both immaculate. These were probably the best meals I had my entire trip. The food was not served in the room, but in a private dining room in their 'restaurant'. I didn't mind this at all. The onsen were also really nice. At night the rooftop onsen was available for the women - the view was great at night. It was really peaceful to bathe and overlook the lake / town. The following day had the other two. The outdoor one I thought was far better than the indoor one. If you have to choose one, I'd highly recommend that you go to the outdoor one.

Staying here for one night was probably the highlight of our trip to Japan! It's a little pricey, but I would definitely stay here again because the room, private bath on the balcony, and the view were simply incredible. The service was fantastic too! I didn't realize that I needed to book dinner when I booked the room so unfortunately we couldn't enjoy dinner in our rooms (which wasn't a huge deal because we got to try a local place), but the breakfast buffet was delicious! I would definitely recommend staying here.

I stay here after skiing in Biwako Valley, it's very good experience, they will pickup you in station after you call them. They also have shutle bus to station at certain time. Their food are good, traditional japan food, traditional japan room with affordable price. Just take notes, there is no lady to service you like in other ryokan. They have 2 onsen for free and by paying a small amount of money (600yen) you can access other onsen in nearby sister hotel including the rooftop onsen!

Excellent hot spring hotel, better than I expected. Very polite staffs, who rejected for tips. Very nice Japanese dinner with around 12 dishes, the staff would introduce each dish for you. Nice private hot spring inside the room, and the room is very clean. Good location, with 30 minutes JR train to Kyoto station, and free shuttle car on demand for each visitor, u can make a phone call to the hotel by using the telephone outside the JR station. And the shuttle car will arrive in 10 minutes, unlike many other hotel, need to follow there shuttle bus timetable. One more things I like is, i dont see any foreigners in the hotel and outside the streets, all Japanese people~ If u wanna visit a hot spring hotel that local people may visit, i think this one is good for you.

Everything was fantastic about this place. The washroom was simply amazing, it had everything I needed. The only issue I had was that the capsule got a little warm and I had no means of making it cooler since air-conditioning was centralised. Receptionist kindly lowered the temperature for me but it was still quite warm. But overall, I couldn't ask for a better place to stay in Otsu (Shiga) and I highly recommend this!

Our stay at the Smile Hotel Otsu Seta was a pleasant surprise from the moment we entered the lobby. Based on the affordable price, we didn't have high expectations. However, the staff was friendly and ready to meet our every request. Our double-bed room was small by U.S. standards but clean,relatively comfortable, and well-supplied with travelers' needs. The hotel provided a nice variety of foods at the breakfast buffet. All in all a great value!

My wife and I had the good fortune of choosing Reiah Hotel Otsu Ishiyama, We wanted a hotel away from the hustle and bustle of the noisy and overcrowded Kyoto City. Train station, bus terminal, eateries, supermarket and convenient stores are just a few steps from the hotel. The friendly and helpful staffs, such as Makiko, Yukiko and Takayukiko made our stay relaxed and enjoyable. Although the room is small, it is compensated by the high standard of cleanliness we experienced throughout our nine day stay at the hotel, August is not the very ideal month to visit Kyoto. The daily temperature is about 37 deg Celsius. The air-condition at the whole hotel is effective to combat the sweltering summer heat. There are a few areas the hotel could do to improve the service to provide customers with a more comfortable stay at the hotel. 1. Black out curtains should be provided for rooms facing east, The sun rises around 5am and the room becomes fairly bright by about 5.15am. 2. Drinking water could be provided in the room. Most guests would want a sip of water when returning to the room from the hot and humid weather outside. 3. The complimentary breakfast is nice but could be improved with frequent changes of the meals and dishes. As an example, the vegetables of the salad bowl consisted of cut lettuce, cabbage and cucumber slices remained the same day in and day out. We fully recommend this hotel for those who choose convenient location, friendly service and clean but medium size room.

Although we were here for less than 12 hours, we really enjoyed our stay and are already planning our next visit! The staff were super friendly and accommodating from the beginning (speaking fluent English as well). The facilities were phenomenal, including an awesome outdoor bbq area, lively common room fully stocked with tea and food prep facilities, books everywhere to read, outdoor activities to join, etc! And the food - wow! Definitely invest the 1000 Yen for dinner. Breakfast was healthy in both content and proportion, too. Wish we could have had more time here! We will definitely be back.

Lodge Biwa is quite a distance out of Kyoto but right on the edge of Japan's biggest lake. A great place to experience traditional guest house living - tatamis and futons in the simple bedrooms, immaculate onsen bathing facilities (separate men's and women's). The staff were brilliant - cheerful and incredibly helpful. We lost a camera and wallet in Kyoto and Chiaki came with us to the police and helped with the forms. We have now recovered both.

Me and my husband stayed there for 1 night to experience ryokan-style hotel and an onsen. The staff was the friendliest we had seen and the room was clean and comfortable. When I first doubted about sleeping on tatami-floor and not opting for a western-style bed then after the experience I can recommend it to everyone. Tatami-floor sleeping is comfortable, they make sure of that by putting mattresses on the floor. The 10-course supper was AMAZING, also a very large Japanese-style breakfast which were both included in the price (except the drinks). We paid extra for a private onsen, it was very worth it. Although expensive (altogether 380 euros/night), it was one of the best experiences in Japan.

The Wind Cube Hotel is really unique in its design, with elements of Hawaii and various seafaring communities incorporated into the lobby and restaurant design. The location on the lake is pretty spectacular, though there's very little to do in the area, and there are almost no restaurants nearby. We found out rather late that the hotel couldn't accommodate us for dinner, but they found one of their staff to drive us about 20 minutes away to a small izakaya that turned out to be great. The staff member also returned when we were finished to bring us back to the hotel. Incredible, really, though a bit of a hassle. This hotel is close to large, more culturally rich areas, but if you want to get away from it all and be on a beautiful part of Lake Biwa, this might be a good choice. Also, the rooms are very big and ours even had a loft. All rooms had balconies with chairs and a table, too. Walls are very thin, however!

With all the hotels in Kyoto booked up, this was our closest place to stay and was entertaining to say the least. It is a "Love Hotel" or place where couples go to enjoy each other. It is not a normal hotel by any means and does not pretend to be one. That said, it was an incredible deal for the money excepting the 40 minute commute into Kyoto. The room we had was huge and so much nicer than anything we could have gotten in Kyoto. It felt like something in Las Vegas with each room having its own theme. We found the "accessories" in the room somewhat humorous so keep an open mind. The breakfast was fine and once you got used to being locked into the room and having to call the front desk to be let out, it was really not so bad. It was a 20 minute walk to the train station then 20 minutes or so into downtown Kyoto.