Biwako Ryokusuitei

“A wonderful, serene, and relaxing stay”

My husband and I checked in to Biwako Ryokusuitei near Lake Biwa for a 2-night stay. We booked through Booking.com and paid on-site. Originally, we had a comfort room with private onsen but had to be moved to another room due to a faulty window shade issue. The hotel manager upgraded us to another … more

My husband and I checked in to Biwako Ryokusuitei near Lake Biwa for a 2-night stay. We booked through Booking.com and paid on-site. Originally, we had a comfort room with private onsen but had to be moved to another room due to a faulty window shade issue. The hotel manager upgraded us to another room with private onsen that was wider. Needless to say, the room was beyond our expectations. The hot tub was out on the balcony which we still had to pull down the privacy shades but it was lovely to be outdoors with our own private onsen. My husband was elated. The hotel does have public onsens on the first floor but to each their own. I personally have tattoos so we had to find a private one to avoid having to cover them up. The room had two comfy full-sized beds, a shower, double sinks, living room, powder room, refrigerator, and hot water dispenser. The only thing was that we weren't given bottles of water. Not an issue, as we just purchased water at the Family Mart down the street. We also had breakfast included in both days of our stay. We probably should have opted for dinner as well since we were out in the outskirts of Kyoto with very few restaurants nearby. The breakfast buffet was interesting with Japanese and some limited Western options. The breakfast times are chosen in advance at check-in and if I had known, I would have asked for an earlier time as they start cleaning up breakfast around 9:30 am. The service was impeccable. We really enjoyed the serenity of the area and to be able to bathe in the hot springs in complete privacy. The rooms were quiet and we enjoyed using the happy hour coins downstairs in the lobby. A coin would get you a small glass of wine. The hotel provides a free shuttle to and from the Ogoto Onsen train station. The hours are limited in the morning for drop-off. To request pick-up, you need to call the front desk. Easier said than done when you only have international data and the only pay phone in the station doesn't work. On the first day, we paid for a taxi but on the second day, we tagged along with a few people coming in from the city who had called in advance for pick-up. Lucky, we didn't have to hire another cab. It wasn't a nuisance but it was just too hot to walk the 1.5 km back to the hotel. On the morning of check-out, we used the shuttle to get us back to the train station. We had an enjoyable ryokan stay and would recommend it to anyone interested in a private onsen-style hotel room.

less

“Love both the private and public onsen”

Convenient access by train from Kyoto and then a minibus ride arranged by the hotel from Ogoto Onsen Station. Loved the private onsen at the balcony with the lake view and the dinner at the hotel. One of my favourite place was library where I could relax with a drink right after using the public … more

Convenient access by train from Kyoto and then a minibus ride arranged by the hotel from Ogoto Onsen Station. Loved the private onsen at the balcony with the lake view and the dinner at the hotel. One of my favourite place was library where I could relax with a drink right after using the public onsen.

less

“A very nice luxury onsen-ryokan, but costly”

A nice luxury ryokan (but pricey). We had the Japanese style room with tatami, and slept on futons (which they came to set up to our room), it was amazingly good to sleep although I was worried how to get up with my back. Also there was a small hot bath in the room. The hotel offers yukatans which … more

A nice luxury ryokan (but pricey). We had the Japanese style room with tatami, and slept on futons (which they came to set up to our room), it was amazingly good to sleep although I was worried how to get up with my back. Also there was a small hot bath in the room. The hotel offers yukatans which you can use during your stay. The onsen-spa with hot springs was nice. There is even a real "barrel"-sauna with a real Finnish stove, you can throw water to. The reception was so nice: we did not need to stand at the reception, we were directed to sit at lounge, offered a small sorbet, and the check-in was done there at the same. They had transport to/from Ogotoonsen station and that worked also very well, in a nice mini bus with soft seats. There was also a happy hour at the hotel terrace, free wine. The dinner was very beautiful, and they had also observed my daughters special diet "no fish or seafood" and made alternative beatiful food for her (unfortunately, as a teenager with disorders, she could yet not eat many of those, and we felt the waiter was a bit "pushy" to try to put the dishes in front of her again and again...) Only drawback is, the stay is not cheap, but nice experience for 1 night.

less