Toyoko Inn Kyoto Biwako Otsu

“Pleasant stay in Otsu”

Very nice stay in Otsu. The hotel is around 12 min walking from Otsu station. The standard room is small but the price is acceptable. It includes free breakfast that it's being served in the lobby. Hotel staff is very friendly. I would stay here again.

“Good overflow alternative to staying in Kyoto”

This hotel's location is very much a compromise, two train stops from Kyoto, two train stops away from the (very interesting) hilltop temple complex of Hieizan, and not far from Otsu JR station or lake Biwa, while still not exactly convenient for travelling or offering any lake views at all. With h… more

This hotel's location is very much a compromise, two train stops from Kyoto, two train stops away from the (very interesting) hilltop temple complex of Hieizan, and not far from Otsu JR station or lake Biwa, while still not exactly convenient for travelling or offering any lake views at all. With hindsight, and considering the fact that Japanese cities (including Kyoto) are usually hectic, Otsu proved a refreshingly relaxed and calm base, and I would stay in this hotel again (which this time I only did because I couldn't find a room in Kyoto). The Toyoko Inn chain obviously enforces a very high level of brand consistency, when it comes to breakfast, however, they do seem to allow a limited range of local diversity, even within the same time of the year and the same area of Japan, so Toyoko's (Japanese style) breakfast is, unlike Toyoko's guestrooms, not always exactly the same. I found breakfast at this Toyoko slightly below the branch average, i.e. very good but one can get a fractionally better breakfast at other Toyoko's. The staff is very attentive and I appreciated having a window with a cityscape view, instead of a view of the solid wall of another building two meters away as it is often the case in Toyoko Inn branches.

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“A good alternative if there are no hotels in Kyoto, But please note.....”

Kyoto is one of the hardest cities to book a reservation for rooms. The Toyoko Inn chain is one of the most popular because of it's value. Rooms, actually entire hotels are sold out months in advance. A good alternative is the Toyoko Inn Kyoto Biwako Otsu. The hotel is located about 10 minutes by … more

Kyoto is one of the hardest cities to book a reservation for rooms. The Toyoko Inn chain is one of the most popular because of it's value. Rooms, actually entire hotels are sold out months in advance. A good alternative is the Toyoko Inn Kyoto Biwako Otsu. The hotel is located about 10 minutes by train out of Kyoto from the JR Otsu train station. However, you do have to add a 10 minute walk from the hotel to the station. The walk can be robust because you will walk uphill at a slight incline. Please be ready for this. You can take a cab which will cost about 600yen. The hotel staff can call one for you. The hotel itself is a typical Toyoko Inn. The staff is friendly and speaks enough English to help this kinds of travelers. The rooms are the usual Toyoko Inn type rooms. Nothing fancy but comfortable. It does offer a complimentary Japanese style breakfast buffet in the morning. Because the hotel is outside of Kyoto it is a little cheaper than if you stayed in Kyoto itself. The city of Otsu is a smaller city on the shore of Lake Biwa and is a nice city to explore. On the JR line, Otsu is 2 stops from Kyoto. The stop in between the 2 cities is Yamashina. This stop allows you to travel to areas south of Kyoto without having to go all the way into Kyoto to transfer. Again a good alternative if you cannot find a room in Kyoto.

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“Four Rooms in Seven Days”

Largely because the description on Hotels.com of rooms available does not correspond with the hotels own description of rooms, we wound up having to change rooms 3 times during our 7 day stay. We made the bookings piecemeal because of changing travel plans, but we could not match what we already ha… more

Largely because the description on Hotels.com of rooms available does not correspond with the hotels own description of rooms, we wound up having to change rooms 3 times during our 7 day stay. We made the bookings piecemeal because of changing travel plans, but we could not match what we already had because of inconsistent descriptions. We had the "comfort" room (largest); a "double bed" (really a queen); & twin beds. The hotel called these W, S, & T. None of the rooms has any drawers or closet. All of them are tiny. There were 4 hangers on a wood rod along one wall. We learned to keep our suitcase (never unpacked) under a bed. Even so, it was very hard to move around the room. They had a free breakfast, really 2 of them: boiled eggs, toast & coffee 6:30-7:00; then Japanese breakfast 7:00-8:30. We came for the 1st & stayed for the 2nd. Staff was very polite & tried to be helpful. Few understood English & even those were not fluent. Staff seemed unaware of tourist need in the area. Did not know where there was an ATM that would take non-Japanese credit cards; directed me to a bank that did not exist. Incidentally, the post office near the Hamaotsu station had the only ATM we used. We were there to see relative in Red Cross Hospital, just 2 blocks from hotel. Very convenient.

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“affordable rate”

According to a book in the guest room, this hotel chain is the largest in terms of number of rooms. Location is good enough and the guest room is comfortable. After having a good night sleep, I had baked salmon, okra, salad, steamed rice, and miso soup for breakfast. The breakfast is free, but it … more

According to a book in the guest room, this hotel chain is the largest in terms of number of rooms. Location is good enough and the guest room is comfortable. After having a good night sleep, I had baked salmon, okra, salad, steamed rice, and miso soup for breakfast. The breakfast is free, but it was not good for Japanese standard taste. Specifically, the rice was a bit dried and the miso soup was lukewarm. I suppose the rates of this hotel are same regardless of season since I noticed the price list shown at the gate. So, you can get a bargain.

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