Hotel Dengan Pools di Shiga Prefecture, Japan

Gosh, where do I even begin? This stay was frankly perfect. The view was amazing, the open-air private bath was amazing, the service was amazing, the food provided was amazing. There’s even a shuttle bus from the nearby station. I loved it. My friends loved it. The staff even ran across the whole lobby lounge from the check-in counter, and did a full dive into the souvenir store counter for us. Most memorable icecream buying experience.

This hotel offers incredible value for money! It's located right by Lake Biwa in Otsu City, boasting stunning views and an affordable price. Getting here is easy: from Otsu Station's North Exit, cross the road directly and walk about 20 meters to your left. You'll spot a small platform – I've included the train schedule in the photos for reference. There's a convenient mini-mart on the first floor for snacks, drinks, and souvenirs. For breakfast, you have a choice of two floors. The 36th floor offers Japanese-style breakfast, but by 8 AM, it was full. The 37th floor, however, has plenty of Western and Japanese options, so you won't have to wait. Near the hotel, you'll find a large supermarket and a fantastic, highly recommended BBQ restaurant – delicious and budget-friendly. Taking a stroll along the lakeside is incredibly relaxing. You'll see many eagles 🦅, people fishing, and dog walkers – it's wonderful to experience the laid-back town life. Staying here makes it easy to visit the Lake Biwa observation deck and Kyoto.

Nice lake view and a decent environment. The service was alright too. However, what I couldn't understand was the overwhelming number of towels and other amenities in the room, contrasting sharply with the completely empty minibar. Overall, it didn't meet the Marriott standards I've experienced domestically, more like a lower-end Four Points by Sheraton. The price was acceptable, I guess. The hotel dinner tasted good but wasn't very good value for money. Staying a few more days would be good, the scenery here is quite nice.

We stayed one night at Biwako Grand Hotel Kyoomi and had a generally relaxing experience. The traditional tatami room was comfortable and suitable for staying with a young child. The hotel has a classic Japanese ryokan atmosphere, and the area near Lake Biwa is very peaceful. Staff were polite and helpful, and the shuttle service was convenient. Breakfast was simple but acceptable. One suggestion is that it would be appreciated if room arrangements could better match the photos shown on the booking page, as this would help set clearer expectations. Overall, a calm stay for travelers seeking a traditional experience.

The views are absolutely stunning, but this hotel has quite a few downsides. First, the good points: The scenery is incredibly beautiful, and you can see Lake Biwa right from your window. The public bath isn't crowded, and the views from there are also lovely during the day. This was the hotel with the best views during our entire trip to Japan. The room itself is huge, with plenty of space for multiple suitcases. Now for the cons: 1. It's an 8-minute shuttle bus ride from Otsu Station. However, the shuttle bus is a mid-sized vehicle, and I always felt bad for the driver struggling with luggage, especially when it was full during peak hours (packed, with just enough seats for everyone). The bus's air conditioning wasn't very strong, so it got quite hot when there were a lot of people in summer. It would be great if they had a larger bus, similar to the Biwako Hotel. 2. The hotel has a very strong, unpleasant odor, almost like body odor. It lingered for several days and was really off-putting. I'm not sure if all rooms have this issue. 3. You absolutely cannot open the window at night. They should really put up a warning sign, because if you do, a swarm of small, light-seeking insects will fly in, and you won't be able to get rid of them all. On our first night, we didn't realize and didn't close the window tightly, and we were incredibly bothered by bugs all night. Even though it's an older hotel, I really hope they can address these issues.

The location of the hotel is particularly special. In the village, there is dinner and breakfast by the lake of Wuhu. The dinner is a famous local suxi pot. The breakfast is a traditional diet. The hotel is very clean. The facilities are outdated. The public bathroom and outdoor hot spring can look up at the starry sky. The whole floor is our family. There are few people for the location, the bathroom is a bit inconvenient outside the house, the service is very Japanese and very polite.