4-Star Hotels in Shiga Prefecture, Japan

Whenever I travel, I always choose a hot spring ryokan to make the entire trip even more perfect. This time, I stayed at Hanadouya Ryokan. Overall, it wasn't bad, but I wasn't entirely satisfied either. The ryokan's hot spring facilities didn't offer milk or popsicles. In the past, many hot spring ryokans I've stayed at in Japan provided milk and ice cream. Additionally, the staff's attitude was just average; not rude, but they lacked warmth and smiles. For this price, we definitely have better options.

One of the best hotels I’ve stayed at. The hotel feels grand and worth the price. Room was spacious and comfortable. The onsen was amazing with multiple options such as a sauna room, an outside jacuzzi style onsen and the main inside onsen. The food provided (breakfast and dinner) was a traditional Japanese style multi course meal. Highly recommended! Room also had a lovely view of Lake Biwa and a comfortable outside bath.

Stepping out of JR Ogoto-onsen Station, I spotted the shuttle bus across the street, waiting at a red light. I quickly waved, and to my surprise, the driver motioned for me to wait, then circled back to pick us up – incredibly grateful for that! 😊 The drive to the hotel took about 5 minutes. Upon entering the lobby, I noticed a slightly odd smell. The staff asked us to take a seat in the lobby. After checking us in and confirming our meal times, they showed us to our room. There was no odd smell in the room or restaurant areas. They even helped with our luggage – truly excellent service. The private hot spring in the room had continuously flowing water; I'm not sure if it's recirculated, but you can see Lake Biwa from there. The summer dinner cuisine was delicious! 😋

Yumotokan was our first stay at an onsen and first trip to Otsu and Lake Biwa. It blew us away at how amazing and wonderful everything was. We took a local train from Kyoto Station to Ogotoonsen Station. The views of the mountains on one side and the lake on the other were stunning and the shuttle service from Ogotoonsen Station to Yumotokan was much appreciated. We reserved two of the Kotone suites with their own private baths attached to our rooms for one night and we were not disappointed. The rooms included breakfast, dinner, and a hour later check-out time with the reservation. The staff were very kind and accommodating, helping us with whatever we needed (so glad we asked for help with the yukata! It became a cute memory for us). The rooms were comfortably spacious with a gracious amount of amenities and the attached private onsen baths were incredibly healing. We utilized them as many times as was healthy. Both the breakfast buffet and course dinner were amazingly delicious and something that'll be on our minds for awhile. Even our check-out was stress free and we were able to buy souvenirs from a little shop they had inside the lobby. I wish I knew what shampoo and treatment they use or where I can purchase it because it left our hair super soft and silky smooth, nothing like what we use at home. Our stay was amazing and we would highly recommend Yumotokan. We'll definitely visit again on our next trip to Japan, hopefully for a couple more nights!

The hotel owner is very warm and friendly. The room is very clean. Looking at the Wuhu breakfast, there is another flavor. The hotel bathroom has a heated bathtub. Very advanced experience. I highly recommend everyone to go! 😍

Although Sakae City is not a hot place for Japanese tourism, it is also a place not to be missed for Japanese in-depth tours. The Xuangong Garden in Sakae City can be said to be a must-see attraction. The park can look at the national treasure-level Sakae City to punch in first-class! The hot spring hotel in Haogen City is really worth recommending. The room is full on the day of check-in. It takes about a month to book. The hotel is located next to Lugu Lake. The room can see the lake view. I booked a parking and two meals. The dinner guest cuisine is already worth the fare. The food is very exquisite and special, the hot spring area is also spacious and comfortable, I will stay at the hot spring hotel again next time.

I am very happy to take two dogs to such a beautiful place. The overall environment is very beautiful and quiet, and the dog run brought by the house also makes the puppy have a great time. Dinner and breakfast are made on-site by the staff. The ingredients are fresh and the portion is very sufficient. It is really satisfying. However, at the same time, the overall experience is very good, there are two small suggestions, I hope that the quality of service can be further improved in the future. 1️⃣ Communication on check-in time The hotel's check-in time is 15:00 〜 19:00, so guests arrive before 19:00 is a normal check-in range. On the same day, if the check-in time has not exceeded, the temporary inquiry ”about what time will arrive” will give people a little feeling of being urged. Since the hotel has set a check-in time range, the catering and reception departments may be prepared in advance according to this time period. 2️⃣ About the service experience at check-out The staff was very enthusiastic on the day of check-in. The vehicle just stopped and took the initiative to help carry the luggage, which made a very good first impression. But in contrast, there was almost no assistance when checking out. I didn't even ask if I needed help with my luggage. Since some houses here are far from the front desk, I also saw some elderly guests need to drag a lot of luggage alone to check out. I personally think that a really good hotel is not only the enthusiasm at check-in, but also whether it can still be maintained in the same meticulous and thoughtfulness when checking out. Because the feelings of the guests when they leave, it is often the last impression left by the entire stay experience. The above content is not offensive, only represents a little real feeling of the individual during the stay. I also sincerely hope that the hotel will continue to improve the service details in the future, and do not let such an excellent environment and hardware be affected by the small regrets on the service. Some items were forgotten when I checked out. Thank you for calling me to communicate with me. I will stay next time. Please take care of it.

Overall, the place was clean and the service was good! They helped me make a restaurant reservation! Unfortunately, they couldn't get an Italian dinner reservation! I'll try again next time!

The breakfast is very good and the hot spring experience is also very good. There was no one when I went there, it was just a charter. The location is right by the lake, comfortable and quiet, there is a 7-11 next to it, you can do some simple purchases. The owner of the hotel is a kind and amiable grandmother, who can recommend local activities to us in simple English. I am very grateful to her for taking care of her for a few days.

Despite the language barrier, you can still feel the enthusiasm of the service staff. There is no bathroom in the room booked this time, a large bath is enough. The free large bath has an outdoor part but no view.