La Vista Hakodate Bay

I’ve been a Dormy Inn fan for years, and this was my first stay here after La Vista Tokyo Bay earlier this year. The rooms, interiors, amenities, and common bath have some lovely British Colonial touches. The roof-top onsen has a genuine hot spring and a marvelous setting, with a 270’ panoramic view of Hakodate. Breakfast was a different story. The restaurant area and the number of 🛗 elevators don't seem sized for such a large number of guests. More room on the 2nd floor for serving and dining would help. The buffet felt like a battleground with all the lines, and by the time I got back I felt like I needed a shower, so I literally took one. 😂 La Vista Hakodate does have an Annex for a more chilled, upscale stay, but I wish it offered one-bed rooms for solo travelers. 😮‍💨

The food was good, and Kizu, our restaurant waitress, was especially friendly and helpful, paying close attention to what we needed, particularly my grandma. Our room was cleaned very well, and the cleaner even fixed the clock without us reporting it. My only suggestion is to leave more bottles of mineral water in the room.

That top-floor onsen is amazing, especially the outdoor bath. This is the best place to stay in Hakodate for us, and one of our favorite hotels anywhere in the world.

Our Deluxe Twin Room on the 11th floor looked out toward Mt. Hakodate. At night there wasn't much to see, but the morning view was beautiful. I liked the room's Japanese and Western mix, though it was quite dark and could use better lighting. We booked one night with the breakfast buffet included. For the price, booking on the hotel's own website was about 20% cheaper than third-party travel sites, and I could choose a high floor with a view. Hakodate Station is roughly a 15-minute walk away, but snow made the road slippery and stretched our walk to around 20 minutes. A bus also goes from the station to the hotel in about five minutes, though it doesn't run often. The bed and pillows weren't comfortable for me, and I tossed and turned most of the night. The room linens seemed old and worn and need replacing. There are free beverage machines around the hotel, including coffee and nutritional juice, plus paid vending machines for bottled drinks. They also offer free late-night noodles, which I didn't try. The hotel seems well known for its seafood breakfast buffet, but I found it underwhelming. Offering seafood is unusual, but the quality and variety disappointed me.