Stay In Otaki

The onsen in the hotel is a big plus, especially in winter, and there are two ski resorts a 40-50 minute drive away. The Japanese buffet breakfast and dinner had excellent food. It's a typical Japanese-style hotel, so it'll be a great place if that's the kind of stay you like. The staff were very friendly, welcoming, and happy to help. I'm looking forward to coming back.

The buffet was just average, maybe a 3/5, but there was plenty to eat and the grilled whole fish sticks with salt were really tasty. Still, no bacon and eggs at breakfast was a letdown. The rooms are basic and the hallways are dirty, though the old-fashioned feel grew on me. You can roam around the whole place, and the onsen is the real draw: loads of indoor and outdoor pools, open 24/7, so you can even have a beer there after midnight. There’s no staff after 10pm and I didn’t see any CCTV, which felt a bit wild. It’s cheaper than other places and I’d definitely go back, whether for a room party or somewhere to lay low and regroup.

The Japanese-style room felt comfortable and nicely vintage to me, despite what I’d read about the place being old. We had a great stay, with a good selection at both buffet meals and two massage chairs near the public bath. The seven-bath public area was lovely, especially bathing outside while it snowed. There’s also a free shuttle to and from Sapporo station, plus different complimentary tea bags in the lobby. Communication took some effort because few staff spoke English, and the front desk needed a while to find our booking. I wouldn’t pay for the private bath again. Better signs about public bath etiquette would help too: a group of Korean guests stood while showering and splashed around, talked loudly and shouted to each other, and one even kicked water into the bath.

The washroom was tiny. At least they left a free 2L bottle of water in the fridge each day.