Mitsui Garden Hotel Sapporo West

Breakfast was amazing, especially the nigiri made fresh right there. The hotel also has a microwave and a hot and cold water machine on the second floor, across from the public bath. It’s about a three-minute walk to Sapporo JR station and one minute to Yodobashi, with a McDonald’s right in front. Great location, and I’d definitely stay again.

We liked warming up in the public bath every night after walking around in the cold, snowy winter. The hotel also has coin laundry, which came in handy halfway through our trip when we needed clean clothes. Breakfast wasn’t really to my taste, but that’s personal preference. You can use the breakfast voucher at the seafood market for a delicious kaisendon. Mitsui Garden West is very close to Sapporo Station, so it’s handy if you arrive by train and want to walk over with your luggage. Be sure to go into Mitsui Garden West, since Mitsui Garden is right next door. Susukino is a 20-25 minute walk; we enjoyed going through the underground passage and looking at the shops to stay warm. The one bad experience was with the taxi they called for us, which wasn’t really the hotel’s fault. The driver was rude, sped on icy roads, slammed the doors at us, and ignored our thank-you in Japanese. He also dropped us at the wrong place. Even so, we’d recommend staying here if the walk to Susukino doesn’t bother you.

The rooms are on the small side, but have a good range of amenities, either for self-service or on request at the lobby. There’s a public bath too, nice for relaxing after a day walking around the city. Breakfast was acceptable, though the selection was limited and repetitive, so it may not satisfy higher expectations. The location is convenient for travelers, about a nine-minute walk from Sapporo Station. There’s a Lawson convenience store on the ground floor, plenty of nearby restaurants, and Daimaru Shopping Mall within walking distance. A good option in central Sapporo.

The breakfast choices are fairly limited and lean toward Western food, though the live chef station making sweet and savory crepes was a nice touch. The public bath for both men and women was another plus. The room worked well for three, with enough space to walk around, a proper hanging area, and a decent wardrobe. The bathroom was a comfortable size too, less cramped than typical Japanese hotel toilets. After a bad experience at my previous hotel in Otaru, where messy exposed cables ran under the bed’s head area, I checked this room right away and was glad Mitsui Garden had everything properly set up and safe. The real drawback was the laundry. There’s only one combo washer-dryer, and waits can be long, with people still queuing at 3 or 4 a.m. Each full wash and dry takes about two hours. The TV in the room shows live washer updates, which is thoughtful, but more machines would be much better. It’s inconvenient when someone is out and misses the pickup time. They should consider a proper shared laundry area with at least four machines, not divided by gender zones. I booked this hotel at the last minute after cutting short my stay in Otaru.