Hotel Oyanagi

The hotel is baby-friendly, and the staff were kind. We arrived very late on the first day, but they still helped carry all our suitcases to the room. Breakfast was good, with a chance to try different Niigata foods. There are indoor and outdoor onsen baths, though the outdoor one closes at 10pm. It takes around 30-40 mins to drive to Niigata town centre. I’d recommend it for families with kids who are driving around Niigata.

I’ve stayed here twice now, and the service and food have been good both times. I especially like the open-air bath beside the main public bath, an infinity bath with a nice view over the Niigata Plain. There’s also a good set of audio equipment on the first floor. If you ask, they’ll play an LP or two.

We were a family group of seven, including two small kids. The large tatami rooms worked well, and we appreciated how kid-friendly the place was. There were little details like kids’ toilet seats, games and drawing in the main lobby, animals, and fish, plus games and drawings in front of the Onsen bath. The bath was great, with a spectacular infinity-style outdoor pool. Dinner was served in a private tatami room, with plenty of delicious food and some dishes we don’t see at other hotels, like a whole grilled fish. The only downside was a faint cigarette smell in our room.

The onsen was pretty mediocre, relatively small and without any distinctive design. There was no cold bath, and the saunas only ran during busy hours. The food was average too, with nothing that really stood out. The hotel itself seems modern and new. The lobby is spacious and very clean, and the window gives a good partial panoramic view of Niigata city.