Okubiwako Makino Grand Park Hotel

The rooms are clean and comfortable, and the staff are polite and courteous. It's one of my favourite hotels to visit in the Makino area. My only criticism is that some facilities are starting to look their age and could use a refresh.

The room stayed warm even though it was quite cold outside, and I liked the wood decor. Breakfast had a generous selection of traditional Japanese dishes, and when we asked for extra pillows they brought them right away. The hotel sits right by the lake in a quiet little village, a lovely spot to catch the sunrise if you get up early. There were a few drawbacks: our couple had to use separate beds, the windows wouldn't open, there was no complimentary water, and some of the furniture felt old. Still, I enjoyed our stay and would come back in summer to bike or hike around the area.

The lake view was a nice feature, but the hotel seems to be slowly wearing down and needs repairs. The rooms looked better online, and the hallway carpet was badly stained. The pool was empty, too. We had no cutlery for making tea or coffee, and there was no complimentary water in the room. The dining area windows could use a cleaning.

We were a family of six with three young children, but our room had only five towels. When I asked the middle-aged woman with glasses at reception for more, she refused in a very unpleasant way, as though getting enough towels was unreasonable. Two staff members spoke English and Mandarin and could talk with us, but they were junior staff and had no say. One of them had to argue with her on my behalf. Later, we needed more toilet rolls in the evening because we couldn't get the room cleaned by the 11am deadline. The same rude woman said we could only request one roll per day. For a family of six? She usually frowned and got grumpy whenever she saw us, and I felt it was because we were Asian foreigners. The service was horrible. Foreign Asian guests should avoid this hotel, and staying here is at your own peril.