premium-lake-toya

Ono San, if I’ve got the name right, even gave us a short ride to show us the signature sites around the area before dropping us at the JR Station. The staff were wonderful overall. One of my bags had a problem, and they carefully helped fix it, though it was only a BandAid solution. That small bit of help meant a lot. We booked directly on the website and stayed two nights. The room was comfortably spacious and elaborate, with a convenient in-room onsen. The hotel had all the facilities we needed, and we enjoyed the hospitality, lovely setting, and quiet. The dinners and breakfasts were well prepared. Chef Nagahashi made Japanese flavored dishes with lots of detail and a modern French presentation. I’d gladly come back and recommend it to anyone going to Toya.

The in-room private onsen was wonderful. We could soak in the hot spring while looking out at Lake Toya. The food also exceeded expectations, with high quality dishes made from local ingredients. It was a quiet, relaxing stay, and all the staff were friendly and supportive, which is a real plus when travelling in a rural area. One of our best experiences in Japan. Thanks for hosting us.

The view was the only good part of this stay. The food was confusing, bland, overpriced, and disappointing. The room was dusty and full of stink bugs. Our biggest bedroom was on the second floor, with no elevator, and we had to carry all four large suitcases upstairs. We were travelling with two elderly people, and no staff offered to help with the luggage. We also felt discriminated against by one staff member. She was passive aggressive and demanded we sit while we were admiring the view. She seemed friendly to Japanese guests but not to us as foreigners, and appeared unable to smile until talking with them. Most frustrating, they refused to help send back belongings we’d forgotten. When we said we were leaving Japan and wanted them shipped to our country, they stopped replying midway through the conversation. We would have appreciated an answer about whether shipping was possible instead of no response. This was the worst stay of my whole trip.

Getting around is a problem, especially in winter, but the hotel provides a shuttle to the nearby bus interchange. I loved the view of Lake Toya. The food was fine dining, though sashimi at breakfast was a bit much for me.