Hikone View Hotel

This hotel is 40 years outdated . Bedroom, mattress, everything seems to be from 70’s. the room is old school, bed is uncomfortable and the price is as high as a 4 stars hotel in kyoto! I am very surprised that this hotel still exist with such a high price! We booked it through booking so we couldn’t be refunded. I really do not recommend this hotel. However, I must say that the lady at the front desk was very kind and they offered us another room when We complained about the cigarette’s smell. Do not spend your Monney there. I can assure you that you will be very disappointed.

I was expecting a room with a view like many had written in their reviews. But mine didn’t come with it. We booked a room for 3 and were given a cottage with 5 single beds. There are many cottages just beside the main hotel building. We could drive up to our cottage and this made loading/unloading so much easier. The furnishing is old and the walking space is narrow. We had to scratch our heads where to place our luggage. The toilet and bath are in the same room but are separated with a partition. A door for the toilet bowl and shower curtain for the bath area. There is a bathtub. 2 doors open to this room. One from the bedroom (with 2 beds) and one from the common area (3 beds). The doors creaked no matter how slowly one tried to open and shut them. The cottage was kept warm with 2 air-conditioners. One in the bedroom and one in the common area. The little pantry has an electric kettle, 5 cups and teabags. Breakfast is in the main building. It is a very big dining area with a good view of Lake Biwa. This hotel seems to host mainly Taiwanese group tours.

The hotel is located next to Biwa Lake. All rooms face the lake. There’re tennis court, free bicycle and a large lawn. Buffet dinner is very rich. Unlimited crabs, sashimi and many many more. The lake view either from the room or the larger lawn is excellent. If the weather is good, you can see the sunset on the lake. However the rooms are outdated and the WiFi didn’t work in the whole period when we stayed. I gave 4 stars because I love the Sunset there.

I stayed here for 2 nights in a 4 beds room. The room was large and well-equipped. I really like the restroom with hightech toilet. They also served some free snacks and tea that can be found easily in the desk. My room had a beautiful outside view. I can see the Lake Biwa and Hikone Castle in front of my eyes. I booked the buffet ticket for breakfast and dinner. There was a diverse dishes from different cultures and it was really delicious. The wifi here was fast, however it is only available in the lobby.

The beds are gross. The rooms are incredibly dated and smell like stale smoke. The people are nice, though. And the buffet is fantastic! I went with a group and if you let them know ahead of time they'll make you vegetarian dinner sets. The location is also awesome because there's a little beach nearby with lots of beach pottery.