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Located very close to Kyoto, about half an hour driving, the hotel has all the rooms facing Biwa Lake. It has various pools for summer fun.
I stayed here for two days. The room is spacious, with beds facing the lake. When the weather is good, it s a beautiful view. Though the hotel is not far from the train station, it is better to rent a car if you want to explore the city and go to some nice restaurants.
There is a public bath located on 4th floor. Though it is not big, the water temperature is just good and outdoor bath is also quite enjoyable. Buffet breakfast restaurant is located on the lobby floor. It is facing the lake with a good view. Not very abundant of food but should provide enough selections. There is also an Italian restaurant next door for different dishes. Do not forget about the light fountain show in front of the hotel in the evening. Depending on the season, it general starts at 7pm.
Some nice cafe restaurants located about 10 minutes walk along the lake to the east, if you have time for lunch or a cup of coffee, it is a very nice place to enjoy the lake view. By ten minutes drive you can find a very large shopping mall with quite many shops and restaurants. I did not expect such a nice mall can be found in Otsu. A nice surprise.
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Date of stay: March 2023
Value
Location
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from 琵琶湖 ホテル, お客様サービス / フロント オフィス at Biwako Hotel
Responded 25 Apr 2023
Thank you for staying at the Biwako Hotel. We are very happy that you shared all the memories you made in Shiga Otsu. I am very happy that you enjoyed Ruri Onsen and Lake Biwa Flower Fountain. Shiga is a large area, so if you go around Lake Biwa, you can experience the differences in history and culture. If you come to Japan again, please come back here. Thank you.
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Our room was somewhat updated but had a bit of a 1970's vibe. However, the view of Lake Biwa more than made up for it. Restaurant (teppanyaki) was good. The hotel website claims they speak Japanese and English but I was not able to find anyone who spoke even a word of English. Housekeeping staff was below average as our toilet had a mildew stain at the water line, proving that it had not been properly cleaned in weeks. Very large pool area. The bed was "extremely firm" (I'm being nice) which did not provide a good nights sleep. Lots to see and do there (in Otsu). I recommend visiting the Lake Biwa Museum if you're ever in this area.
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Date of stay: August 2021
Value
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Response from 琵琶湖 ホテル, お客様サービス / フロント オフィス at Biwako Hotel
Responded 29 Aug 2021
We really appreciated that you stayed at Biwako Hotel and had a online reviews. Also, we were very sorry for made you feel uncomfortable about the bathroom. But I am very glad as you were able to enjoy scenery of Lake Biwa. If there is the opportunity that can come again, please try Biwako Hotel. We look forward to a next visit. thank you.
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This is a wonderful hotel situated right in front of Lake Biwa.
Service at the reception while checking in was smooth and hassle-free.
The room is big & spacious unlike other typical Japanese hotels which are small and cramped.
It is spacious enough to have small table and a set of sofa for guests to chill & relax.
I stayed in the room on level 6 & it had all the basic stuff except for ladies toiletries such as cleansing lotion & etc. Other than that, I was quite happy with the room.
The bed faces Lake Biwa and it is quite nice to wake up to such a lovely view. There is a balcony guests have access to.
I was transferred to another room because my husband forgot to book another night. So to another room we went & this time was on the 11th floor.
The 11th floor room had different deco and facilities fit for a king! Imagine the joy we had though it was only for 1 night. Even the colour of the yukatas was different.
For exercise-enthusiasts, you can access Lake Biwa via the exit near one of the restaurants & take a walk or have a run at the park.
Plus point, it has public bath, provides free parking & free shuttle service to Otsu JR station.
Overall, I’m very pleased with my stay with Biwako Hotel.
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Date of stay: December 2023Trip type: Travelled with friends
Room Tip:Free parking available. Free shuttle service to Otsu JR station. Public bath available.
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Response from 琵琶湖 ホテル, お客様サービス / フロント オフィス at Biwako Hotel
Responded 22 Dec 2023
Dear．I＿S＿B＿L＿O Thank you for staying at Biwako Hotel. Thank you for posting a detailed review for us. We are very happy to hear that you enjoyed your stay with us in two different room types. The rooms on the 6th floor have a woodgrain design, giving the impression of a ``lakeside villa surrounded by trees.'' The 11th floor has a blue design that evokes the deep waters of Lake Biwa, and has a wonderful complimentary room that you won't find in other rooms. The area around the hotel is also suitable for walking and cycling. When the weather is nice, it makes you feel very comfortable. If you come to Japan again, please come back here. Thank you.
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I wanted to get a little off the well beaten tourist track in Japan and Lake Biwa was a great little location. Biwako Hotel was comfortable, clean, great lake view and relaxing. THe restaurants were good and breakfast incredibly generous. As is usual in Japan, the staff were incredible and the facilities were as advertised. This hotel is a short walk from restaurants, convenience store Lawson and local JR train stations. Convenient location. I'd happily stay here again, had a very relaxing time
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Date of stay: May 2024
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Trip type: Travelled solo
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I stayed here for one night for work. It was my first time visiting Shiga Prefecture and my first time seeing Lake Biwa up close. From the balcony of the room, you can see Lake Biwa in full view, giving it a resort feel. It's about a 10-minute train ride from Kyoto, but the atmosphere there is quite different. It's great to have such a sense of openness at such a distance from Otsu Station. This time I only stayed for work and slept, so there's not much I can comment on, but the bath was very good. It was amazing to see Lake Biwa from the open-air bath. I'd like to visit again in the future.
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Date of stay: January 2024
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Trip type: Travelled on business
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Good locations and quiet room. I made a reservation before reached there two hours. But the room was prepared for us. The hotel staff teaches the restaurant near the hotel. It took about 5 minutes.nice place . But for breakfast, there is no place about here, so he recommended in the hotel. It is very nice breakfast.
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Date of stay: August 2020
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It was a New Year's family trip. We chose this hotel because it was the most convenient way for everyone to get on the Michigan line. Since it was New Year's, we thought there would be some events that the kids would enjoy, but there was nothing, so we were at a loss as to how to kill time until dinner. The kids found a Round 1 in the building next door, so we managed. For dinner, we had asked for the food to be upgraded. But it didn't feel like an upgrade. Moreover, they took a long time to move on to the next dish, so we ended up getting tired. There was nothing particularly noteworthy in the morning either, just a regular hotel.
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Date of stay: January 2023
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Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
This was our second visit to this hotel and everything was perfect. We had a beautiful (and clean) room on the 4th floor (Club Lounge Access) with an amazing view of Lake Biwa. The food (Teppanyaki restaurant) was excellent and the staff was very friendly and helpful. I would definitely recommend this hotel and I have a strong feeling that we will return again.
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Date of stay: April 2023
Value
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from 琵琶湖 ホテル, お客様サービス / フロント オフィス at Biwako Hotel
Responded 25 Apr 2023
Thank you for always staying at the Biwako Hotel. The room "VISTA" where I stayed this time is a special room with only 4 rooms, and it is the only room in Japan where you can take a shower while looking at Lake Biwa. You must have had the experience of becoming one with Lake Biwa. Thank you for your satisfaction with our food and staff service. We promise to serve you with sincere gratitude the next time you come back. Biwako Hotel
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I only have good things to say about the hotel. The view is magnificent. The room is very modern and very very clean. Service was friendly. Each room is provided with coffee machine which is nice. You can sit at the balcony and enjoy your coffee with the magnificent view. I will definitely recommend this hotel if anyone is planning a trip to Biwako.
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Date of stay: March 2024Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Found black mould on the shower-stand. I had told the front-desk receptionist who later sent a clean lady to rub the floor with bleaching agent. It's a bit better now but the gaps between the tiles are still full of mould. I m quite disappointed by the cleanliness here because most Japanese hotels are exceptionally clean. Overall, the room is nice with a fantastic view.
This morning, my husband and I felt very bad about buffet restaurant manager's attitude. We were the second group to line up for breakfast and the manager asked us to wait for 10 mins. Later on, more local tourists came to queue up but the manager only called the local tourists to get in the restaurant, despite our waiting time was more than 15 mins. The manager make us feel unwelcome and discriminated. I do not recommend this hotel to foreign visitors.
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Date of stay: August 2017Trip type: Travelled as a couple
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Response from 琵琶湖ホテルBL, フロント オフィス マネージャー at Biwako Hotel
Responded 1 Sept 2017
Dear Ms. Alison Y Thank you very much for staying with us at the Biwako Hotel. However, we unfortunately found out the negative feedbacks on the internet site, saying that you had experienced several unsatisfactory issues during your stay here in Biwako. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience you might had experienced over the last couple of days. We had already implemented the full investigation of the mentioned room and decided to develop our new rooms’ cleanliness program as of September 1st, 2017. This will be covered not only the room you mentioned, but also, the hotels entire rooms on each floors. The other issue you had mentioned was the guest welcome at the restaurant’s entrance in the early morning time. Because of the long queue in front of the restaurant, the manager escorted you and your husband to the other waiting area and called you for several occasions. However, because of the poor English communication skills (this is what I believe), it led you understand as “unwelcomed”. After I received the negative comment sent from you, I personally discussed with that manager. We now both agreed to try to create the way the customer feel much satisfactory morning time. Once again, we officially apologize as one of the hotel’s representative. We are truly looking forward to seeing you for your next visit here in Japan! Hideki Masuda Front Office Manager Biwako Hotel
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I don't think they have rooms with hot tub in the balcony. They only have a public hot tub both inside n outside on 4th floor. You may confirm on the website.
Not any room has hot tub on the balcony of this hotel. There is public bath on 4th floor. The public bath has tub on the balcony.
But no family bath is not equiped.
There are more places to choose from in the Otsu area.
PRICE RANGE
£84 - £152 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
biwako hotel otsu
LOCATION
JapanKinkiShiga PrefectureOtsu
NUMBER OF ROOMS
175
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BIWAKO HOTEL - Updated 2024 Reviews, Photos & Prices
Frequently Asked Questions about Biwako Hotel
Which popular attractions are close to Biwako Hotel?
Nearby attractions include Otsu Lakeside Nagisa Park (0.08 miles), Otsu Festival Hikiyama Exhibition Pavilion (0.3 miles), and Former Otsu Public Hall (0.1 miles).
