Homestays in Hokkaido, Japan

After booking the hotel on Ctrip, I made sure to reserve the shuttle bus from Sapporo Station to the hotel half a month in advance by filling out a form on their official website. The bus departed from the designated parking area outside Sapporo Station North Exit at 1:30 PM, reaching the hotel around 4:00 PM. If you sit on the right side of the bus, you get a close-up view of Mount Yotei midway through the ride. Upon check-in, I managed to book a private onsen for 6 PM and dinner for after 7 PM on the spot. After dinner, around 8 PM, we took a short walk to the lake to catch the 8:45 PM fireworks show. The whole evening flowed perfectly! The next day, payment for the private onsen and shuttle bus was conveniently handled at a machine during check-out. At 10:15 AM, we took the hotel shuttle to New Chitose Airport, arriving at the domestic terminal around 12:30 PM. Sitting on the left side of the bus offers a close-up view of Lake Shikotsu en route. Since it wasn't crowded at the end of August, we were able to book the return shuttle and a private onsen on the spot at the front desk. However, it's generally safer to book these in advance. Current prices are: the hotel shuttle from Sapporo Station to No Kaze is 1000 JPY per person, and from No Kaze to New Chitose Airport is 1500 JPY per person. The private onsen costs 4400 JPY for 50 minutes. Overall, it was a perfect short getaway!

We booked the family room. Room is big, clean and quiet. Even our room is nearby elevator, and the hotel is by the road side, we didn’t hear any noise/sound. Comfy bed. Walking distance to susukino area. They only have 13 parking slots for guests, website written first come first serve, free for guests. However there was one night we saw one free slot but one japanese lady stand there waiting her daughter for about 30 minutes and said they paid for the parking, we can’t park. We stop there as there was no space at the nearest parking. We checked with front desk, the staff on duty (a lady, can’t speak English) communicated with them in Japanese and then told us we can’t park there. We had to get a paid parking nearby and tried to communicate with the front desk again. She said hotel manager will reply us in email about this case. The manager emailed the next morning informed they will put a cone whenever there is a free slot the next day, they will reserve a slot for us. The next day morning as there were many slots so we just park our car there. But we didn’t see any reserved parking with cone. The hotel and room is good. Just need to improve the front desk service. We stayed 4d3n.

The hotel is located in Kitahiroshima, approximately a 15-minute drive from the outlet mall. It's incredibly convenient if you're traveling by JR, as the station is right at the hotel's entrance. The hotel is brand new and features a unique baseball theme, celebrating their home stadium. It's also situated directly above a shopping mall. Check-in is quite modern: you input all your details via an app, and then your IC card functions as your room key. The room itself was sparkling new and impeccably clean. Everything was in excellent condition, and the Wi-Fi was impressively fast. My only minor quibble is with the room's layout. The washbasin is positioned right next to the bed, which unfortunately makes the room feel a bit cramped. Compounding this, there's an electrical outlet uncomfortably close to the washbasin.

The overall experience was excellent. Slippers are required upon entering the inn, and the tatami mat flooring felt wonderfully clean and comfortable. We booked a room with a private indoor hot spring, which was incredibly convenient, allowing us to enjoy a soak whenever we pleased. The half-board plan was very practical. We stayed for two days, and each meal was different, which kept things fresh and exciting. There were complimentary snacks available near the dinner entrance, and they even offered free ramen as a late-night supper. Each day, our room was also replenished with complimentary drinks and snacks. If you're visiting Dingxishan for a hot spring getaway, I would definitely recommend this place. The only minor drawback was perhaps its location being quite close to a main road. My room and private indoor hot spring, at least, overlooked the main road, which wasn't very scenic.

Due to a miscalculation of our travel time, the drive from the airport took about 2 hours, and it was already dark by the time we reached the hotel. We had originally booked a mountain-view Japanese-style room, but upon arrival, we were pleasantly surprised to find we'd been upgraded to a lake-view Japanese-style room. The moment we stepped into the room, we were treated to a view of fireworks – absolutely stunning! The room perfectly matched my preferred Japanese style, and sleeping on the tatami mats was exceptionally comfortable. Our stay included both dinner and breakfast. Unfortunately, we arrived quite late, so it was already past the last order time for dinner, and we only managed a few quick bites. However, the breakfast the next morning was incredibly lavish. Most of the dishes were Japanese-style, and the restaurant, overlooking the lake, offered beautiful views while we dined. The hotel's onsen (hot springs) were truly superb and showed great thoughtfulness. I appreciated that the open-air baths for men and women swapped locations between the evening and morning, ensuring all guests could enjoy different scenic views during their soak. After our evening soak, we put on the hotel's yukata (robes) and took a stroll outside. The lake was just a short walk away. It was a fantastic way to experience Japanese culture!

This is *the* must-stay hotel in Shiretoko, hands down. I discovered it through a COCOGO Travel video on Bilibili, and its serene, tranquil, and natural vibe instantly captivated me, making me determined to visit. Shiretoko in summer is all about forests, hot springs, lakes, wild brown bears, and Ainu culture. Here, everything lives in elegant harmony with nature, allowing you to experience its magnificent landscapes firsthand. The hotel's decor beautifully reflects the local culture. They offer complimentary ice cream and an open bar with free-flowing drinks. Both breakfast and dinner feature carefully selected local ingredients; while portions aren't huge, they are incredibly refined and exquisite. From the hotel's onsen and authentic Finnish Löyly sauna, you can gaze out over the Shiretoko mountains and the Sea of Okhotsk. The breathtaking views are sure to lift your spirits and leave you feeling refreshed.

I went here with my friends for a ski trip and it was amazing stay at this villa! We were close to all nearby attractions and had easy access to food and entertainment. Wonderful stay and beautiful location!

We love the ambience and everything about the hotel! Furnishing are very carefully and intentionally designed, really appreciated the overall cozyness we felt during our stay. Sadly we had to give the bathhouse a miss due to our schedule, but we enjoyed our stay regardless. The only confusion we had was the check in/check out timing — the hotel page says check out is 11am, but we got a phone call at 10am telling us we’ve exceeded the check out timing. Page also mentions check in by 6pm, but we were only able to arrive at 9pm+ due to our flight and car rental processes, hence we checked in multiple times with the hotel. They were kind enough to assure us to drive safely as we can check in any time.

All in all, the authentic Japanese hot spring facilities and atmosphere were great !! BUT BUT BUT —Who would guess that we bumped into a tsunami warning !! During 15 minutes, I was on the third floor, not knowing what to do or where to go!! The front desk didn’t answer my calls and the broadcast was only in Japanese!!! God punished me for not studying Japanese hard !! It was lucky that nothing happened! Otherwise, I think other foreign guests would have been so lost and anxious !!!! The hotel should really put foreign guests into consideration too!! The staff at front desk didn’t really speak English, so it was hard to communicate….

Very conveniently located along the route from the airport to the central Hakodate!! The ryokan is a beautiful traditional style ryokan with tatami mat and delicious kaiseki dinner. The place is very quiet and peaceful and there is onsen available. It is located near the beach if you want to take in some fresh sea breeze.