Hot Springs Hotels in Shiga Prefecture, Japan

Very good experience at the Mercure Lake Biwa. A high-standard hotel with great views and quality services. Even though there were many group guests, everything was well organized. Thanks to my Accor card, I could enjoy some nice benefits, which was much appreciated. The staff was friendly, attentive, and always willing to help. They are also bike friendly !

All rooms at the hotel are lake-facing, offering fantastic views of Lake Biwa right from your door. The hotel is located right on the lake, perfect for a leisurely stroll along the shore. The hotel provides a free shuttle bus service from Otsu Station, which is very convenient for tourists. However, it's also just a 10-minute walk (or slightly more) to Otsu Station, so transportation is generally very accessible. There's also a terrace on the third floor of the hotel where you can enjoy panoramic views of Lake Biwa. The rooms are quite spacious and very clean.

Overall experience only so so average……. I don’t expect such a huge hotel giant - Marriott Group has these shortfalls ! Let’s talk about the suggested improvements on facilities provided by hotel:  1) parking facilities - there is no accessible ramps or pavements for customers taking their heavy luggage from the parking areas - the only thing that we can do was to carry these luggages up the staircases to the hotel lobby from the parking area. 2) hotel entrance lay-by - it was raining heavily when I checked out today. I planned to drive my car to the hotel entrance so that my family members can jump into the car and I can load all my luggages to the trunk under the canopy of the hotel entrance. “Luckily”, the canopy is too short and has no such design and finally everybody got into the car and they were ALL WET. I have to load those luggages to the car under the rain…… 3) Onsen (public bath) - nothing to say about this old, obsolete, small public bath without maintanance. 4) staff - I’d say, with the “name” of Marriott, this hotel is really under staff…… Other - nothing to say really

This is the best hotel experience my family has ever had. The staff is so friendly and caring. Everyone and everything made us feel we are truly welcome and cared about. Will definitely come back again!

This is a ryokan near Lake Biwa. They were always kind to me! The open-air hot spring was also really nice. There was a shuttle bus so it was convenient to go to the station. It was the best experience 😀

I really liked the hotel. Beautiful interiors with natural and expensive materials, a magnificent onsen with a view of the lake, very beautiful sunsets. On the 10th floor in the evening you can enjoy the views and drink a glass of wine. The dinner is very tasty and varied, thanks to the chef! I also want to note the politeness of the staff. Thank you!

The location of the hotel is particularly special. In the village, there is dinner and breakfast by the lake of Wuhu. The dinner is a famous local suxi pot. The breakfast is a traditional diet. The hotel is very clean. The facilities are outdated. The public bathroom and outdoor hot spring can look up at the starry sky. The whole floor is our family. There are few people for the location, the bathroom is a bit inconvenient outside the house, the service is very Japanese and very polite.

It was a great stay at this ryokan! The hotel is able to arrange a car to fetch you from the JR station. You can call them using a dedicated phone at the station which is used to contact the different ryokans. The car arrived in 10mins or so. The ride to the ryokan was also less than 10mins. The hotel also fetched us to the station on the last day of our stay. The ryokan itself is homely and cozy. We were greeted by an english speaking staff who introduced us to the amenities of the ryokan. There was also a nice welcome tea and matcha chocolate. Our bags were brought to our room as well during this time. The room is spacious and cozy. The hotel prepared 2 welcome biscuits in the room which was a nice personal touch. The room has a nice living room and a great view of Lake Biwa. Recommend to catch the sunrise over the lake! There are 2 normal beds as well as futon beds (need to set up yourself). Both are comfortable. The hotel also prepared pretty yukata for both female and male guests which you can wear during the stay. There are 4 different designs for ladies, and one design for the guys. You can request for different size if the one in the room doesn’t fit you. There is also a full length mirror and a mini dressing area at the side of the living room. It was fun dressing up in the yukata! The toilet, basin, shower and hot tub areas are all separate. The toilet is a little small, but the basin and mirror area is very spacious. The shower area is quite small as well and the shower head is rather low so you need to hold the shower head if you wish to wash up while standing. There is a small stool given for you to sit down though. The hot tub area is semi-outdoor and you can see Lake Biwa. But it is quite small (only good for one person). It was too cold so we didn’t use the hot tub. Instead, we booked the private onsen for 50mins. The private onsen has a private toilet and dressing area which is equipped with hairdryer, body lotion etc. There is a water dispenser as well if you need to hydrate yourself. The onsen area has a washing area, and the hot tub area is spacious for 2 person. There are privacy screens around the onsen area but there is a small gap to let in cold air for ventilation. Wish there is a good view from the private onsen but it was still enjoyable! Dinner and breakfast was Kaiseki style, and the meals were one of the highlights for my husband and I. We really enjoyed the courses which are clean tasting yet wholesome, fresh and flavourful. It was such a sumptuous treat! The ryokan also has a souvenir shop if you wish to buy anything back. Overall, my husband and I really enjoyed the stay here and we agreed this was one of the main highlights of our 12 days trip in Japan. Highly recommend!

The room was new and spacious. Although two or three flying insects were found in the bathroom, it was difficult to understand and avoid. It was much better than Ji Yishengpu Turtle Well. Upgraded dinner was not bad, the buffet coffee machine soft drink, coffee was difficult to drink. Check out at 10 o'clock, the hot spring is open until 9:00 after breakfast, it is too late to soak. After checking out, it rained heavily. We sat in the lobby and waited for the rain to stop. The air conditioner was a bit cold. I wanted to borrow a bathrobe for the guests in the lobby. I was rejected and the service was disappointing.

This spa hotel is pretty good. If you come by train, you can call the hotel to request a pick-up after you arrive at the station. The location is a little far from the station. The hotel is quite old, probably built in the 80s or 90s, and the facilities are well maintained. The room facilities are a bit old, and there is a lot of dust in some places, such as under the safe. The food is good, breakfast is buffet style. My hands and feet feel smooth after soaking in the hot spring.