Hotel Sonia Otaru

The location can not be beat. Our view of the canal was gorgeous and made the stay in Otaru. The room was larger than any we stayed in while in Japan and the lobby was beautiful. Staff were all very friendly despite us being English speaking. If you've ever been an American in Otaru, that can be hard to find. Very walkable to a lot of restaurants. We were sad we could only stay one night, as there were a couple places in the warehouses across the canal we didn't get a chance to check out. I'm sure it's mainly for tourists but if you're having trouble finding a restaurant, we highly recommend walking to Denuki Koji. We had an incredible dinner experience at a tiny Yakitori restaurant there.Theres an onsen at the hotel that I regrettably didn't get a chance to visit but it looks beautiful. Definitely the place to stay if you want to be close to the canal and within walking distance to many historic Otaru spots.

Only that we switched a night to stay in Sapporo. It would have been lovely to spend more than one night there.

The canal view room was perfect for The Snow Light Path Festival as we could watch from our sitting area when we had enough time out in the snow. The onsen facilities were clean, with good amenities, and breakfast was good. It is a great location - just a short walk to JR Station but of course this can be tricky in the snow and ice (we wear spikes). Also just a short walk to shopping streets and restaurants are all around.

The room is a bit dated and the bathroom small, but that's ok for the good price. We had the end room in a building and that end wall could be quite cold, sometimes making the room hard to heat adequately.

located right across from the Otaru canal, my room in the 6th floor had a small balcony overlooking the canal. The shower area and the toilet are two separate rooms so that's convenient if you're two people travelling. Front desk staff is very helpful. There's coin laundry and restaurants on premises. If you don't mind walking, you can walk to the train station.

the room containing the toilet is narrow. it's not an inconvenience. it's just a preference for more space.

Excellent location, walking distance to a lot of otaru sights. Breakfast buffet was good. Pay parking which has a bit of a strange reservation system - you need to tell them when you leave and come back. Would prefer if we could put cone in spot ourselves but still worked. Good history, I believe the building has been around for a long time.

Men's Onsen window was half boarded up, not very nice. We tried to go to the attached restaurant for dinner one night and they said it was fully booked, when it was 3/4 empty. Went in and out a couple times that night and it was never busy. I don't know why they turned us away. A bit expensive, we went to a very nice Onsen out of town because of the condition of the hotels, and wish we stayed there as it was a much nicer Onsen, included breakfast and dinner, and wasn't that much more expensive.

I only stayed for one night on my way to Sapporo but I found it to be a very beautiful hotel with professional, friendly staff. I had driven there from Hakodate so it was nice that they had parking right next to the hotel, and a convenience store right behind that. The room was very modern looking and the beds were comfortable, with a decently sized wall-mounted TV and drink vending machines on two floors.

1) The strategic location overlooking Otaru Canal 2) Delicious breakfast spread with that morning wine 3) A cafe that serves awesome ice cream and coffee

not exactly don’t like, but: 1) I stayed in the 5th floor, South Building. The door was only 6 feet high so taller people might find it a challenge. 2) some of the details in the room were clearly dated and need refurbishment. the room was clean though. 3) the bathroom was quite small to come extent those with claustrophobia might have problem. I just use their Onsen to bath instead.

The best part of the hotel is the view of the canal. If looking for a hotel in Otaru, you should definitely check out Hotel Sonia. Good access to the shopping street and lots of good restaurants close by. The hotel was a little rustic in parts but it added to the charm.

the location was good -- next to the canal and most of the walking areas. Easy walk from the train station. The highlight of the property is the onsen which was very nice (indoor and outdoor baths) and clean. Good view from the room, and the windows could be opened.

the bathroom was a plastic modular bathroom -- very cramped. The room was very small too. single file only.

Good location. Very extensive breakfast. Huge rooms in the suites wing. Nice clean Onsen that was never very crowded (although the men’s doesn’t have an outside area 😢)

Very hard beds and tiny flat pillows made it hard to get a decent sleep. If you like a soft bed then you will hate the beds.

Our favorite hotel! Location is perfect along the canal. The view is beautiful. Coffee shop in the lobby is delicious. Easy to get to from station. Comfortable and spacious rooms and onsen to relax at.

A little outdated on the room (but price point is okay for it) and bed is a little hard. Men’s onsen does not have outdoor option.