Biwako Hanakaido

We booked for a private room with an open air hotspring bath and its just wonderful. It's a bit japanese style room with a japanese style entrance, toilet and washroom separate from the main bathroom area and hotspring. Overall room is cozy. Open air bath has a wash area similar to what you expect from a proper onsen but with privacy because its all yours and a huge area for hotspring that can probably fit up to 3-4 people, plus a view of lake Biwa. I didn't really expected the dinner to be that extravagant because we are send to a private dining room separate from other guess and served a half course meal to the delight and surprise of both of us. Also the view from the window which is a garden is reall beautiful. Service from the staff is just top notch. Price is just amazing for the servce and facility offered, it is a private room with an open air hotspring with dinner and breakfast already included.

Not really a dislike but just a fyi. Location is a bit far from the train station but a shuttle service is available for free to transfer you from the train station to the hotel and back. You can call the hotel once your in the station and they came in about 10mins. * I really recommed to use the shuttle service and do not attempt to go to the hotel by foot from the train station especially if you have lots/heavy luggage.

We had arrived late to the hotel, due to being lost in the Japan metro stations. Thankfully, the hotel were very accommodating, keeping the dinner, which was included in the price, for us. We were really looking forward to the dinner, and the restaurant was kind enough to house us until their closing time. The staff tried their best to explain everything to us, despite the language barrier, and were extremely patient. The onsen was great, as we went at a late hour, so the public onsen was basically a private onsen. The room was also made for us already, as we had five in our party. They laid out the futons for us, and were very comfy.

Nothing! Everything was great :)

This was our first experience with an Onsen (and first trip to Japan). We paid extra for the deluxe room with an en-suite Onsen bath and it was AWESOME! The room comes with dinner and breakfast, both were excellent and it was fun to get dressed up in the traditional Japanese clothing (provided by hotel). Everything was better than expected/pictured online, very happy to have selected this property.

We arrived to the town via train, but there is not much to do around hotel. Would recommend just staying on property if you come. All of the rooms look at the lake, but if you had a lower floor it might be hard to see much. On the Men's public Onsen, there is one larger indoor bath and one smaller outdoor bath. More options might be nice.

Spectacular service. Made us feel welcomed and wanted while also accomodating our every request. The room was amazing. Huge, great features, spectacular view and a very traditional authentic style. Exactly what we were looking for. The dinner was similarly appointed. It felt super authentic and it was presented in a manner that really wowed us.

The shuttle bus experience for getting to the hotel was not great. "Just call us" is a great idea in theory but I had to use a payphone for the first time in about 15 years because I had switched my phone to a data sim card to travel around Japan. Something to keep in mind. Also considering what we paid for the room, I was surprised to then have to pay such a high premium for extra drinks and what not. Felt a little nickel-and-dime-y to me.

Service very good. Everything was explained to us in English (as we don't speak Japanese). And very detailed. Dinner and breakfast were really good..They took the effort to serve us different menus as we stayed 2 nights. Very organised.

Explanation in English regards to the customs of what to do before going in to the hot bath.,seems different to other onsens I've been to....its always proper to take a full shower being entering the hot bath.....but their signage says..take the hot dip then get out and take a shower..Don't sound right.

Staff was incredibly accommodating and friendly - they helped with everything we needed and more and even gave us a tour of the room. We booked the tatami room, and it had a spacious floor plan and gorgeous view. The staff also provided helpful instructions for wearing yukata and onsen etiquette. The food was excellent - some of the best we had during our trip to Japan. The onsen was a highlight and very, very relaxing. Overall a very relaxing stay with attentive and friendly staff, wonderful facilities and food. After just one night, we felt refreshed after a long week and a half of travel.

The only minor negative for the hotel itself was the small bathroom. The shuttle service was great and the driver was kind and helpful, but be warned that the process does seem a bit sketchy at the station (the public phone provided is a cell phone on a string). That's not the ryokan's fault, but know that it is legitimate, just a little scary! Also, trains are less frequent in this section of Japan - be aware of your timing.

An absolute blissful time at Biwako Hanakaido. Comfy and pretty yukatas to wear. Excellent service from all staff, with free shuttle to Ogoto-Onsen Train Station. Delicious kaiseki meals and soothing onsens to enjoy. Great that you could book a private Onsen for yourself for a fee of 2750 yen (50 mins) and get a massage after while you're at it for a reasonable fee of 7000 yen. Beautiful zen gardens and couldn't have asked for a more relaxing time.

Although the futon beds were extremely comfortable, they were abit warm and I found it hard to sleep even with some Aircon. In fairness it was June. The curtains aren't blackout in the room so sunlight started to come in as the sun rose.

Breakfast lacked any real identifiers for non Japanese, who might understand the food because of their culture I was largely guessing what was what Dinner had a menu

I wish it had been easier to acquire appropriate sized Obi and Shoes I am 6'2 240 # and have a US size 12 foot. This was all indicated at check in, but it took several attempts for proper sizing. There is literally NOTHING else around this facility. So be prepared to simply stay on site.

The service, the lake view and the food quality were amazing. When we asked for information and direction to visit some nearby tourist spots, the staff at the Concierge were extremely helpful. The outdoor onsen had a very good temperature and size was good.

Size of the room was a bit small for 3 guests. My 2 friends who stayed in the room beside us had the same room size as ours.

The hot springs - they felt incredible to bathe in!

I did not like that the hot springs didn’t open until 11A (which is also the check-out time). I only stayed a night, so I really wanted to do another soak before I left. But it feels like they purposely don’t open the baths until 11A, so you wouldn’t be able to get that morning soak.