Hotele Hot Springs w: Akita Prefecture, Japan

During winter, the road for the last 800 meters before reaching the hotel is closed, and you must walk in. Guests need to park at Okama Onsen first. Before arrival, you are required to inform the hotel of your check-in time so that a staff member can guide you on foot to the property. The staff will help carry your luggage, but if you have many bags, it’s best to inform them in advance. The highlight of this stay is definitely the walk to the hotel. You walk deep into the forest along towering walls of snow on both sides, and eventually discover the onsen hidden in the woods. It feels truly special and secluded. The lobby area is not very large, and the number of staff is quite limited, but overall the service was very good. Dinner was served at a counter bar, and the chef was extremely friendly and spoke good English. The receptionist at the lobby, who is from Taiwan, speaks English, Chinese, and Japanese fluently. She explained everything clearly, helped carry our luggage on the way out, and even assisted with clearing snow off our car. Personally, I found the public onsen area to be a bit disappointing. The floor was icy and slippery, which felt somewhat unsafe. However, the private onsen in the room was excellent — very private, spacious for an in-room bath, with a beautiful view and wonderfully fragrant mineral water. The room itself was spacious, quiet, and peaceful. Mobile signal does not work inside the hotel, but the hotel provides Wi-Fi, which was stable and fast. Both breakfast and dinner were very good, and the hotel responded to emails and accommodated our special dietary requests, which we really appreciated. The only regret was that the snow was extremely deep during our visit, making it hard to fully see and imagine the surrounding scenery.

Although the hotel's decor is dated, the facilities are well-maintained and have everything a traditional onsen ryokan (hot spring inn) should have, and the equipment isn't outdated. The onsen has both indoor and outdoor sections, but in winter the outdoor temperature isn't high enough, so only the indoor onsen is available. The onsen has white floating debris and smells of sulfur, just like the Kaniba Onsen (crab farm) 😂. The hotel is family-run, but the owners haven't neglected service despite its age; on the contrary, you can feel their efforts to provide guests with the best and most up-to-date amenities in many details. I've been to many onsen ryokans in Japan, and while the facilities aren't as modern as some, they're comparable to established ones. Most importantly, I felt a strong sense of hospitality, which was very touching. I would definitely come back if I have the chance.

Service: The service was impeccable. We booked a one-night stay with two meals, and the hotel staff were already waiting for us at the station to pick us up. Because we arrived late, they even held our dinner reservation for us! Our train was cancelled the next day, and the hotel staff patiently explained how to take the bus and provided a timetable. They even drove us to the bus station – the service was excellent, and all of this was free! Cleanliness: Very clean. Environment: The hotel is next to a beautiful, pristine forest! The hot spring environment and water quality are top-notch, perfect for honeymooning couples! The tap water is drinkable and tastes incredibly sweet! Service: The service was the best I've ever experienced at a hotel.

The hotel service was good. Booking the timed shuttle bus service was very convenient! Our room was in the East Wing, which required carrying luggage up a few steps before being able to take the elevator to the room. This aspect needs improvement. The room itself was very spacious and comfortable. Both breakfast and dinner were buffet style, offering a wide variety of dishes, including local specialties. After 9 PM, dandan noodles were available as a late-night snack. The public hot spring bath was also quite nice!

First of all, I booked this hot spring hotel on Saturday and it cost me 33,600 yuan. I thought I could live in a big room, but everything became a mess after two sleeping mats were laid out at dinner time. We couldn't open our luggage because there was no place, and we had to jump to go to the bathroom because there was no way to go. I was really angry. I booked this hotel because it is a LA VISTA group, but the food, both the ingredients and the taste are worth the price. There are also many snacks, water, Yakult, and fresh milk in the lounge after the hot spring, but there is no juice. This is what I find strange. In addition, we often pass by the counter, and the waiters treat you as air. Anyway, the way of this hotel is to come and go. Just now we checked out and put on our shoes, and they turned around when we said byebye, and didn't even come to the door. Am I really expecting too much?

This place is extraordinarily overpriced for what it is. I expected much more amenities and service. Although the staff were friendly and courteous, the place was fairly bland. The onsen was mediocre and there were no refreshments afterwards unless you wanted to go to a vending machine. Even Dormy Inn provides refreshments after the onsen but at Towado Hotel having to pay for them and not even the nice ones is ridiculous when you have to pay so much to stay here. The same for the relaxation chair. It is coin-operated not complementary. I would not recommend staying here if you’re looking for a luxury experience because although you pay for that, it’s definitely nowhere near that. Our Western style room was very basic, and it just didn’t have those special finishing touches I had hoped for. 

Excellent experience overall. The hotel staff were incredibly helpful, patient, and friendly, always ready to answer any questions. The shuttle bus was quite new and very comfortable. The room was Western-style and a good size. The onsen (hot spring) had no discernible smell, and my skin felt lovely after bathing. The location is fantastic, with the lake view and the hotel's large lawn complementing each other perfectly. We also signed up for the hotel's 6 AM boat tour, which was very interesting. It would be a good idea to bring a real-time translator if you have one, as you can learn a lot about Lake Towada.

The hotel is good and worth recommending, the room is clean, the scenery outside the window is beautiful, breakfast and dinner are very good, the hot spring has a private soup, but you have to make an appointment. On the 5th floor, you can see pictures 15 and 16, the service is also very good, a very good hot spring experience.

Very nice hotel and a comfortable stay. We didn’t try the restaurant but we enjoyed the lounge area with free drinks and icy-poles. Air conditioner/heater was very loud in the room we stayed in but apart from that, perfect. Staff are excellent and very helpful.

As luxurious as one can expect. Beautiful place in a secluded natural environment with lavish service and delicious food. The bath are very well prepared and the staff is extremely kind and attentive. It is a hard ask but it would be nice to have some western options at breakfast. But of course this is a Japanese traditional inn yet these options would feel even more luxurious. Some of the decoration feels a bit either dated, kitsch or not being harmonious, I think they need a redesign of the furnitures are it looks more like an assemblage than a harmonious selection of decoration and furnitures. It’s a little on the weird side even sometimes! But the bedding is exceptional. You will have a great sleep at this stay!