Name: Biwako Hotel
Address: 2-40 Hama-machi, Otsu-shi, Shiga, Shiga Otsu, 5200041, JP

10/10

Exceptional

08 May 2026

MARIKO SAGARA

It was clean and gorgeous room with beautiful lake view. Staff was very nice and the Onsen was very good. I would love to come back again.

Family_with_children

8/10

Excellent

22 Apr 2026

vanessa

Large hotel with amazing views of the lake. However amenities a little dated. We felt the beds and the lounge area in our room could have been swapped around to get the best view when relaxing with a drink rather than while asleep. Excellent location despite a little long walk to the station ( realise there was a shuttle available but prefer to walk) Bathroom needs an upgrade.

Friends

10/10

Exceptional

27 Nov 2025

Udo

We had a very nice, large, twin bedroom facing Lake Biwa. The room had a couch seating area and was still large enough for us to comfortably keep to big suitcases open in the room and easily get around. Breakfast service was good, with a variety of Japanese and Western dishes available. We also used the Club Lounge in the afternoons for tea and in the evenings for drinks and canapés. The staff were excellent, very friendly and professional. The hotel provides shuttle bus service to & from Otsu station plus there is a local tram line within a 5 min walk. The Lake Biwa cruise boat dock is within easy walking distance.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

15 Nov 2025

Bronwyn

The room was spotless and had great views over the harbour. It was a pity there were no chairs to sit on the small balcony. Another chair in the room was needed. The hotel is close to train transport which is why we chose it. We dtayed 4 nights and ate once at the restaurant. The receprion staff were very kind to microwave supermarket meals we purchased.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

24 Sep 2025

?

Nice staff, good location with great view at reasonable price. Nice lake view public bath.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

05 Sep 2025

Vince

It was a cruise ship experience. 10/10 Staff & Service. The view from their balcony was breathtaking. Definitely worth it

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

23 Aug 2025

Jackson

Absolutely delightful experience!

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

03 Aug 2025

David

Excellent, easy-to-get to hotel with wonderful lake view; very good place to stay and access Kyoto/Uji etc.
The only slight criticism would be the swimming pool - access earlier in the day (from 7:00 am ? and maybe keeping it open later than 17:00) would be highly desirable !!

Business_and_leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

10 Jun 2025

Misty

Beautiful hotel and staff with great food options

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

25 Apr 2025

Honcy

Helpful English speaking staffs! Well maintained facilities and building!

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

14 Apr 2025

David N

A wonderful break from sightseeing and a good home base to venture in Kyoto and Osaka

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

29 Mar 2025

Mari

Very nice place to stay
Breakfast was amazing

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

07 Mar 2025

Yan Por

Good environment. See view is beautiful.

8/10

Excellent

09 Jan 2025

Patrick

The carpet is dusty. Toilet has smell. The air ventilation is ni good.

The room view is good.

Breakfast is average. The eggs are watery. It should be cooked more.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

22 Dec 2024

Anne

Love this hotel on Lake Biwa - lovely rooms with beautiful lake view. Nice onsen and good breakfast 😀

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

28 Jun 2024

Tamsin

Excellent hotel with very attentive staff, although the dining options were quite expensive. Some vegan options would have been perfect! Beautiful views of Lake Biwa from our room, and loved the hotel shuttle bus to and from Otsu station. Thanks!

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

18 May 2024

Etsuko

We had a room with a view of Lake Biwa. It was a beautiful. And the breakfast was delicious.

10/10

Exceptional

12 May 2024

Christopher

Lake view unobstructed

Lake view room worth it huge room . And the hotel onsen has a great view of the lake

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

31 Mar 2024

Gafyn

Very nice hotel, very clean and safe, beautiful views. Excellent food. Would have stayed longer if our schedule allowed 5⭐️

Family_with_children

8/10

Excellent

30 Dec 2023

Lyle

Nice place to stay

Excellent shuttle bus transportation to and from the train station.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

23 Mar 2023

Josephine

Shuttle service available to and from Otsu station. Spacious room and great public bath.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

09 May 2021

Machiko

Lake view room

Liked the amazing lake view. It´s been a wonderful experience. I highly recomend to choose a lake view room!

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

20 Jun 2020

Chris

Most of the hotel services are suspended. No shuttle bus, no luggage delivery, no pool, most of the restaurants and bar at the hotel are closed... Room and view beautiful but not worth the price when there is zero service. Staff was not terribly helpful.

Self

10/10

Exceptional

25 Feb 2020

Verified traveler

Absolutely best breakfast of my life! The range of choice was insane! It was my first Japanese breakfast :)

Business_and_leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

18 Jan 2020

Verified traveler

great view of the lake and Japanese style bath on 4th floor

Friends_and_family Partner

10/10

Exceptional

07 Dec 2019

Supanee

Excellent! Clean, quiet, good services, good onzen, wonderful lake view!:)

Friends_and_family Family

6/10

Pleasant

05 Oct 2019

Verified traveler

All rooms enjoy lake view. Room inside seems to have just been renovated with modern design and colour theme. However, small insects were found on the bed. Breakfast just average. Check-in male staff was very tense and without smile. Don't forget to include the balcony area in the room size.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

27 Sep 2019

Jennifer

A lovely hotel by the lake

All rooms have a lake side view which is lovely. It is well run hotel with a shuttle bus service up to the station- the bus stop to go down to the hotel is on the left, over the road outside the station.. to find the stop go about 200 yards straight ahead from the station. Our room was very comfortable,

Partner

8/10

Excellent

27 Aug 2019

Ghada

Hotel with Great views

The hotel has beautiful views, it is very comfortable and the room rates are good. The food in general was so so and very pricey for the way. The Italian restaurant had mediocre food at very high prices. They are unable to provide clients with any special requests. You can not even order a pizza with an extra item even thought they have the items available on one of their pizzas. Any request on food we faced the same answer “sorry, not possible” I highly recommend the hotel but DO NOT eat there, there are many amazing restaurants in Kyoto to enjoy.

Friends_and_family Friends

10/10

Exceptional

20 Jun 2019

Verified traveler

Amazing stay on a lake side hotel

Great view as every room faces the sea. Free parking for guests. Hot bath available - one indoor and one open air and a sauna room.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

16 Jun 2019

Kim Pao

3 nights stay at Biwako Hotel

The Biwako Hotel is a landmark hotel in the Otsu area. It is very crowded with both foreign and local customers, especially during the weekend. It tries to be a totally Western style hotel. We found out that they do not provide Japanese teapot in the guest room. In fact, no Japanese teapot is to be found anywhere in the hotel, apparently. It is a minor inconvenience. The family buffet is worth the price, but the teppanyaki is overrated. Japanese breakfast is very good. The rooms are clean and comfortable and the service is high quality. The view from hotel to the lake is astounding. The Japanese bath area is clean and efficient.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

16 May 2019

Verified traveler

Staff was friedly and helpful. Everything was very clean.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

20 Apr 2019

Verified traveler

Fantastic

It was so amazing wow

Friends

8/10

Excellent

03 Apr 2019

Verified traveler

The view is very well, nice environment. It is very comfortable in here

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

11 Mar 2019

Cho Leong

A very nice hotel at biwako lake

Amazing view and room
Breakfast is great
I love the hot spring very large
Staff are very nice and they are good at English
Definitely will come again

Friends

8/10

Excellent

15 Feb 2019

Verified traveler

Newly renovated. Good condition with all rooms facing Lake Biwa. Lovely communal bath on 4th floor. Nice buffet breakfast . Convenient with the big merit of free shuttle service to and fro It's train station. Only complaint is the sound insulation is no good.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

11 Feb 2019

CHUI YAN

滿意

房間舒適，枕頭太軟導致頸痛，浴場比想像中細，早餐ok但需要排隊，其他都好好，滿意！

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

29 Dec 2018

Verified traveler

Nice hotel. Only thing was it was difficult to get things nearby. Convenience store was quite far away.

10/10

Exceptional

23 Dec 2018

Verified traveler

Lovely hotel looking over the lake, 10 minute walk from nearest station so bear that in mind if you have heavy luggage, friendly and helpful staff and very clean and spacious room, recommended.

8/10

Excellent

01 Aug 2018

Andrew

The hotel was great. In a nice location with great views. Everything was a bit expensive and the beds were very uncomfortable, but other than the it was excellent.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

30 Jul 2018

Phillip

A very busy hotel in a quiet place.

Hotel was great, and the lady porter was very polite, and helpful. But reservation was needed at some of its popular restaurants. The view of the lake was amazing.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

18 Jun 2018

Ashton

Amazing Hotel. Great staff! Beautiful view. Very helpful. Zero complaints. Would strongly recommend.

10/10

Exceptional

14 Jun 2018

Ninja

What I can say when I saw the hotel was WOW x WOW! It looks like a battle fortress or something. It is a huge building! We walked from Otsu Station for about 10 minutes. It is a very quiet and peaceful town. The walk was worth it, but there is also a shuttle bus service from Otsu Station to the hotel that we did not know about. Entering the hotel, we were greeted by a few very pretty Japanese ladies who took out luggage to put on the dolly. I think I should have done that as it didn't feel right to let them handle our semi-heavy things. But wow, extra points for doing that. Check-in was a breeze with a very friendly and helpful staff member who explained everything to us from what we had access to do and to the breakfast the next day. The gentleman took the dolly and actually guided us to the top floor where our room was and brought in the suitcase. Some service, yet again. I don't think we tip in Japan, so we did not give him anything, but hank you. Here comes the best part... When we go in the room, all I can say was the view out the patio door was breathtaking! We can see on one side some big hills in the distance and other buildings. They gave us a corner room looking out to the Ocean and it was so peaceful. It was a cloudy day, but the view was still spectacular. The room is fairly big with lots of space and you won't feel like having to squeeze through things to go around. I definitely recommend this hotel for all the chic feel it will bring you!

8/10

Excellent

24 May 2018

Verified traveler

outstanding

very clean and oontemporary. very modern. the staff do not speak much English.

10/10

Exceptional

07 Apr 2018

Luc

Great and relaxing

Great hotel, great area, great service.
The only issue is that their restaurants close quite early in western standards. We wanted to try the French one and it was closed at 8pm....

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

04 Apr 2018

Tom

Ok hotel but doubtful value

Hotel good but not sure matches high cost. Breakfast does not start until 7am and courtesy bus 8am. Not good if you are heading out early. Asked barman for a slice of lemon to take to the room - charged 100 yen. Small detail but annoying! Cannot think of that happening elsewhere, maybe need to see the bigger picture?

8/10

Excellent

11 Dec 2017

ALICE

Good

Room size is good

Family

10/10

Exceptional

30 Nov 2017

Verified traveler

Excellent

Friendly and helpful staffs.

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

29 May 2017

Jonathan

All restaurants were fully booked and required reservations, local area lacking in good food options. No ATM at hotel. Room was clean but dated decor. Shower was excellent. View of Lake Biwa from hotel was beautiful. Good location to explore local area from - plenty of transportation options.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

23 Apr 2017

Yuk Ching Esther

Excellent view

The full lake view is excellent. The shuttle to Otsu JR Station is frequent making it convenient to go to other places. The staff are friendly and helpful.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

17 Apr 2017

Verified traveler

Good accommodation nearby Kyoto

Spacious, clean, and comfortable \"Aqua\" room. Most hotels in Kyoto were booked or outside our price range due to cherry blossom season so we picked this hotel in Otsu. The hotel has a shuttle which takes you to Otsu station for the JR line, then it's a quick ride into Kyoto for the main sites. It was very convenient when using the shuttle. The walk from the station to the hotel is doable in case the shuttle isn't running. There are a few restaurants on site but not much in the area surrounding the hotel. Service was generally good though we didn't spend too much time in the hotel.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

16 Apr 2017

adri

Great hotel outside busy Kyoto

We booked the Biwako as it was 9 minutes on the train from Kyoto. It was the perfect relaxing location right on the banks of Lake Biwako. Our room had a lake view and there was a fountain water show at night. The hotel provides a shuttle every 15 minutes to the station, so getting to and from Kyoto was so easy! We also did a day trip to Osaka (35 mins) and to Nara. The staff were absolutely amazing. They went above and beyond to make us feel welcome and I would definitely go back and recommend to anyone.

10/10

Exceptional

14 Apr 2017

Yiu Chung

Comfortable and convenient

Comfortable as a resort hotel and convenient for sightseeing in Kyoto
Good hotel shuttle service

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

11 Apr 2017

K

Excellent view and relaxing

The view to the lake was stunning. Wake up every morning to see the lake was great, the room is spacious and the staff were very polite and helpful. Daily breakfast was so great, gotta have their pastry every morning. You can just walk along the lake and the lake cruise is just few minutes walk.

10/10

Exceptional

07 Apr 2017

Kayvan

Large room with beautiful view

It was good indeed. Beautiful lake view, excellent breakfast, large room and hot spring.
The location is very peaceful and there are 4 restaurants in the hotel which you can enjoy Japanese or Italian dining.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

21 Mar 2017

Michelle

This hotel is fantastic!

Absolute hidden gem. Not far from Kyoto, and has the benefit of being extremely tranquil!

10/10

Exceptional

18 Nov 2016

Hsiao-yun

great hot spring

Family

4/10

Poor

16 Oct 2016

poh

Not worth of money,the onsan no good ,breakfast cannot make it ,the room is comfortable

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

06 May 2016

nigel

Really helpful staff, lovely hotel. Great value

Family

8/10

Excellent

23 Apr 2016

MB

Nice but overpriced hotel near the lake...

Stayed 2 nights in a luxury \"Aqua\" double room on the 11th floor. The room was clean and well maintained. The balcony overlooked the lake and gave a nice view of vessels entering/exiting the harbor area, especially the Michigan. The room's amenities were very simplistic and lacked a greater degree of sophistication that I might have expected with a room at this rate. Despite it's proximity, the hotel does not have direct access to the beach area.

10/10

Exceptional

01 Jun 2015

Cinna

Wonderful view hotel overlooking Lake Biwa

Beautiful location, and excellent facilities with sweeping view of Lake Biwa.

Restaurants in the hotel had 'package' all-inclusive dinner options or buffets, which was contrary to our habits. The breakfast buffet was very complete and a good choice.

10/10

Exceptional

17 Jul 2026

Maxence

Un des meilleurs hôtel dans lequel nous avons séjourné !

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

12 Jul 2026

HYUNJUNG

JR 오쓰역과 호텔간 셔틀이 운영되어 편리합니다. 객실은 탁트인 호수뷰에 깨끗하게 관리되고 있습니다. 대욕장도 온탕과 냉탕, 야외탕을 갖추었고 하루에도 여러차례 이용할 수 있었어요. 무엇보다도 일식당의 코스 요리가 의외로 수준 높고 가성비도 좋았어요. 번잡하고 비싼 교토 여행에서 다른 좋은 대안이 되었습니다.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

03 Jul 2026

YUKIE

男風呂にも化粧水、乳液をセットしてほしい。
EV充電器使わせてもらえて助かりました。
総合的には周りの公園とかもとても気持ちよくて、また行きたいと思います。

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

16 Jun 2026

Ching Yu

早上可以看到很壯觀的日出，自助早餐也很美味，有機會會再來一次。

Self

10/10

Exceptional

15 Jun 2026

CHUNTING

雖然是老飯店！但維護的很好！面對琵琶湖景色優美！又有頻繁的交通車往返車站！很方便！畢竟是渡假飯店！如果在旺季價位會比較高！

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

08 Jun 2026

REIKO

とても素晴らしい対応して頂いて満足しています。ラウンジのフードにもう少し暖かいものがあれば嬉しかったです。

10/10

Exceptional

03 Jun 2026

SZE LONG

早餐一如既往優質，房間空間大及十分整潔，房間正對着琵琶湖，風景一流。

前台職員服務十分熱心，會主動協助到店客人推行李，酒店亦有接送車輛來往JR大津站。

下次再到大津，一定會再次考慮入住琵琶湖酒店。

Partner

8/10

Excellent

20 May 2026

Marc

Very professional and friendly staff. No issue with English. Wide choice of restaurants, coffee shops and amenities (simple bike rent). Good breakfast and room larger then average japan hotel room. Nice but not outstanding Onsen. Luggage service for biwako lake bycle trip possible. Bus service to train station. Unfortunately the fan in the bathroom can not be shutdown (central controlled shutdown between 1pm to 6 pm only and make a lot of noise, first hotel in Japab where the guest can not control it and the reason why I would not stay again even that I like the rest of the hotel.

Self

10/10

Exceptional

08 May 2026

Kohei

とてもよかったです

Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

07 May 2026

mariko

パートナーが貧血を起こしてチェックアウト時間に間に合わなかったとき、寛大に対応していただいて助かりました。

Partner

8/10

Excellent

05 May 2026

HIDEYUKI

全体的に良かった。満足度高い。

10/10

Exceptional

04 May 2026

yasuharu

施設も清潔で良かったです。

Friends

10/10

Exceptional

29 Apr 2026

Satoshi

レイクビューの広くて居心地の良い客室、癒される大浴場、地元の素晴らしい食材を活かした朝食など、非の打ち所がないホテルだと思います。
リピート必至です。

Family

10/10

Exceptional

19 Apr 2026

YUICHI

細かい尋ねごとに対するスタッフの丁寧な対応が非常に好感を持てた

Partner

8/10

Excellent

13 Apr 2026

noriko

朝食は全部食べたいと思うぐらい素晴らしいラインナップでした。

Partner

8/10

Excellent

28 Mar 2026

kazunari

朝食は特にお米が美味しく、おかずも種類が多くとても満足しました

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

16 Mar 2026

YOSHIMASA

GOOD！

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

11 Mar 2026

makiko

スタッフの対応も親戚で洗練されており、お部屋も快適、特に朝食は種類も豊富で素晴らしかった！

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

19 Feb 2026

Emi

客室は整っており、レイクビューで景色も最高でした。フロントの方、シャトルバスの方、みなさん丁寧に接客してくださりました。大浴場の温泉は平日ということもありほぼ貸し切り状態で入れました。また大津に行く機会があれば伺いたいです。

Self

10/10

Exceptional

18 Feb 2026

Aki

Ok

10/10

Exceptional

16 Feb 2026

Hiroo

清潔な客室　クラブラウンジ　スタッフ

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

12 Feb 2026

PO LIN

客房十分整潔，職員非常主動有禮，早餐好食

10/10

Exceptional

11 Feb 2026

Yoshihiro

チェックイン時の対応、スタッフの対応いずれも良く、お部屋もレイクビューで素晴らしかったです。
大浴場も良かったです。
天気が今一つで残念だったのと、レストランでアラカルトの場合、座席をもう少し考えて欲しいです。

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

18 Jan 2026

Ming Fai

Enjoyed the stay here.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

17 Jan 2026

shunich

客室内のありゆるところまでかゆいところに手が届いてと感じがする。
金具の光沢、水廻りとか印象的であった。

4/10

Poor

01 Jan 2026

EUGENE

3泊の滞在。スタッフ教育がなっていないのが1番の問題だと思った。

チェックイン時に朝食時間を6:30と言われ、翌朝6:30に朝食会場に行ったら、6:45からだという。チェックインの際に6:30と言われたと伝えたら、入り口の男性スタッフが「朝食チケットに6:45と書いてあります」と。まるで自分側に非はないし、お客さん側の確認不足でしょう的な言い方。

またその翌朝、朝食会場に行ったら、館内用のスリッパは朝食会場には履いてきてはいけないと。しかし、これもまた、チェックイン時に「館内ではスリッパでご移動可能です」と言われていた訳で、朝食会場は館内ではないのか、そうならば、ちゃんと詳細を伝えてほしい。という訳で、また靴を履き替えに部屋に戻らないといけなかった。

10/10

Exceptional

28 Dec 2025

masako

客室が広く良い部屋でした。
スパも対応良く気持ち良く過ごせました。

Leisure Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

22 Dec 2025

NAOKI

客室も広く清潔で、リラックスして過ごせました！

Business Self

10/10

Exceptional

14 Dec 2025

藤田

朝食が美味しかった

Business_and_leisure

8/10

Excellent

11 Dec 2025

chun hung

客房整潔、職員非常有禮！

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

05 Dec 2025

KATAGIRI

全体的にとても良い。ホテルは広く、お部屋のクオリティも良く、バスルームも広い。
バルコニーは琵琶湖の目の前で、太陽の位置を見ると、朝日も夕日も見える立地。
スタッフも親切。ただ、率先して気づいてやる感じではなく、言わないとやらない部分があるが、言えば色々やってくれる。
特に、ドアマンやベルマンがいないのか、入り口からかなり中に入らないとスタッフがおらず、荷物が多くて大きい私は大変だったので、バスを降りたらすぐスタッフが荷物を運ぶようにして欲しい。
アメニティは、歯ブラシもオーガニックの竹製で、ヘアブラシも木製で良かった。（言うともらえる。プラスチックの安くて環境に悪いものより良い）
朝食も種類が豊富で、窓からは琵琶湖が見えて、良かった。
大浴場は、内風呂・露天風呂それぞれ1種類で、普通の広さ。朝は眺めは良い。ただ、部屋のバスルームもかなり快適。
このレベルのホテルで、紅葉シーズンの金曜日の割にはコストパフォーマンスが良い。時期をずらせば、かなりお得。
今回は到着が遅くなり夕日が見れず残念だったが、また次回ゆっくり泊まりたい。

6/10

Pleasant

30 Nov 2025

Mikio

部屋からの眺望は最高でした。また朝食のでビュッフェもとても美味しく大満足でした。ただ、琵琶湖で放水や花火が見られる時刻や近くの公園でイルミネーションがあること、日の出日の入りなどの情報をチェックインに時や掲示等で提供して欲しかったんです。

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

28 Nov 2025

HIROMI

ラウンジの居心地のいい空間と、部屋から琵琶湖を一望した時の絶景と、身も心もほぐれる温泉で、今まで泊まった場所の中で群を抜いて良かったです。

Leisure Family