Not too long ago, having an errand to run in Shiga Prefecture, Mewby and I decided to make the most of our trip and stay overnight at a hot spring hotel. We ended up staying at the Biwako Grand Hotel, which we had actually stayed at before – way back in 2009! Time certainly flies, but not much has changed in sleepy Shiga, and I’m happy to report that the Biwako Grand Hotel is still great value for money and an excellent getaway location for trips out of Kyoto.
Biwako Grand Hotel is a hot spring spa hotel overlooking Lake Biwa in the resort town of Ogoto Onsen. The hotel has two wings with communal hot spring baths in each wing, but you can also spoil yourself and rent rooms with your own private hot spring bath – as we did. We had a rotenburo open-air bath on our balcony, so we could relax in the natural mineral waters while enjoying a fine view over the lake.
The hotel has some Western-style rooms with beds, but we rented one of the Japanese style rooms in the Kyo-Oumi wing of the hotel. This was actually a VIP top floor suite, an absolutely huge space, all with tatami floors and traditional furnishings.
In this kind of room staff will come in and lay out some futons for you after you have had your dinner.
For dinner we were served a gourmet multi-course kaiseki meal that was absolutely delicious.
This was served in a private room, with our table facing the lake. The specialty at Biwako Grand Hotel is Omi-gyu wagyu beef, but neither Mewby nor I eat meat so I can’t really comment on that. The tempura and sashimi, however, was great.
Breakfast also was fantastic. There really is nothing so nourishing and refreshing as a good old-fashioned Japanese breakfast in the morning!
Among the hotel’s other services and facilities are a massage service and a karaoke room. I don’t rate the massage service very highly to be honest – I found it to be a bit on the weak and ineffectual side. We did however rent the karaoke room and sing our little hearts out.
There is of course a souvenir shop – where you can buy original Ogoto Onsen bath salts.
Mostly though, we just enjoyed relaxing in our rotenburo and enjoyed the nice view.
Ogoto Onsen is just a 20-minute train ride from Kyoto so I really do recommend this location for a quick-and-easy trip out of town. Rooms are very reasonably priced and the views over the lake are gorgeous. Check-in time at the hotel is after 3.00 p.m. and check-out is by 10.00 a.m. Here is a map showing the hotel’s location.
Visit the booking page to check the latest room rates at Biwako Grand Hotel!
Full text and all images by Michael Lambe. All rights reserved.
See also: Ogoto Onsen
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