Tōyoko INN Kyōto Biwako Ōtsu — Hotel in Otsu

Looking to stay in Kyoto during cherry blossom week, but everyone else on the planet got there first? This hotel might just be your ticket. If you've never stayed at a Toyoko Inn before, let me start out by saying that there's nothing particularly great about the chain, but they tend to be newish, the rooms are generally clean, and there is a free, though somewhat limited, breakfast, and there are even washing machines. They are also generally small with no frills, and they will never, ever, let you check in even 30 seconds before the check-in time, which here is 4 p.m. Checkout is also an earlyish 10 a.m.||||Otsu is a mere 9 minutes and 200 yen ticket from Kyoto station, and you can also get here via the subway line that goes down Sanjo. If you are coming via JR, it's about a 10 minute walk from Otsu station, if by subway, about 7 minutes from Hamaotsu. Otsu is not what you would call a happening town for nightlife or even restaurants. If you are in the mood for an expensive Omi beef steak, you might manage ok, and you can find a ramen shop or an izakaya here and there, but it's a fairly grim selection. I ended up at a ramen shop that was apparently considered one of the best in town, and it was nothing to write home about. You can survive here for a night or maybe two, but I wouldn't recommend a longer stay unless you are planning to eat in Kyoto.||||On the positive side, nearby Miidera is a great...

Looking to stay in Kyoto during cherry blossom week, but everyone else on the planet got there first? This hotel might just be your ticket. If you've never stayed at a Toyoko Inn before, let me start out by saying that there's nothing particularly great about the chain, but they tend to be newish, the rooms are generally clean, and there is a free, though somewhat limited, breakfast, and there are even washing machines. They are also generally small with no frills, and they will never, ever, let you check in even 30 seconds before the check-in time, which here is 4 p.m. Checkout is also an earlyish 10 a.m.||||Otsu is a mere 9 minutes and 200 yen ticket from Kyoto station, and you can also get here via the subway line that goes down Sanjo. If you are coming via JR, it's about a 10 minute walk from Otsu station, if by subway, about 7 minutes from Hamaotsu. Otsu is not what you would call a happening town for nightlife or even restaurants. If you are in the mood for an expensive Omi beef steak, you might manage ok, and you can find a ramen shop or an izakaya here and there, but it's a fairly grim selection. I ended up at a ramen shop that was apparently considered one of the best in town, and it was nothing to write home about. You can survive here for a night or maybe two, but I wouldn't recommend a longer stay unless you are planning to eat in Kyoto.||||On the positive side, nearby Miidera is a great...

Kyoto is one of the hardest cities to book a reservation for rooms. The Toyoko Inn chain is one of the most popular because of it's value. Rooms, actually entire hotels are sold out months in advance.||||A good alternative is the Toyoko Inn Kyoto Biwako Otsu. The hotel is located about 10 minutes by train out of Kyoto from the JR Otsu train station. However, you do have to add a 10 minute walk from the hotel to the station. The walk can be robust because you will walk uphill at a slight incline. Please be ready for this. You can take a cab which will cost about 600yen. The hotel staff can call one for you.||||The hotel itself is a typical Toyoko Inn. The staff is friendly and speaks enough English to help this kinds of travelers. The rooms are the usual Toyoko Inn type rooms. Nothing fancy but comfortable. It does offer a complimentary Japanese style breakfast buffet in the morning.||||Because the hotel is outside of Kyoto it is a little cheaper than if you stayed in Kyoto itself.||||The city of Otsu is a smaller city on the shore of Lake Biwa and is a nice city to explore.||||On the JR line, Otsu is 2 stops from Kyoto. The stop in between the 2 cities is Yamashina. This stop allows you to travel to areas south of Kyoto without having to go all the way into Kyoto to transfer.||||Again a good alternative if you cannot find a...