Spa and Esthetique Suichokan — Hotel in Sapporo

Suichokan is a calm place: definitely Japanese, but also very different from the experience of a typical traditional ryokan. Service was gracious and unhurried. The earth-toned furnishings, selection of European brand amenity kits, and New Age background music evoked memories of Marin County, CA. My travel partner volunteered that Suichokan was her favorite stay of the three ryokan of our Hokkaido road trip. ||||The water quality of the public baths felt great, and the rotenburo (outdoor bath) was just the right temperature for a prolonged soak. ||||The included meals were delicious Japan-meets-West fusion mash-ups. Happily the portion sizes were sufficient but not excessive (as so often happens at ryokan). For breakfast, you pre-order from a selection of ingredients (e.g. smoked salmon, raw ham, shrimp, potato salad) to incorporate into small make-your-own sandwiches. Also, and for the first time ever in Japan, my breakfast plate included a decent-tasting bagel!||||One nit: Suichokan offers no Internet access -- doubtless a deliberate, calm-invoking choice on the proprietor's part, but painful for travelers like me who depend on it to plan the next day's itinerary. Fortunately, though, you are welcome to use free Wifi in the lounge of a nearby sister property located just...

We purposely avoided the much larger (even though lower cost) Jozankei View hotel and such, and instead chose Suichokan for its intimate, quiet and low key atmosphere. Taylor to only adult ladies or couples, the place is extremely relaxed and tranquil. Service level extremely high. The rooms are of minimalist design, elegant yet under stated. We had a Japanese tatami room with smoking allowed but still the room smelled fresh. There were no shower/bath in the room since guests are using them at the onsens downstairs at B1. Both ladies and men area each has an indoor onsen as well as an outdoor one, in addition to the steam room for a great sweat. Spa facilities was up on the 2nd floor. Note there was no WIFI available as the place. Only a landline laptop in the common area is hooked up to the Internet. The included dinner and breakfast were both fantastic. Complement to the chef to create these new-fusion Japanese cuisine.||The included private shuttle bus pickup/dropoff from Sapporo Odori park (Subway exit 1) was much appreciated as well.||Overall, we really enjoyed our stay at Suichokan for a romantic experience at a Japanese Onsen, near...

We purposely avoided the much larger (even though lower cost) Jozankei View hotel and such, and instead chose Suichokan for its intimate, quiet and low key atmosphere. Taylor to only adult ladies or couples, the place is extremely relaxed and tranquil. Service level extremely high. The rooms are of minimalist design, elegant yet under stated. We had a Japanese tatami room with smoking allowed but still the room smelled fresh. There were no shower/bath in the room since guests are using them at the onsen downstairs at B1. Both ladies and men area each has an indoor onsen as well as an outdoor one, in addition to the steam room for a great sweat. Spa facilities was up on the 2nd floor. Note there was no WIFI available as the place. Only a landline laptop in the common area is hooked up to the Internet. The included dinner and breakfast were both fantastic. Complement to the chef to create these new-fusion Japanese cuisine. The included private shuttle bus pickup/dropoff from Sapporo Odori park (Subway exit 1) was much appreciated as well. Overall, we really enjoyed our stay at Suichokan for a romantic experience at a Japanese Onsen, near...