Toyako Manseikaku Hotel Lakeside Terrace — Hotel in Toyako

Our stay at the Toyako Manseikaku Hotel Lakeside Terrace was a delightful blend of relaxation and scenic beauty, though it came with a few logistical challenges. This expansive hotel, situated right by the shores of Lake Toya, consists of three distinct buildings: the Central Wing, East Wing, and West Wing. We arrived via the Hokkaido JR to Toya Station, followed by a public bus ride to the hotel. For travelers, the bus experience can be inconvenient—luggage storage is tricky, services are infrequent, and payment is typically cash-only. After reaching the stop, it’s about a 10-minute walk to the hotel.

Our room was in the West Wing, a Japanese/Western-style setup that perfectly balanced comfort and tradition. It featured two single beds facing the breathtaking Lake Toya, with a tatami area at the back equipped with a large tea table, sofa, and chairs. Inside the cabinet, there were extra mattresses for sleeping on the tatami.

As a traditional onsen hotel, the hot spring facilities were a highlight. Both the top floor and basement offer indoor and outdoor baths, with men’s and women’s sections alternating at different times, allowing guests to enjoy both experiences. Personally, I found the basement’s outdoor bath more picturesque, while the top-floor lake-view onsen was stunning but often obscured by steam in the evening. A unique touch was the variety of shampoo brands available at the onsen entrance—a fun perk for guests to experiment with.

Breakfast was included in our stay and served as a buffet in the West Wing’s first-floor restaurant from 7:00 to 9:00 AM, with last entry at 8:30. Despite the ample seating, the hotel’s popularity meant a short wait of 5-10 minutes even when we arrived before 8:00. The buffet offered a wide selection of dishes, all well-prepared and above average in taste, making it a satisfying start to the day.

Overall, the Toyako Manseikaku Hotel Lakeside Terrace offers a charming lakeside retreat with excellent onsen facilities and solid dining options. While getting there requires some effort, the serene views and traditional hospitality make it a worthwhile...

We visited in July 2024 as a family of four and reserved a (combo) japanese and western style room. The facility is set up like a ryokan and charges per person/night. However it functions more like a resort than a traditional japanese ryokan and it really is geared to high volume of guests.

Dinner and breakfast is included and both are buffets rather than a Kaiseki styled meal. There was a lot of variety of food but it was average at best.

The onsen on the 8th floor has a great view of Lake Toya. It is a reasonable size but I bet it gets pretty crowded during busy hours due to the size of the hotel. The water was comfortable but I would have preferred it to be hotter.

Since it was the middle of summer, the room was very warm. The room had a tiny built unit with a Low/Medium/High fan speed setting. It blew out cool (not cold) air and it didn't do a thing to lower the temperature of the room. We spoke with the front desk who said they couldn't do anything besides providing some fans. The A/C was centrally controlled and they could not adjust it. I did not see any A/C vents in the room to begin with.

Needless to say, we had a very uncomfortable night and did not sleep well at all. Our toddler was not happy. We tried everything including keeping the curtains closed to help keep the room cooler but it did not help. Just the nature of having 4 people in a room was too much.

For the price we paid, we had a pretty horrible experience for the simple reason of non existent air conditioning. The rest of the facility did not matter. I was looking forward to our next hotel rather than enjoying my stay here. This was the most expensive hotel of our trip and those that cost 1/3 of the price has working A/C where we slept much better.

I would not recommend staying here during the summer. It probably is fine during the cooler months where the heat...

Remember to choose the plan including buffet dinner and breakfast! There are a lot of food to select from! While you will be assigned the dining time, the restaurant won't be packed with people. I love the breakfast very much! It doesn't just offer the particular food for most hotel breakfast! Of course there are restaurants to select from if you don't like buffet dinner. ||Location is good for the firework. We preferred to go out to see the entire firework show (although we should be able to watch the firework from the lake view room). It is so peaceful to see the lake view from the room. |There are 3 car parks. A is the closest to the lobby. ||The room is clean and the Japanese style is a bonus for me. It is what I want to try for a long time! The room is big enough for 3 people. The staff will help setting the futon before we finished dinner. ||The hotel is very big. We need to walk far away for the restaurant and the hot spring. The time for the male and female would shift for day and night. One you enter the hot spring, you can select shampoo and condition in a wide selection! It was a bit hard for us to select (too many options!) so we just randomly select one according to its function. It was a comfortable hot spring experience. There is a "semi-opened" area with some fresh wind. Nice! ||There is a free hot spring for foot/legs that is comfy too. You may grab a drink and enjoy some relaxing moment. ||It is a must to rent a yukata for the firework festival in my mind! It only costs 500 yen! Well, it might be a bit tricky to wear the yukata perfectly by ourselves.||Staffs are very friendly and helpful. They tried their best to help. ||There are a few shops nearby but I found the price is more expensive than the other shops. ||I am very happy with my stay. I suggest staying in Lake Toya for a night at least if you drive...