Otaru Kourakuen

We absolutely loved this ryokan experience! Stayed for 2d1n as a couple and absolutely loved the place! We booked the room with the private onsen and it was a lovely small space on the 2nd floor we could enjoy privately. The onsen is not too big, maybe 1.5 x 1.5 meters, but it was spacious for the two of us. We also found out that you can book a 45 minute slot for a separate private onsen for about ¥2200, which we may have done instead, had we known about it before booking. The japanese-style room was comfortable and had the usual amenities provided, alongside other nice additions like lotions and creams. The staff helped us to set up our futon (japanese-style bed) after dinner, and it was overall a very comfortable experience. The staff are super friendly and service was incredible. We got the dinner and breakfast package and the food was excellent. We had to choose both the dinner slot in advance, and it is first-come-first-serve. Dinner was served to us in the room over 1.5h and was a really amazing 12-course meal with instructions on the eating order. Breakfast was more standard, but still nice, we took it in the dining hall. The lounge is open till 10pm and we could take drinks and refreshment freely, including some small snacks and soft drinks. But they stop serving beer at 9pm. The onsens also have mini-fridges with free popsicles. There is also an outside area you can access from 3pm - 9pm that serves hot coffee and wine, with free marshmallows you can roast on the outside firepit. It was really nice. The garden is by far the nicest part of the hotel, it is really big and well decorated, with many nice places for photos and to enjoy a hot drink from the lounge. The space is quite large and might take about 20 minutes to fully explore. The only downside I can think of is that the location is quite hard to access. We chose to get to and from the ryokan by taxi, but there is also a shuttle bus service, from what I understand. When we arrived, the reception told us that there would be a shuttle bus leaving at 10:45 to Otaruchikko station. We still ended up requesting a taxi from the front desk though, which they were happy to help us book (I couldn't get any taxis by cab in the location). Overall a really amazing stay that we would absolutely recommend. The price tag might seem high for a "3 star" hotel, but the ranking is deceptive, we absolutely had a 5 star experience. Cheers! disclaimer: information is accurate as of 31 may, will try to provide info in as much detail as possible :)