Hotel Koo Otsuhyakucho

It was a beautifully renovated old Japanese house, spacious and elegant rooms and bathrooms. A nice lobby with snacks to eat. Welcoming and friendly, helpful staff. Close to Kyoto, but not overrun with tourists. and Lake Biwa is nearby

Nothing

Absolutely everything was fantastic. The breakfast is carefully curated and features a variety of locally sourced ingredients—it is truly one of the highlights of staying at Hotel Koo. The rooms are beautiful, and the bathroom features a powerful rain shower. The best part, however, is the exceptional service from the staff. Every member of the team was incredibly kind and welcoming, and they made my stay truly special.

Hotel Koo was really wonderful! The location is in the old section of the town, and the buildings themselves were beautifully renovated and just gorgeous. My twin room was huge, with a separate room for the bed and a separate sitting room all with tatami. The bathroom was huge, and I loved the wooden tub. The staff were delightful, and made an extra effort to give a ton of information about the town at check-in which was lovely. Otsu was only two train stations away from Kyoto station, and the train came very regularly. I would highly recommend this hotel for anyone looking for a quieter but still very convenient location for exploring Kyoto and Otsu, which is itself very cute.

The only things I didn't like was a little to do with a combination of a Western and Japanese style hotel situation. There was only one pillow per bed, which is quite normal for Japanese hotels but not my preference. The towels were also absolutely tiny, the biggest one could not even fit around me. There was only one body and hand towel per person, and I normally need an extra one for my hair. Again, normal for Japanese-style hotels but not to my preference. I find these small details make the difference between a truly five-star experience.

The interiors

Very difficult to find & to contact staff. Location.