Where to stay in Hokkaido? | A trip to Hokkaido during Winter

Many people asked me where to stay in Hokkaido that is cheap and good. My advice is that it depends on one's budget and your requirements. As for us, we like to pick hotels that have a private toilet/bathroom and are near to the train station or near to the city center, also preferably to be just within walking distance. These hotels might be slightly more expensive than those further away. However, in this trip, we rented a car to drive around Hokkaido and our priority is to have parking area for our car. We picked all the hotels that come with free parking or a lower parking fee per day.

We travelled to 4 cities in Hokkaido- Sapporo, Hakodate, Otaru and Furano. Here are the hotels we stayed during our trip. All the hotels are book through booking.com.

Hotel New Ohte (Hakodate)

We picked this hotel because it is able to accommodate 4 persons in a room. We booked the Japanese style as it is more spacious than the Quadruple room. We requested for their biggest Japanese style room which is at the Third floor. Although the Japanese style room is stated to be able to fit 5 persons but I think 4 person is just nice for everyone to have some private space to sleep.

Hotel New Ohte is located right across the Hakodate Station’s West Exit, just 5 mins walking distance. Hakodate Morning Market is also just in front of the hotel, very convenient. Their room rate is quite reasonable as well, we pay around RM 440 per night which is only RM 110 person/night. I would recommend to stay in this hotel, as they have English speaking staff and they are very friendly. There is a parking bay at the top of the roof, with a parking fee of 540 yen per day. If you are driving in Hokkaido, I would recommend that you to mention to them when you make a room booking as they will prepare the parking bay and you just need to pay them directly on the spot when you check in.

Photo adapted from booking.com

Reception Area

Japanese style Room

We like their toilet as they separate the toilet and bathroom with a dressing area in the middle.

Toilet/Bathroom area

Bathroom

Toilet

Smile Hotel Otaru

We were quite disappointed with this hotel due to the condition of the room. Again, I booked the Japanese style room which caters for 4 persons. However, it was smaller than we imagined. The men were hardly able to use the toilet because it is too small to fit in. The room comes with two heaters but it is filthy, cover with thick dust. There is also a humid smell inside the room which gave us an unpleasant stay. This location of the hotel is just 3 mins walking distance from the JR Otaru station.

We were quite disappointed with their allocation of parking lot as well as we were told that it is first come first serve basis. However when we came back at night, even though there are a few parking lots, the staff insisted that we are not allowed to park because it has been booked. We pay the same amount of parking fee which is 600 yen per day but we are not allowed to park which made us very angry and sad about their service. At the end we have to park at the back of the narrow alley, luckily there was still one parking left for us, I'm not sure whether they ran out of parking for other guests though. 

Photo adapted from Booking.com

Photo adapted from Booking.com

Photo adapted from Booking.com

Welcome drink for the guest- Hokkaido milk. This is the speciality drink in Hokkaido which I managed to find it in Furano only.

Sleeping Area

Tatami floor with Futon bedding

Tatami floor with Futon bedding

Sitting area

Toilet & Bathroom

Log Yukari- Furano
I managed to book this at the last minute and we were pleasantly surprised on this place. I never imagined the scenery of the place is so beautiful until we arrived at the place. The downside of this place is that you will need a car to get there. It is located around 5 minutes drive to the Furano Ski Area.

It is a log house style cottage where the house that we booked can cater up to 8 person. Free parking is available on site and free wifi in the house. The owner does not speak very good English, you might need a translator if you do not speak Japanese but he is very friendly. Since we went during winter time, the whole lodges are covered with snow, looks like a small Christmas town.

We really enjoyed staying here as it was quite unique and the surrounding area is very relaxing. The price is also quite reasonable compare to most of the hotels in Furano. Accommodations in Furano are slightly higher because it is a popular skiing spot for tourists.We paid around RM 700 per night for the whole house.

Each lodge comes with a seating area, tv, kitchen, bathroom with wooden bath and toilet. The kitchen includes microwave, fridge, kettle and kitchen utensils where you can cook in the house.

Bathroom

Toilet

I think we had a wonderful winter time in Hokkaido, I believe there are many other better places but I highly, highly recommend that you book very early ahead of time. We booked our places roughly one month before our departure and there isn't much choices left. I guess there's quite a lot of tourists in Hokkaido and the best and cheapest accommodation tends to get snag up in no time. Check out HotelsCombined price comparison website to compare for the best deal the next time your travel?

 

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