Royal Oak Hotel Spa & Gardens

I grew up in Otsu, but now I live in the US. My mother was admitted into a nearby nursing home, so I decided I should check out the home and spend sometime with her. I made a reservation from US and everything went smoothly. They gave me upgrade suite on the top floor of the hotel and it was very spacious, even US hotel standard. When you enter the hotel, you are welcomed with the scent of rosemary and some citrus. The hotel was very clean and spacious. I debated long time if I should get buffet breakfast to include in the package and I think it was a good idea to do so. If you don't feel like spending money in hotel restaurants, there is family restaurant and convenience store (Lawson) a few steps north on the same side. The view of the lake is stunning. I grew up watching the lake from the other side, so I may be biased, but the area was featured in Ohmi-hakkei, or Eight Views of Ohmi (famous 8 sceneries of Shiga) in Edo period as Seta no Yukei, Sunset of Seta. Famous Floating Picture artist Hiroshige painted. Free shuttle to Ishiyama station is every hour, so not optimal, but actually Seta station is less than 1000 yen taxi ride away and I used a couple of times. Instead of paying for the gym, I went outside and did some run. Once you head north, pass the AEON mall and entrance to the big bridge (Ohmi Ohashi), the pathway is named Sazanami Kaido that stretches 25km! It is also part of Biwa-ichi (Full circle Lake Biwa) bicycle route and I plan on coming back to do that. Even if you don't have business in Otsu, use this hotel as some ad suggested, step away from Kyoto may not be a bad idea. As it suggests, it is spa and they have beautiful gardens to admire. So if you feel like getting away from hustle and bustle of Kyoto sightseeing and relax a little bit, I think this is a good deal. I stayed 5 nights and I will be back with my husband next time.