22 Best Hotels in Hokkaido, Japan

Creature comforts await you at this downtown hotel, which seems a world away from rugged outback seaport city of Abashiri. Western-style rooms done up in shades of yellows and blues, spacious Japanese rooms, and combination rooms overlook a main road out front or a parking lot out back. Fish from the local icy waters are a specialty of the Grand Glacier restaurant, which serves Japanese, Chinese, and French fare. English speakers are on staff.

This former department store in the heart of the downtown shopping area was remade into an elegant hotel. The lobby's creamy upholstery and yellow walls are echoed in the rooms, which are nicely furnished and have larger than usual bathrooms. There's also a shared Japanese bath where you can get to know your fellow guests. There's a small teppanyaki restaurant and an 11th-floor piano bar with city views. 

Overlooking Otaru Marina, this 18-story hotel sits atop the huge WingBay shopping complex, giving easy access to outlet stores, restaurants, and a movie theater; inside is a reliable, familiar chain hotel with an English-speaking staff. Western-style rooms in gold, blue, and brown have large twin or double beds, and most overlook the waterfront. It is a five-minute walk from JR Otaru Chikko Station, two stops from JR Otaru Station. The on-site restaurants include a small sushi restaurant (you are still in Otaru), Marina Bar which features steaks, wines, and whiskeys as well as the Terrace Brasserie with its panoramic views of the water and breakfast, lunch, and dinner buffets (and a dessert buffet on weekends). In winter, several of the ski bus companies offer pick-up from the hotel making it a convenient option for skiers and boarders.

This bustling, modern hotel occupies three buildings a short walk from the station, the Morning Market, and the Kanemori Red Brick Warehouses. Standard rooms done up in pastel shades have views of the ugly waterside highway or—much better—the city. If you're coming from Sapporo, check with Japan Rail about rail-hotel combination packages.

With wonderful views of Mt. Yotei and the slopes of Mt. Niseko Annupuri, this hotel has a ski-in, ski-out location beside the Niseko gondola—it's a nine-minute ride to powder heaven. In summer there's golf, horseback riding and other activities. From the deep, plushy sofas surrounding a hanging gas fireplace in the lobby to the comfortably furnished rooms and the on-site hot-spring baths and spa, this hotel is a class act. The distance from the bustle of central Hirafu helps with the tranquil atmosphere.

Waterbirds drift by the windows of the big but friendly hotel on the shore of Lake Abashiri, a few miles from town. It has the usual noise of Japanese resort hotels—game corners, tour groups, and karaoke rooms. But beyond the doors you can enjoy the peace of a lakeside walk, enjoy a soak in the hot spring, and finally retire to your room and relax over a multicourse crab dinner. The combination rooms have raised beds and tatami sitting areas. The hotel has everything you can imagine, even a barbershop for dogs.

At the base of the Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafu ski slopes (right beside the quad lift and ticket office) sits this modern hotel. The Western-style rooms feature uninspiring pastel tones, off-white walls, and very basic furnishings, but the Japanese and combination rooms are notably better, and you'll probably be spending your time on the ski trails anyway. All have Wi-Fi. The hotel's hot springs have an outdoor pool with views of Mt. Yotei, and if you have any energy left after rafting, hiking, or mountain biking, you can use the 25-meter indoor pool or the sauna.

Owned by a diver–wildlife photographer (iruka means dolphin), this well-kept guesthouse sits by the water in Utoro. Vast fish dinners are served in the bright, modern dining room and on the wooden deck overlooking the Okhotsk Sea. Yamamoto-san speaks some English and is qualified to take guests diving under the ice floes in winter. From the small tatami rooms at dusk, keep an eye out for local foxes that curl up on the hoods of the still-warm cars in the parking lot. As you arrive into town from Abashiri, take the first left after coming out of the tunnel, and the bright-yellow hotel will be the last building on the right (with the dolphin on it) before the road curves to the left. They also have a separate two-bedroom house for rent (June to October only) on the mountain side of town.

In a skyscraper looming high over the main train station, this hotel puts the city at your feet. The rooms are located on the 23rd to 34th floors so they have magnificent views of the city. Unlike many Japanese hotels, this hotel has double rooms with king-size beds rather than only twins. The "moderate single" rooms are a little cramped, but other rooms have more space and larger windows. The 22nd-floor spa (extra charge) has deep pools and big windows, so you can enjoy views of the city skyline as you soak.

A warm welcome is assured when you enter this small home, which is just past the Ainu village end of the town.

Dark wooden beams, shadowy corridors, and well-chosen antiques transform a modern canal-side building into a comfortable, old-fashioned Japanese inn—a rarity in Otaru. The traditionally clad staff bow low on the raised straw matting in the reception area, and the first-floor restaurant has seating with a canal view. The charm of the public areas continues into the newly renovated lounge area where reading materials are available adjacent to the lobby. The eighth-floor Japanese bathroom has several indoor and open-air onsen baths as well as a sauna. The hotel's breakfast includes up to 40 different options made by their chefs with ingredients from Hokkaido.

This luxurious mountain retreat offers ski-in ski-out access to the Niseko Hanazono Resort as well as a wide range of restaurants and bars should you be lucky enough to spend several days here. Many may not feel the need to venture out to Niseko Village or Kutchan for meals. The French restaurant Molière Montagne has received glowing reviews. Rooms are spacious and elegant, and have expansive views of the ski slopes. In winter (high season) there's a minimum-stay policy of up to 3 nights. 

The welcoming Fukui family will greet you at the train station, though it's just a 10-minute walk away from this inn named after their red setter's tail (they thought it looked like the Hakodate part of the Hokkaido map). Rooms in the newer annex have private bathrooms. Breakfast and dinner should be reserved the day before. There is free Wi-Fi, but only in the lobby.

This modern guesthouse sits in the center of the village's flower-filled pedestrian area. The owner is not only extremely knowledgeable about butterflies but is also an agile fisherman, so dinners can include freshwater fish, plus seasonal wild mushroom soup served from a giant cauldron in the dining room. He can also take guests on fishing trips. Sake liqueurs made from fruits like mountain grapes may enhance (or hinder) the next day's hiking power. There are clean tatami rooms with shared washing areas, and use of the Kurodake no Yu hot spring next door is free, and there are two options for an optional dinner. 

The Ryotei Hanayura hot-spring hotel has floor-to-ceiling lobby windows that look out on a small canyon and river and hot springs that bubble gently among rocks and trees. Spend a little more and enjoy your own one-person cypress wood tub on your balcony, followed by a traditional dinner delivered to the door. This relatively small, modern hotel is overlooked by tour groups; it's connected to a larger hotel, so you can use its bar and souvenir shop. Reserve seats on a free shuttle bus from Sapporo.

With classic European style, white-gloved bellhops, and conveniences like in-room refrigerators tastefully hidden away in wooden cabinets, Sapporo's grand dame has welcomed guests since 1934. In the heart of downtown, the three buildings (Main, Annex, and East) almost fill a city block. Rooms in the older Main Building feel like a gentlemen's club, with striped wallpaper and small armchairs, while those in the East Wing exhibit a more modern flair. In the Memorial Library, check out photographs of VIP guests and mementos of their stays, such as Margaret Thatcher's thank-you letter and the 1955 lunch menu for the visiting New York Yankees.

Plush interiors, hot-spring baths, pool, play area for kids, excellent dining options—as far as Japanese resort hotels go, it doesn't get much better than this. Located at the very top of Utoro's hotel zone, Daiichi offers sensational hot-spring sunset views. Mountain-facing windows look over small vegetable fields, where bear and deer can be spotted chowing down at dusk. Hotel guests do the same at over-the-top buffets. English speakers are on duty in the evening at the tour desk.

Perched on a bluff halfway up one side of the gorge, this hotel has the best views in the park. The hotel has sumptuous baths to take in all the nature. Rooms at the back overlook the parking lot, so those facing the gorge merit the higher prices. There is a free shuttle bus from JR Sapporo Station, four hours away. As this hotel can be popular with tour groups you may not always get the alpine serenity you are hoping for. Dinner and breakfast usually included in the room price.

Contemplate the Hell Valley while soaking in one of the 35 different baths at Takimotokan Hokkaido. This Japanese-style hotel is often busy with tour groups from Japan and overseas. The main draw is sitting in the sumptuous waters, where swimsuits are allowed in some of the outside baths. There's also a daily shuttle bus from Sapporo. Nonguests can bathe for ¥2,000.

Visible for miles around—it looks like a giant cruise ship perched on the rim of the Toya Volcano—the Windsor is Hokkaido's best hotel for location and service. This is where world leaders infamously dined on a luxurious eight-course meal after discussing the global food crisis during the 2008 G8 Summit. The blue rooms have views of the lake and Toyako Onsen's volcanic activity, while the rust-color rooms look out to the sea. It's a vast hotel, but the bars and restaurants are personal in scale. Unusual in Japan, the Windsor asks guests to refrain from smoking in all restaurants and most rooms. The staff speak English, French, and Japanese.

A no-frills business hotel with a great location next to the east exit of Sapporo Station. The hotel has the same compact rooms and reasonable services as any of the other approximately 300 hotels in the Toyoko Inn chain. If you sign up for a Toyoko Inn members card you'll be able to check in an hour earlier, get discounts, and be able to book rooms up to 6 months in advance. The free breakfast is served in the lobby from 6:30 to 9.