We really enjoyed our stay in Otaru. This is a great little city, with so many spots to wander around and explore. The OMO5 is in a great position to access the canal, the main tourist shopping precinct, and the many restaurants and bars. It’s also well positioned close to bus stops to get to the ski areas, although we had a car so we didn’t get to check out the bus operations.

The hotel has been beautifully created, by maintaining the façade of the historic building and many period furnishings and fittings whilst integrating the modern components of the hotel. The dining area in the old part of the building is particularly beautiful, with its soaring ceilings, large windows, funky floor tiles, and grandiose but contemporary chandeliers. Then there was the food, which was equally well presented.

Breakfast was a buffet, with mostly Japanese fare, which was nice to see. This included the usual miso and rice, lots of salad items, fried squid, and attractively arranged cod roe creations. There was also a Spanish theme for the main dishes, which included Spanish omelette with garlic bread and pancetta, and churros with filthy yummy chocolate sauce. A variety of mini pastries were also on offer, and in addition to standard coffee, there was a coffee machine that made a nice latte.

Even though there are lots of great restaurants to discover in Otaru, you should have dinner at the hotel at least one night. Our dinner was exquisite. It started with Japanese/Spanish fusion tapas, then pork with accompaniments, then paella, then a buffet of various dessert treats which were definitely worth finding the room for. Dinner also included nice wine, champagne and non-alcoholic beverages.

Our twin room was quite nice and spacious, and it had a small sofa, which probably became more of a junk repository than a seating area. Like many Japanese hotels, there were zero hooks in the room (not even to hang a towel), no shelves and 4 coat hangers in a large hanging space. We made a right old mess of the room in no time! The shower was magnificent, and rather than being a bolt-on ugly pre-fab bathroom, it was a real bathroom with lots of room – not something to take for granted in Japan! Also, the wifi was really good.

One final pro of the hotel was the service. A few of the reception staff spoke reasonable English to make up for our poor Japanese language skills, and the staff in the dining room were amazing.
See our video here