Hotel Sonia Otaru

This is a review specifically for the rooms: deluxe king and deluxe twin My family of 4 stayed here in one deluxe king (room 801) and one deluxe twin (802) for 3 nights in Dec 2024 over Christmas. I had purposely book these 2 rooms for the balcony overlooking the canal. The toilet in 802 is newer than 801. 802’s balcony is slightly bigger. Room is sufficiently clean enough. I am not particular. Rooms are big and comfy. I used the balcony to enjoy a drink and do Timelapse The key point of these 2 rooms are the balcony. The price that you are paying is for the location and the beautiful view of the canal. The photos in my review are taken from the balcony.

Location was fantastic. Walking distance to Sakaimachi street and good restaurants/beer halls. There was ample parking nearby with reasonable rates. We took the family room which was very spacious for 3 pax. Although Otaru is not known for its onsen, this hotel does have a decent onsen (albeit a small one).

The location can not be beat. Our view of the canal was gorgeous and made the stay in Otaru. The room was larger than any we stayed in while in Japan and the lobby was beautiful. Staff were all very friendly despite us being English speaking. If you've ever been an American in Otaru, that can be hard to find. Very walkable to a lot of restaurants. We were sad we could only stay one night, as there were a couple places in the warehouses across the canal we didn't get a chance to check out. I'm sure it's mainly for tourists but if you're having trouble finding a restaurant, we highly recommend walking to Denuki Koji. We had an incredible dinner experience at a tiny Yakitori restaurant there.Theres an onsen at the hotel that I regrettably didn't get a chance to visit but it looks beautiful. Definitely the place to stay if you want to be close to the canal and within walking distance to many historic Otaru spots.

The canal view room was perfect for The Snow Light Path Festival as we could watch from our sitting area when we had enough time out in the snow. The onsen facilities were clean, with good amenities, and breakfast was good. It is a great location - just a short walk to JR Station but of course this can be tricky in the snow and ice (we wear spikes). Also just a short walk to shopping streets and restaurants are all around.

the location was super. it was right next to the canal. close to everything you need to explore otaru as well. one thing i should mention is the breakfast. it was great!! i have stayed in some other hotels in other area but this breakfast was one of the best i have had in recent years.