Authent Hotel Otaru (Review)
The Cozy Base in Otaru
Authent Hotel is a 4-stars hotel located in the touristic city-center of Otaru, on Hokkaido Island in the north of Japan. It is ideally located within walking distance to the town’s must-sees and to the JR station connecting Otaru to Sapporo by direct train. The hotel’s staff warmly welcome its guests who can enjoy comfortable and spacious rooms.
Otaru is often considered a 1-day getaway from Sapporo, but staying overnight to enjoy the city at a leisurely pace is also an interesting option. For this purpose, we recommend choosing an accommodation near the JR station and the touristic city-center, such as the Authent Hotel 🏨 Otaru. Located less than 10 minutes’ walk away from Otaru station and the waterway, the hotel is ideally placed, whether one reaches the city by train 🚅, by car 🚙 (a parking lot is available) or by ferry ⛴️! As a matter of fact, Authent Hotel Otaru is operated by the Shin Nihonkai Ferry group, that also manages cruises between Hokkaido and Honshu.
Quiet, romantic and comfortable, Authent Hotel Otaru is a convenient and well-maintained base, ideal for tourists visiting Otaru. It also has a comprehensive catering offer and a large public bath facility for its customers to relax. Its upper floors have panoramic views on the city.
In this human-scale hotel, the staff is welcoming and attentive to the clients as soon as they arrive. The interior decoration is of a classical traditional design that may seem a bit outdated, especially in the bathrooms with dual lever faucets instead of a single lever ones. The value for money of Authent Hotel Otaru, which is a 4-stars hotel, remains attractive.
Spacious rooms and traditional decor
The hotel’s building has an original facade shaped by the angle of the crossroad upon which it is standing. The surroundings are always easy to access, regardless of the weather conditions, and even during heavy snow in winter. Every client receives a welcome drink upon arrival before discovering the room.
The rooms occupy Authent Hotel Otaru 3F to 10F floors and are divided into 2 categories:
- The premium suites for 2 guests and up to 75m² superficies, laid out with a private living room, an unobstructed view on the sea, some of them were even recently renovated in 2023; and,
- The standard rooms, that can host 1 to 4 guests, in superficies ranging between 18 to 56m².
All the rooms are spacious, bright and clean, usually with a Western-style bedding. There are also 3 rooms arranged in the Japanese style with a tatami area to spread futons. Each of the night areas has its own private bathroom 🛁 and WC, as well as the usual equipment and hotel amenities.
A comprehensive catering offer
Authent Hotel Otaru has 6 different types of restaurants, suitable for local guests as well as to international travelers, such as:
- 3 restaurants of traditional Japanese cuisine (Irifune), of teppanyaki hot plate cooking style (Kaio) and a fusion restaurant blending Hokkaido’s and French cuisine (Casablanca);
- 3 bars and lounges.
We recommend the uppermost floor of the hotel (11F) to discover a wonderful view on the city and on the Ishikari Bay:
- In the evening, to have a drink at the Polestar bar;
- On the morning, for a sweet or savory breakfast buffet served at the restaurant Casablanca.
Other morning options are available at the restaurant Irifune, that serves a traditional Japanese breakfast as well as a local course including a miso soup and a donburi bowl topped with the area’s fish and shellfish.
It is also possible to enjoy lunch or diner at the hotel, upon prior reservation at the reception or through the official website. The menus of the 3 restaurants are composed following the seasons, with local and fresh ingredients. The Japanese restaurant Irifune is particularly commendable for its delicious and delicate traditional kaiseki cuisine.
In any case, a Lawson konbini can be found in the hotel’s vicinity.
The visit of Otaru’s waterway or the surrounding typical streets can fill a leisurely day, completed by a walk along the coastline. Alternatively, the top of Mount Yoichi offers a beautiful view on the symmetrical silhouette of Mount Yotei, also called "Yezo Fuji 🗻," in the distance.