Hanayuka is nothing to write home about. It is situation right next to a beautiful lake Akan under the volcano. Staff is OK and the head boss speaks excellent English. The room is outdated but clean. It does has a very charming "robby" (japanese does not have the "Lo" sound. It has seen better days for sure.

The restaurant serves a decent buffet for breakfast and dinner. Food selection is good but not every item is tasty. The restaurant does have a nice view of the lake, which is nice during breakfast.

The hot spa is OK, also seen better days. You can use the sister hotel's numerous hot spa (which i assume is better) but you have to get over there on their free shuttle, which is kind of a hassle.

We stayed at the Akan Hanayuka Hotel from 10 to 12 June 2009. The hotel is conveniently located right in the middle of the Lake Akan onsen area and right next to the beautiful Lake Akan. If you drive in from the eastern side of Hokkaido, you'd have to negotiate an incredibly winding and meandering road with many twists and turns up and down the mountainous area before reaching Lake Akan. So drive carefully.

Staff at the door parked our car as we drove up and unloaded our luggage. Checking in was a breeze and we had a Japanese room. The unobstructed view of Lake Akan from the room was simply gorgeous. Our room was well appointed with all the usual amenities - except for a regular bed. The mattresses and pillows were stored in the wardrobe and were laid out for us while we were out for dinner. The bathroom was small but adequate. The TV had only Japanese language channels.

Each room came with its own yukata and towels for your onsen purposes. If you are new to the onsen experience, please read the many posters with instructions all over the place before taking the plunge. Bad onsen etiquette is particularly frowned upon. The onsen is on the second floor of the hotel. However, guests can also use the (apparently more luxurious) onsen of another hotel down the road as they are from the same group. A free shuttle bus will take you there.

Almost all onsen hotels in this part of Japan have buffet breakfast and dinner included in their price. The food at this hotel was simply the best we have ever tasted. The dinner spread was nothing short of spectacular, with the freshest produce and food sourced locally wherever possible. Breakfast was, comparably, less so but that's only because we were totally spoiled by our dinner selection.

Staff at the hotel were helpful and polite almost to the extreme. Because we speak Japanese, we did not test out their English language abilities.

The internet can be accessed for free from the lobby on an iMac. The pier for the Lake Akan cruise is but a hop and a skip from the hotel. Within walking distance are several convenient stores, many souvenir shops and the Ainu Village theme park. It is a 45 minute drive to Lake Mashu and the sulfur pit attraction.

We would definitely recommend this hotel to anybody planning a vacation at Lake Akan. If nothing else then for the food alone.