Toyako, Japan
The Windsor Hotel TOYA
Mountaintop caldera resort
Toyako, Japan
Renovated
2002
Price
$$$$
Rated for
Luxe Wellness ResortOutside the door
The house
IHGMountaintop caldera resort
The summit complex stands six hundred meters high on Mount Poromoi, looking out across the crater lake to the ocean.
What it’s good at
Notable
A sukiya-style cypress onsen and glass-vaulted pool overlooking Lake Toya and Mount Yotei.
Notable
A self-contained mountaintop estate with nine restaurants, seasonal sports, and glass-atrium swimming.
What they say
Michelin Selected
Michelin
Western rooms come in two styles: the ‘casual’ style is calculated not to offend, while the ‘premier’ style is contemporary, with more than a little bit of minimalist influence
Tucked away
A place apart: the property is the destination.
Atop Mount Poromoi, overlooking Lake Toya and Uchiura Bay from an isolated mountain peak.
The rooms
Premier rooms take a clean, minimalist line, and traditional suites add tatami matting facing the crater lake.
The gym and pool
Bring a swimsuit.
Cardio machines and free weights equip the twenty-four-hour gym, set beside a heated lap pool and whirlpool tub.
The onsen
Soak slowly.
Hinoki cypress and stone baths draw on chloride and iron spring waters, connecting to an outdoor rotenburo overlooking the slopes.
The spa
Body treatments draw on indigenous Ainu herbal traditions, and wooden chaise lounges look straight out across Lake Toya.
At the table
Kengo Kuma designed the timber-slatted pizzeria, and chefs grill Hokkaido wagyu at a teppanyaki counter facing the caldera.
How it began
The hotel shuttered during a 1990s bank collapse, reopening in 2002 before hosting the G8 summit six years later.
Toyako
More like this
WE Hotel Toya
“Pleated cedar lodge”
The app
Like this one? There are so many more.
Swipe any city’s hotels and heart the ones you love. The app gets your taste.
Our shorthand
How we rate hotels.
The medals
Gold
Extremely rare. Sets the global standard.
Silver
Brilliant execution. And we’re picky.
Bronze
They did this well. You’ll notice.
Listed
A defining trait. Makes the hotel what it is.
The eight vibes
Design
Built around a vision. Even the door handles have a designer.
Luxe
Cared for at every turn. The bath is drawn before you ask.
Local
It could only be here. You wake up knowing where you are.
Social
Where the city goes out. The bar is full and the night is young.
Heritage
A building with a story. Once a palace, a monastery, a station.
Wellness
You leave feeling new. Rest, sweat, soak and sleep like a stone.
Classic
The city grew up with it. Same rituals, same regulars, same bar.
Resort
A world of its own. Something to do from breakfast to nightcap.
The scene
Lively
Where things happen: restaurants, shops, people.
Central
Well-located: walkable to some things, a short ride to more.
Quiet
Away from the crowds. Getting around takes intention.
Secluded
A place apart: the property is the destination.