Originally Posted by
evergrn
Toya Lake is right along your route from Hakodate to Noboribetsu in the latter part of your trip. Why not just stop by then, instead of trek all the way down as daytrip from Sapporo?
Why come all the way back to Sapporo from the trip to Otaru/Shakotan area? Would make more sense to not go back to Sapporo, but rather end the day much closer to Hakodate by staying maybe around Niseko.
Thank you for your feedback. We wanted to do 2 Hot Springs, one near the beginning and 1 near the end of our trip. I will check the map again and see if we can substitute Lake Toya with something else.
Based on GoogleMaps, I believe it is only about 2 hours of driving from Shakotan back to Sapporo so it will be a nice day trip. We want to keep the cost down by having our base in Sapporo, if you will, rather than finding accommodation in Sapporo for x number of nights then staying in different parts of Hokkaido.
Originally Posted by
shuigao
Day 6-8 -- just throwing out an alternative - do Sapporo --> Noboribetsu --> Hakodate, then on Day 8 return the car at Hakodate and take the train directly to CTS.
It is more expensive, but instead of a boring 5-hour (yes, in reality it will be almost 5 hours than google maps' estimated 4) drive you get to relax and stretch out in the train with some pretty scenic views as it goes through onuma and winds around the east coast of uchiura bay.
In Noboribetsu I'd say book yourself into takimotokan - it's big & touristy and the in-room kaiseki dinner is "meh" at best, but the onsen is huge, has like seven different types of water, and the men's bath overlooks jigokudani.
Anyway, I did a similar trip in Fall/Autumn last year --
Itinerary on blog if you're interested to see some pics.
Thanks for the suggestion. Is it possible to pick up the rental car in Sapporo and return it at Hakodate, with the same agency of course, possibly with a fee? I will further investigate this option. I will also check out your blog later.
Appreciate the feedback from both you!