Noboribetsu vs Lake Toya for onsen

I will attend the Snow Festival in Sapporo on Feb 4-6. However, I will arrive in Sapporo on Jan 31. So, I am wondering if I should stay at an onse ryokan for one night.

Noboribetsu vs Lake Toya--which is better? I am planning to stay at a reasonably priced ryokan/guest house and then visit a day-use onsen at a nicer place. I will travel solo and therefore don't have somebody to split the cost with.

Are these two locations very different? I looked up Google Maps and saw that the former is a small town but the latter is a cluster of ryokans scattered along the lake. How charming is Noboribetsu? Is it like a cute onsen town such as Yufuin? In early Feb, how realistic is it to walk on the streets in this town?

What about transit within each of these locations to travel from one ryokan to another without a car?

Thank you very much.

If its about Onsen, then i would say Noboribetsu is the better option, since it offers more hikaeri options and also sublime water-sources.

Both have ugly architectual sins from the 70th (like big, ugly hotels, which do not fit into the environment at all).
Anyhow in general i think Noboribetsu onsen has more charm.

I will also add Shikotsuko Onsen, close to the airport into the mix. Any ideas or suggestions are welcome. Thanks!

Just been to Noboribetsu for a day trip, agree with comments above. The onsen water was amazing, really soothing and healing. In my opinion the water was much better than Hakone. Note - buses were packed and aren�ft that frequent to and from Noboribetsu station. So I did a taxi one way, about 3000 yen. I went to the day onsen at the Sekisuitei onsen, 1500 yen.
I got there about 11am and had the place to myself. It looked liked lots of hotel guests had just checked out, and the next batch hadn�ft arrived, so I would say late morning is a good time to go.
Btw I highly recommend the Upopoy Ainu museum in Shiraoi.