Hakone Yuyado Zen

One of the most amazing hotel experiences. I have stayed for work and pleasure at many of the finest hotels in the world, and this gem rates near the top for a small luxury hotel. The room was excellent, immaculate, and new. The service is incredible. All of the staff was great, but particularly the two Nepalese staff members (who have lived in Japan for some time), the primary one being named Budha, who was incredibly kind, attentive, and responsive and spoke excellent English. The hotel has an amazing executive chef as well and every night and morning they serve a Michelin-type multi-course unique meal served in Japanese style in a private dining room. Our room also had its own mineral bath in atraditional japanese tub pumped diredtly from the hot springs in a very large sepeate room with a view of the forest. Overall a fantastic experience worth many times the cost. It is highly recommended. We stayed in the most expensive room in the highest rated hotel in Kyoto prior to coming here, and while it was also excellent in all rergards, this was a better experience and value.

Stayed in second-floor Akane room for 1 night to experience the ryokan at rank 1 in TripAdvisor for Hakone area. Really worth the stay from the welcoming to the dining and in-room onsen. Want to thank the staff for their hospitality especially the friendly and English-speaking Nepalese named Binod. His jovial attitude and laughter brightens the stay for us. Overall highly recommended but we were not able to see the full Mt Fuji at all, only parts of it,unless you stay on the third floor. Maybe next time...

Ok - I didn't take a taxi to the hotel/resort, so I had to hoof it 10 min. up the steep hill with my luggage. And I was already tired from figuring out that there is no bus pass, but you just have to pay as you go when you board the bus (I believe bus #4-this is key). On top of that I was hungry. When I asked the sweet, polite host where I could find lunch/transportation, she informed me that there is neither until check in at 3 pm. Needless to say, I was mildly pissed off and my incredulous response was rude. My son and I hiked back down to the bus and headed to the glass museum where we were able to eat lunch. After foregoing the shuttle and hiking back up the hill, I apologized to the nice woman for being so rude. And from then on, our experience there was magical. We had a stunning view of Mount Fuji from our Onsen (yes we had to stand up, but it was in full view). The room was perfect - spacious, clean, authentic, peaceful, just lovely! Maybe I didn't read the instructions carefully when I booked this place, but I didn't realize it came with breakfast. The breakfast, if you want to call it that, was a sumptuous meal - I'm not sure what it is called in Japanese- but it was absolutely delicious. We didn't have room or time for dessert, sadly; however, I'm sure that in itself was incredible. The dinner was spectacular - I think 10 courses - and the service, magnificent. I just cannot rave enough about how special this place is and I am not sharing our room number because I will definitely be back next year. Hakone Yuyado Zen was delightful and I am so fortunate to have been blessed to spend some time in this quiet sanctuary with a splendid view of heavenly Mount Fuji. Thank you to the staff for a memorable experience. I am going to be sending them a gift from the states to express my gratitude. And when I return, I plan to take the bus and hike up and down the hill again:) ! (sorry for lack of time to upload photos)