Best Hakone Hotels

"I could easily have spent another night here just to spend at the hotel! The outdoor bath is wonderful and the location is great for exploring Hatone. There’s a shop inside for souvenirs, free snacks and drinks (at quite specific times of day!) and Japanese-style rooms and clothes. I regret not spending more time soaking, checking out the spa and trying out the matcha set in our room!"

"Dear Hotel Team, I did not want to make these points of criticism public and therefore sent you an email on September 16, 2025. Since I have not received any response by October 1, 2025, I am now publishing my points of criticism. Thank you very much for hosting us from September 14 to 16 2025. Your service is so attentive and friendly - it was consistently perfect. Unfortunately, we experienced many shortcomings that I would like to point out to you. The room, unfortunately, was not clean. The sink siphon is yellow, and the bathtub on the balcony is full of residue from the thermal water. We found hair everywhere: on the floor, the bed, and the couch. I would expect a different hygiene standard in a 5-star hotel. The bed linen seemed old and had frayed edges and loose threads sticking out. It did not feel inviting to sleep in. On the terrace, the hanging chair had a hole that looked like it was caused by a cigarette. The wooden surfaces in the room showed a lot of wear and damage in many areas. Simply touching them up with a suitable marker or paint would already make them look newer and more high-quality. At the buffet, the water glasses were unfortunately very small. In the summer heat, I had to fetch four rounds of two glasses each at dinner to stay sufficiently hydrated. At the first breakfast, I got a cappuccino from the coffee machine. No milk came out, even though a staff member had just refilled it, and the remaining coffee tasted strongly of cleaning agent. The taste lingered in my mouth until the evening. I only took one sip and didn’t want to drink any more. On the first night, I was woken up by irregular beeping in the room. After a long search, I identified the safe as the source. The safe was irregularly entering codes on its own without any input. I tried to open it with my PIN - since our laptops were locked inside - but I couldn’t open it anymore. The error HOLD03 appeared, so I wanted to wait the three minutes for a new PIN entry. In the meantime, the safe entered codes again by itself and reactivated the HOLD03 timer. Luckily, I found a three-minute phase when the safe didn’t make an input on its own, and I was able to open it with my PIN. Out of lack of trust, I didn’t lock the laptops in the safe again. I kindly ask you to have the safe serviced and the defect repaired. Because of this, I unfortunately slept poorly and with the hygiene issues and the problems at the buffet, the overall stay was not enjoyable. A single problem would not make the stay worse, but the accumulation of issues put us off and does not correspond to a 5-star hotel charging ¥80,000 per night for a simple double room. I hope my feedback helps you and wish that you can resolve the problems easily and cost-effectively. Your service is on such a high level, and we truly appreciate that. Best regards"

"The random hotel I booked was a complete success. Take the H line to Penglai Garden and it's just down the stairs. The hotel is small but beautiful. Meals are not provided, so breakfast is divided by room and you can take it back to your room. The room was spacious, Japanese-style, with maple trees outside the window. The hot springs were also amazing, rarely crowded on weekdays!"

"Luckily this onsen hotel has a Family Mart right next to it. Everything there is clean. Onsen on 6/F is also very clean, loved it very much. The best part was to bring my family to the Yunessun swimming facility right across the road. Free entry if you get tickets from the hotel front desk."

"Absolutely love this place! The staff are very friendly, and the onsen is clean and well-maintained. There are 3 outdoor pools and 2 indoor pools, along with a steam room and sauna, which make for a relaxing experience. The facility is open for both day trips and overnight stays, but staying overnight is much better for a more chill and leisurely time. There’s a massage chair available, but it requires payment. Breakfast is also delicious and definitely worth it. The only downside is the location—it’s not very convenient and requires some walking. If you’re traveling light, it’s manageable. They do have a payable shuttle bus, but the timing isn’t great. Walking can be pleasant if the weather’s nice, or you can opt for a taxi. Overall, I’ll definitely book this place again for the relaxing atmosphere!"

"The staff were all incredibly friendly, always greeting us, and even proactively offered to take our empty drink bottles to dispose of for us. Our room was spotlessly clean. During the day, it served as a comfortable living space with a table, and then promptly at 6 PM each evening, the staff would come to lay out the futons. The three of us slept comfortably on the futons laid out on the floor. Haha, it was a fantastic experience! The hotel's location is superb, right opposite Hakone-Yumoto Station and just across the bridge, making it incredibly convenient and a wonderful place to stay. If you turn left from the hotel, you'll find a row of shops and restaurants to explore, though do note they tend to close quite early. The hotel's food was also quite good. Breakfast is a buffet, but the selection remains largely the same each day, so it might get a bit repetitive if you're staying for an extended period. 😄 We also enjoyed some delicious sushi at the hotel one evening."

"The service provided by the other female staff was excellent. Despite the language barrier, they were incredibly patient, repeatedly explaining the hotel's services and answering all our questions. Their friendly demeanor left us highly satisfied."

"My second stay in this hotel, staffs are friendly, foods are great. For those who is coming the first time, please take the train from station 51 and get off at station 55 (Kowakidani). From station 55, you can either 1) walk for 15 mins to the hotel Or 2) take the mini 10 seats shuttle bus from 2-5 pm (every 10-15 mins), just wait at the exit. If you need a pick up outside of this time, call the hotel and they will pick you up (a local Japanese phone number in the picture attached)"

"**Positives:** ✅ **Modern & Clean:** Well-maintained, spacious rooms with comfortable onsen. ✅ **Good Location:** Convenient access to surrounding areas. **Areas for Improvement:** ⚠️ **Room Location:** - Room extremely far from dining/foot bath – exhausting daily walks (especially with foot concerns). - *Suggestion:* Offer closer room options or service for guests with mobility needs. ⚠️ **Dining Experience (Dinner & Breakfast):** - **Food Quality:** Lamb not fresh; overall quality below ”1 stay 2 meals” onsen standard. No beef , only lamb meat is not fresh. Not satisfied with the food quality. We wanna have cup noodles after meal. Breakfast is slight better. - **Variety:** Insufficient choices (both Western & Japanese); lacked local/seasonal specialties expected at onsen hotels. Pretty disappointed. We been to many onsen hotel in Japan. Never encountered this. - **Service/Clarity:** Buffet poorly organized; unclear signage led to confusion over food availability. - **Expectations:** Meals didn’t showcase regional ingredients or highlight local cuisine like other onsen resorts. Hakone is famous onsen should showcase their seasonal ingredients in this region. **Summary:** Strong potential with modern facilities, but **critical improvements needed in dining quality** and **room accessibility** to meet onsen hotel standards."

"We stayed here for my boyfriend's birthday. We asked about room decorations and cake, and the staff were very polite and went above and beyond our expectations. We had a wonderful time. The food was also delicious, and the bath in our room was very comfortable. The food and service were excellent, but even more than that, the staff's consideration and hospitality were warm and wonderful. I'm really glad we stayed here. I'd like to return and stay in a different room next time. Thank you very much."