Hotel Indigo HAKONE GORA by IHG

My main reason for choosing Hotel Indigo was the expectation that a foreign hotel would offer more diverse food options than traditional Japanese cuisine, and that the rooms would be more modern. Both expectations were met, which was great. However, the hotel's location is quite remote, making it difficult to walk to Gora Station. Thankfully, the hotel provides a shuttle service to the station from 10 AM to 6 PM. If you plan to take the shuttle to Odawara, remember to book it in advance at the front desk. There's also an unsightly warehouse-like structure next to the hotel, which is a bit of a letdown considering how secluded the location already is – it really spoils the view. Around 90% of the guests here seem to be Western tourists, likely in groups, as the breakfast area was almost full before 8 AM. For dinner, we decided to eat near Gora Station and had some excellent unagi (eel) rice. A taxi back to the hotel cost us 700 yen. For first-time visitors to Hakone, I'd recommend staying in Hakone-Yumoto instead, as it's livelier, offers more dining choices, and has more convenient transportation. Also, the hotel's public bath is mixed-gender, requiring you to bring your own swimwear or borrow special attire from the front desk, which I found a bit inconvenient, so I didn't end up using it.

Service: I was pleasantly surprised to see the shuttle bus right outside Odawara Station West Exit. The staff member who spoke Chinese was patient and friendly, and told us how to transfer at Gotemba to get to Lake Kawaguchiko. Facilities: The bath amenities were great, and they even gave us small soaps. The hot spring was comfortable. The breakfast was abundant; I particularly liked the egg rolls, matcha, and smoked salmon. I highly advise against taking the Gora shortcut with luggage – that path is more for adventurers.

The room was spacious enough and had a private hot tub on the balcony. However, the balcony faces a busy road, so we had to keep the blinds down, which wasn't quite what we expected from the booking photos. A big thank you to Ms. Yejung at the front desk during check-in. I had been stung by a bee at the Sculpture Park before arriving, and she gave me some ointment that really helped. When checking out, they claimed I had used snacks from the mini-bar, but I hadn't. I didn't have time to argue with them about it.