Hoeiso

Very nice relaxing one night stay to end our busy Japan trip! It’s about $26-$30 taxi from Odawara station, or you can take a train to a bus to get there, or two buses from Odawara to get there. We came in via Shinkansen to Odawara and after our busy travels we decided to just take a taxi to and from Odawara and we did not regret it! You can check an app called DiDi to get an estimate of the taxi price. It was pretty on par with what was quoted! Upon arrival, you remove your shoes and are given sandals to wear while at the ryokan. You will not see your shoes again until check out. You’re seated at a beautiful window overlooking fall foliage and trees and given mochi and tea while the room is being prepared. There is complimentary coffee in this area. You are then brought to your room which was basically a suite! We had 4 separate rooms and outside of that was a bathroom and shower room/sink in our private hallway. Two rooms are empty; one is transformed to your bed where your Japanese futon is made up at night. There are tatami mats mostly everywhere. One room has two chairs facing the outside view which was beautiful. A central main room has a tv, phone, and table where kaiseki dinner and breakfast was served. I originally had three stipulations for my first ryokan experience- a private onsen, and a kaiseki dinner in my room, and sleeping on Japanese tatami mats with a futon. 2 out of 3 fulfilled BUT after seeing photos of the onsen here tucked away in lush green foliage adjacent to flowing water, I CHANGED MY MIND AND I DIDNT REGRET IT! I think having a onsen in your room is more akin to a hot tub. It was so relaxing and beautiful with this outdoor onsen being out in nature, with the sounds of the birds and running water, fall foliage, and stars overhead at night. The walk down was truly magical. You can reserve private time after 730pm for 30 minutes so that you can spend some precious moments alone, with significant other or family. FYI you cannot reserve in the morning. Let them know when checking in. They also have an indoor onsen, I did not use it but I checked it out. Near these indoor onsen is where you should thoroughly wash and shower before getting in. There’s also a water station nearby to fill up waters. I was able to have one private session with my husband at night. And the two other times I went, I was alone! Score! Staff was nice and spoke good English. Tamoe helped us and she was great. As mentioned above, a second thing I wanted in my ryokan experience was the kaiseki dinner served IN MY ROOM. I saw a lot of the other ryokans were a shared experience at a restaurant. For this ryokan, we had both dinner and breakfast served in our room in our provided Japanese robes aka Yukata. We wore this the entire time we were there. It was so luxurious and amazing to have this course meal in our room. Kaiseki dinner was largely pheasant which is the National bird of Japan. I loved most dishes but I did not enjoy the pheasant coo

Our stay at this ryokan was pretty good. Our room and bathroom are outdated, but the staff were very nice and helpful. Dinner and breakfast were good. We made a reservation for private outdoor onsen experience, which was nice.

Absolutely perfect stay! This property has exceeded my expectations! It is the BEST SERVICE i have ever experienced in all my travels. And the food was EXCELLENT! If you want to experience excellent traditional Japanese cuisine, then book this place! You will be amazed with their EXCEPTIONAL level of customer service. Don’t mind the reviews whining about them not offering a Western food option. If you want Western food and Western bedding, then this is not the place for you. But if you want proper Japanese kaiseki and experience a proper RYOKAN stay, then this is highly recommended. The private onsen at night was AMAZING!

The staff was welcoming and dedicated to the inn. Time stood still when you entered the inn, the views and grounds were lush and serene. My husband and I were truly able to relax in the peaceful onsens. Make sure you take advantage of the morning hike by the owner Hara-san. You will learn, see and feel the history and the passion of the locals who have been there for generations. Also, we opted to take a relaxing yoga class from one of the lovely staff that took place in a 400 year old structure. The dinner and breakfast were as pleasing to the eye as they were to the palate. I cannot wait to return. This was the highlight of our second 10 day trip to Japan. I’m back home in New York City and I often think of my time at Kijitei Hoeiso.

This was the realization of a decades-long desire to stay at a Ryokan. I thought the food was the best of our entire 17-day trip through Japan. They specialize in pheasant dishes, and I was constantly delighted by the composition and presentation of the meals. My kids and wife, with less experience in Japanese food, were not as enthusiastic. They found many of the flavors and combinations alien. I thought it was brilliant, but your experience will depend on your background and mindset. The room was beautiful, but my wife found the futon + tatami insufficiently cushioning. If we were to return we would ask for a western-style bed. The ryokan is small enough that we never felt intruded-on by other guests. We almost always had the onsen to ourselves. The onsen was nice, but I do wish they had a hotter temperature option (I filled that need by visiting Tenzan public baths down the road). We reserved the rotemburo (outside bath) one evening. My 17-year-old loved watching the fireflies over the river while sitting in the bath. It was the most expensive stay of our trip, but because of the meals I thought it was well worth it. I wanted to get an early start on the Hakone circle course, so I wish they had an earlier breakfast option. We were a bit rushed to fit the whole circle in between breakfast and dinner. The ryokan is aged, but possesses a wabi-sabi beauty that is truly representative of the character of Japan. Getting to the ryokan with large luggage is inconvenient--it would have been smart to stash our big luggage at the station and just come up with our smaller bags.