Senkei

We stayed one night at Hotel Senkei and enjoyed every minute. Staff were welcoming and attentive, despite language barriers. Our room, with private onsen bath, was very spacious and beautiful. It was Japanese style with seating and futon bed on the floor. We were served dinner and breakfast in our room and both meals were fabulous, with very generous portions. The scenery surrounding the hotel is astounding as well. Great value. Book early.

We stayed 1 night in the Japanese style room with private onsen. From the moment we arrived in the hotel, all staff were very attentive and going above and beyond to make sure we had the best experience. We stayed half board and enjoyed a traditional Kaiseki dinner and breakfast served in our room. Note: The menu is not very flexible for dietary requirements (heavily seafood based). We were lucky that we had a wonderful host who accommodated some but not all of our dietary requirements. If you are looking for a traditional ryokan experience, with a beautiful private onsen view and enjoy kaiseki cuisine based we would really recommend this hotel!

Hotel Senkei is located about 12 minutes by foot from Hakone Yumoto station. This was a ryokan—not a regular hotel. We slept on comfortable futons in a room separate from the living area. The room had tatami floors. There was a kotatsu—a heating area under a table that’s covered with a large blanket. We sat on low chairs and heated our legs and feet to warm up. The ryokan has two onsens. One open air onsen on the 5th floor was private with separate times for men and women. The public onsen on the ground floor had separate baths for men and women. The 5th floor onsen’s water was hotter than the public onsen. Breakfasts and dinners were served in our room. The presentation of the dishes was beautiful—a work of art for the eyes. Many dishes were unknown to us but each was fun to discover and savor. Our room opened up to the mountain across the river and we could see the cherry blossoms trees on the hillside. Not many but each stood out against the green mountain. Autumn must be a wonderful site with the changing colors. Our server was Chie and always polite and gracious. After dinner she asked what size yukata we were wearing and provided new ones for the next day. Hotel Senkei is older but does not lack any charm. This was our first experience staying in a ryokan and we were not disappointed. We would love to return in the future.

It may not be very near to the Hakone Station as it seems if we are arriving with luggage as it is located at the far end of town. But its location is compenstated by the surroundings with a stream running across the road in front of the hotel, and far from the main road where the actions and tourists are giving a serene feel especially early in a misty morning with fresh mountain air. Was allocated quite a spacious view with balcony. Transport to the station is provided at 9.30am daily upon request. Staff were exemplary and helpful despite little spoken English except for 1 during my stay,