Hakone Kowakien Hotel

The hotel is absolutely beautiful! It's a new property that opened in the last few years, so the facilities and decor are incredibly fresh and modern. You definitely have to book the breakfast and dinner package – both include an all-you-can-eat sashimi buffet, which is amazing! The location is also very convenient.

Excellent location in Hakone. This hotel is huge and well-equipped with five-star amenities. The breakfast spread is also quite extensive.

The staff were all very polite. There were free drinks in the lobby. We booked a private onsen for 60 minutes for 2500 yen, which was really nice. Breakfast was a buffet with good food. Overall, it's a great place to relax.

From Hakone-Yumoto, take the train to Gora Station. After exiting the station, you can walk across from Setsugetsuka Hotel to catch a bus to Kowakien Hotel. The hotel also has a shuttle, but to get to the shuttle pick-up point, you need to go through an underpass, and there's no elevator. The transportation around the hotel is quite convenient, so make good use of the Hakone Free Pass. The hotel rooms are decent, and both breakfast and dinner are buffet style, with good quality and a wide variety of choices. You can enjoy unlimited sweet shrimp! 🦐🦐🦐

I originally planned to stay one night in Hakone, but after checking some guides, I realized there were so many attractions. So, I decided to book an extra night. Apparently, booking two separate nights doesn't guarantee you the same room. The front desk lady spent quite a while checking her computer to arrange a single room for me. Next time, I'll remember to book both nights at once. It might have been because of the Chinese New Year period when there are lots of guests checking in. Hakone is perfect for a one-night, two-meal stay. Since the attractions in Hakone are spread out, it's best to spend the day fully immersing yourself in sightseeing. If you get hungry at lunchtime, just grab some snacks to save time, and then enjoy the hot springs and buffet at the hotel in the morning and evening. The rooftop hot spring might use regular hot water, but it wasn't too crowded, and they had some toiletries and skincare products, so I just decided to wash up there instead of in my room.

The hotel is right next to the bus station and has a very spacious courtyard, perfect for an evening stroll after dinner. Besides the 6th floor, you can also enjoy the hot springs at the large public bath across the street. The breakfast buffet is also excellent and quite extensive; I ate so much both days I could barely move!

This was my second stay here. My previous visit with my child was so enjoyable that when a friend came to Japan, I brought them here for a night. Throughout our stay, the staff were incredibly kind and thoughtful. Both breakfast and dinner were very satisfying. However, at check-out, one particular staff member's attitude absolutely floored me. 1. For self-check-out, there were three machines. One was free, and there was no queue, so we just went ahead and used it. 2. After checking out, I wanted to inquire about the hotel shuttle and public bus routes and schedules, as we didn't have a car this time. Both manual check-out counters were busy with guests, so I stood behind them, waiting my turn. 3. Suddenly, a staff member came out from the side to guide guests queuing for check-out. She noticed I was inadvertently standing in front of the line she was directing. She gestured for me to move, and I apologized and immediately stepped aside. Then, when she had a moment, I asked her where I should queue to inquire about the hotel bus schedule. For some reason, she seemed extremely annoyed. She spoke to me with a blank expression for a couple of sentences, then realized I didn't speak Japanese, and that she couldn't explain it to me quickly. Our conversation wasn't even finished when she angrily turned and walked away... At first, I thought she was in a hurry to attend to the queuing guests, as it was peak check-out time, and that she'd get back to me. So I waited in a spot where I wouldn't bother her or her line. But then I realized she completely intended to ignore me! I just stood there waiting for her, hahaha. Eventually, I thought, 'This isn't right. Is getting a schedule really this difficult?' She was the only person available to ask, so I went up to her again and asked in English. She froze, looking at me with a surprised expression, perhaps not expecting me to come back after her impolite demeanor. So, she had to patiently, albeit reluctantly, quickly reply to me in English. I asked if she could give me a copy of the schedule. She didn't even say "please wait a moment." She just turned directly to the counter, grabbed a schedule, practically slapped it into my hand with a "Pia!" sound, said absolutely nothing, and then spun around and walked away, hahaha. I even managed to say "thank you" to her. I was stunned. A 2600 yen per night hotel, and in my two years in Japan, this was the first time I'd experienced such shockingly poor service. I suggest that during peak check-out times, more staff should be assigned, or essential information like schedules should be placed in a conspicuous location, which would also save staff the trouble. And while the hotel indicates Chinese-speaking service is available, if staff who only speak Chinese are discouraged from asking questions, then I suggest the hotel shouldn't be on platforms like Ctrip trying to attract Chinese customers in the first place.