Hotels in Kowakidani/Miyanoshita, Hakone

This time, I booked a hotel on Trip.com without any prior research, and I wasn't disappointed when I arrived. I opted for the 'one night, one meal' package, but in retrospect, 'one night, two meals' might have been more convenient. Getting there was easy, with convenient bus stops at Kowakien and Tenyu stations. The surroundings are lovely, and the cleanliness was up to par. The room even has a bathtub for a natural hot spring bath! It's real hot spring water, and they only charged a few dollars for two uses, which is very reasonable. Overall, I'm extremely satisfied.

This is a very nice hot spring resort hotel. Finding it at this price during the New Year period is great value. The hotel is quite close to Carved Forest Station, or you can go to Gora; there's a free shuttle bus. If you're taking public transport, you can get off at Tenyu Station. The rooms are large, with balconies, a reasonable layout, separate wet and dry areas, and heating. The hotel itself has a hot spring. If you want to dine at the hotel, you need to make a reservation in advance. There are also restaurants nearby; I arrived quite late and had some yakiniku (grilled meat) nearby.

Wonderful location next to the park (and the territory itself looks peaceful and taken care of). The building needs some care though. We had a room with private onsen on the terrace and it was very convenient, but please note that the shower is also outside – it might be a bit cold not in the summertime, I suppose. Food was a bit blunt to our taste – both regular Japanese meals and vegetarian ones – but stuff made sure to provide vegetarian meals which was important for me, so if you’re looking for the ryokan with veggie food, it’s the place for you, just make sure to confirm your preference in advance via email so that they can accommodate you.

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.

Ryori-yaku (restaurant name), the hot springs in Hakone are unparalleled, but the food here really deserves mention. I've been to Ryori-yaku in Izu before, and compared to that, this one probably suits my taste better. It's not as sweet, so the food is refreshing and not cloying. The only downside is that the rooms are really small—every inch of space is precious!

The staff is young and enthusiastic, can actively communicate in English, and is friendly to foreigners. The room was very tidy, even cleaner than higher-end hotels The sunset mountain view is very beautiful The hotel is only 3-5 minutes away from the station Very good experience and great value for money

The atmosphere was fantastic, and they even had a campfire BBQ at night. The hotel has a kitchen, so you can buy ingredients and cook for yourself, and there's a 7-Eleven and Lawson nearby, which is really convenient for grabbing things. Overall, it was a very comfortable stay, and I plan to recommend it to my friends.

The forest-view rooms are located in the wing built in the 1960s. The decor isn't just retro; it's genuinely vintage. You can tell they used quality materials and had good taste, but it definitely feels dated. The public bath is conveniently located on the 6th floor of the forest wing. The shower stalls have dividers, so privacy is decent. If you're not comfortable using the public bath, the hot water in the room's bathtub is actually hot spring water, so you can enjoy a private soak in your room. The hotel itself has a lot to offer. There's a hiking trail behind it where you can see Mount Fuji, but it takes about an hour, and I didn't have time for it this trip. For breakfast, you can choose between Western or Japanese. The Japanese breakfast requires a reservation. Our timing didn't work out, so we had Western breakfast for two days. The menu was exactly the same both days, and while the dishes were standard, they were meticulously prepared. As a hotel that was once a showcase for Japan's opening to the West, you can feel the high standards of design and service everywhere. Most of the guests are older, which reminds me a bit of China's Friendship Hotel. For families with children, the hotel provides kids' yukata and toiletries, and you can buy fish food for 100 yen to feed the koi, which made the kids very happy.

I stayed here for sightseeing in Hakone and to visit Yunessun. It's a tranquil ryokan with a small number of guests, so I could enjoy a peaceful stay. The room was spacious compared to a business hotel, very clean, and allowed for a relaxing time. I had already planned to visit an onsen, so the lack of a private bath wasn't an issue. Since there are few guest rooms, the public bath was almost like a private rental at certain times. Even otherwise, it was never crowded, and I didn't have to wait in line. They were accommodating with requests like luggage storage before and after check-in/out. I enjoyed the Yunessun pass and breakfast included. There's no restaurant inside the ryokan, so you'll need to buy food elsewhere. Although it seems to be part of the Yunessun group, there's no shuttle bus. There's a steep slope from the ryokan to the bus stop and to Yunessun, where there's a convenience store, so walking up and down was quite challenging. Furthermore, some parts of the 'sidewalk' weren't properly maintained, and there were few streetlights, so I was almost hit by a car at night, which was scary. I had to use my phone's flashlight to get back to the ryokan (though this isn't an issue the ryokan alone can fix). Location-wise, it's convenient for taking a bus to Owakudani and Hakone Shrine, so I'd recommend it. I encountered other guests only a handful of times, which made me feel like I had the place to myself – I really liked this ryokan. Thank you.

Excellent experience we received in this Osen Ryokan. It was probably the most memorable experience in our honeymoon trip. We arrived there in a heavy rainy day. It was cold and we were extremely tired. Staff members were giving us big welcome and help. Most of them can speak Japanese and English so don’t worry on the language issue. The room was spacious and comfortable. The open air bath in room was awesome. We really enjoyed the time with it. The meals were great as expected. In between the meals they also served the refreshment which was remarkable. Must try.