Hakone Hotels with Bars

"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."

"I absolutely loved this hotel! Everything from booking, arranging the shuttle via email, to check-in and check-out, was incredibly smooth. The private onsen, which I reserved in advance via email, was also a wonderful experience. The location is fantastic, right next to Togendai – just a 5-minute walk away. It's super convenient for visiting Owakudani and taking the Hakone Sightseeing Cruise. If the hotel shuttle schedule doesn't work for you, you can easily catch a bus from Togendai to Odawara hub. What's more, the Togendai bus runs every 15 minutes, and it's the starting point, so you'll never have to worry about not getting a seat or a place for your luggage. The hotel's buffet breakfast and dinner, with free-flowing drinks, were also a highlight. Most importantly, my husband left his headphones at the hotel. When we realized, we were already in Kamakura, preparing to head to Yokohama. We immediately called the hotel, and their response was incredibly fast. They quickly located the headphones and sent them via courier to the nearest express pickup point at our Yokohama hotel. We received them successfully before returning home. A huge thank you! I highly recommend this hotel to everyone. There was not a single thing to complain about throughout our stay."

"I stumbled upon Odakyu Hotel de Yama through a Hakone travel guide on Xiaohongshu. After planning my Hakone itinerary, I decided to book a two-day, one-night stay with breakfast and dinner. The hotel itself is a resort destination. My stay coincided with the Emperor's birthday three-day weekend in Japan. By evening, I noticed all the room keys were out (picture 6), indicating a high occupancy rate. I barely encountered any fellow Chinese travelers, just one ********* couple; most other guests were Japanese on vacation or Caucasians. Most of the hotel staff's English was quite basic. I'd recommend using a translator if you're not fluent in Japanese. For instance, the staff member asked me about 'dinnertime' five times before I understood what they were saying. (⦁֊⦁꧞) The two meals included in the package require you to reserve your dinner times. One evening, I had a reservation for 7:45 PM, but I still had to wait. I was a bit annoyed, wondering why I had to wait when I had a reservation. I ended up waiting an extra 10 minutes, which is why I can't give a full five-star rating. Everything else was excellent. There's an ice machine and a washing machine on the first floor. The onsen (hot spring) layout was also very well-designed. While it's not sourced directly from Owakudani, it uses water from Lake Ashi, leaving your skin feeling smooth after a soak. The open-air bath even has a cherry tree—I can only imagine how beautiful Hakone would be during cherry blossom season! Oh, one more thing to complain about: there's no hairdryer in the room. As someone with bangs, this was inconvenient. Every morning after putting on makeup, I had to go to the large public bath to dry my bangs. The hairdryers there are Refa Pro, which are a bit heavy. The toiletries in the public bath are DHC, but the ones in the bedroom are from the French sea salt series, which are also very good. Other than that, there's really nothing else to complain about. (⌯'ㅅ'⌯) Honestly, I would definitely consider staying here again on my next trip to Hakone. There's a shuttle bus to Moto-Hakone Port Bus Stop 6 every 20 minutes. There's also an Odakyu bus that departs from the hotel entrance at 12:00 PM, heading to Shinjuku. Hotel de Yama is the first stop, but it takes at least 3 hours to get to Shinjuku after making all the rounds."

"Highly highly recommended Location: Super near Gora station very convenient to travel everywhere. There is even direct bus to and fro Gotemba premium outlet, Hakone-Yumoto and Odawara was convenient as well. Ryokan: Check in was great, front desk communicates and explains everything in English clearly. Was able to reserve my 2 night’s dinner upon checking in too. There were free snacks, lounge area with coffee/drinks/ice cream, you can choose your yukata for both male/female, daily nighttime free delicious ramen. Room: Excellent, bed was comfortable and there is an outdoor tub as well. Take note the tub will be filled with hot water instead of hot spring water. There was pyjamas as well. Onsen: There are 3 different outdoor private tubs which will light up when in used (first come first serve basis). We managed to try all 3 and our favourite was the wooden tub, followed by stone tub and lastly the one with 2 tubs (so each person to soak in 1). Queue can be quite long sometimes as this private onsen is popular among couples. To be considerate it is best to use it as quick as possible. Then there is the public onsen with both indoor and outdoor, hot, cold dips and sauna. Hot dips can reach up to 40-42 degrees. There is another human made hot water carbonation onsen which has lesser people since it is not hot spring water. I thoroughly enjoyed all the onsens. Meals: Highly recommend to opt the breakfast and dinner options. Restaurants close very early around 5pm so there are not a lot of dinner options outside the ryokan. Meals were excellent and Japanese Kaiseki style. Very delicious and there was so much food in the course meal. Overall 10/10 experience and I would choose this ryokan on my next trip."

"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."

"The staff was incredible - they went above and beyond and actually drove us to the gora station when we missed the bus. The scenery around is beautiful, as is the main building. The public onsen in the hotel left much to be desired - if possible, book the room with a private one because it’s basically the same thing (the outside one) and you’d have it all to yourself. We weren’t fans of the food (neither diner nor breakfast) - the dinner was too much work with shabu shabu, the breakfast didn’t have coffee. But maybe some would like the food, it’s subjective. But I’d give the hotel an A* purely because of how incredible the staff were!"

"The room was actually quite spacious, bright, and comfortable, with clean beds and a fantastic full ocean view. However, the facilities were a bit dated. Also, probably due to staff shortages, the hotel offered guests staying multiple nights a 2000 JPY credit per night if they opted out of housekeeping, which could be used at the hotel's outlets. The hotel's location was a bit tricky to find. Arriving at night, the navigation led us through small alleyways and stone steps. Carrying luggage up those steps was quite a struggle 😰, and after descending the stone steps, we still had to climb a slope… 😂. I'd recommend taking a taxi if you're arriving late! Overall, this hotel was very comfortable, and it was a pleasant end to our in-depth trip."

"Beautiful hotel with a perfect view of the lake and right next to public transportation options. The deluxe lake view room was huge and very clean. The public onsen is small with just two pools, one onsen had an open view to the sky. Note that they have no gyms available. The breakfast was great, a small main hot entree and unlimited sides, such as breads, salads, fruits, and drinks. The only downside is the lack of AC during the winter. It was very hot and we had to open the window to cool it down."

"The biggest advantage is probably its proximity to Yumoto Station. You don't even need to go upstairs from the second floor; just walk to the end, turn left, take the elevator down, walk forward, turn left, and you're there in two minutes. 1. I planned to explore Hakone during the day and knew I'd miss dinner, so I only booked breakfast instead of the half-board option. That turned out to be a great decision. I definitely got back to Yumoto after dinner service had ended. The breakfast looked beautiful in photos, but it was hard to eat. There wasn't really anything appealing; just a bunch of miscellaneous small dishes and pickles. 2. The private onsen needs to be booked in advance, but it was just okay. 3. If you have a lot of luggage, staying in Yumoto is more convenient for check-in, and there are other restaurants open at night. If you're traveling light in Hakone, I'd probably choose Gora, book dinner at the hotel, and explore the various museums around Gora. For a day trip, you don't need to see everything; just pick one or two places you like."

"interesting balinese onsen ryokan. service was great, i couldn’t take raw food and my husband is allergic to prawns and they took notice for it and didn’t serve them during our half board meals (breakfast and dinner). the onsen water is certified to be natural and we could read the details of the certification from both the hotel reception and room toilet. the private in room open air onsen’s temperature can be adjusted as well. however the room’s shower’s door was not completely sealed and we found it very chilly to bathe even tho there was hot water supplied as the constant cold air from outside would come in. hope the hotel can take note of this and seal up the showering area’s door completely to prevent air from exchanging during shower. it’s a jap-balinese fusion hotel, pretty interesting concept. we drove during our trip around hakone area and be ready to navigate through very small and narrow roads while driving to this ryokan haha. really very narrow roads. hotel also requested for us to pass them the car key when we returned to the hotel, and to pass them the hotel key when we are heading out, which we found to be a little weird to be honest."