Hakone Yutowa

At $250 a night for two people, the value is terrible, and the food is far below an acceptable standard. I’ve had much better stays at $18 homestays in South-East Asia or India. Don’t book meals here. There are some nice extras. Free soft drinks and coffee are available 24/7, and snacks are put out during the day. The alcohol offering is generous, with free draft beer, liquors and mixers from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM and during dinner. The private onsens were surprisingly easy to access without a huge wait. Kimonos are provided, and the Gora location is convenient, an easy walk from the station. Dinner was a massive disappointment. The sushi, sashimi and Western dishes were all prepared in advance, with nothing fresh. The beef, clam and fish cooked at the table were incredibly low quality and barely edible. Breakfast was ridiculous for a hotel at this price. There was no fresh produce apart from basic orange slices and half bananas, no fresh coffee, and the pastries and bread were cheap packaged goods. Breakfast is only available from 07:00-08:30, which is a real nightmare for a relaxed onsen stay. The property feels dated, large and impersonal. Since it caters to families, expect lots of children running around and a chaotic atmosphere at dinner and breakfast. If you stay, book room-only, enjoy the free drinks and location, and eat elsewhere in Hakone. The half-board package is completely overpriced and not worth the money.

Good views and a bath don’t make up for the limited service and inconvenience. The hotel layout isn’t practical, so you have to use stairs all the time, which is especially annoying with big bags and other stuff. If you’re traveling with family and are used to normal service, this place isn’t for you. Breakfast ends at 9 am and dinner finishes at 7 pm, so you have to get up early to eat and get back early for your prepaid dinner. I missed dinner two days in a row.

I stayed one night, with dinner and breakfast included. The ryokan isn’t quite traditional: dinner and breakfast were buffets rather than the in-room kaiseki dinner you’d usually get at a more high-end ryokan. Still, if you want two solid meals included, it’s a good spot. 8/10 There was a surprising amount of variety at both buffets. Dinner had a small main course to choose from, plus loads of choices spread across two buffet rooms, including things I haven’t seen on a buffet before. The plates had separate little sections, which made it easy to try everything. I tried at least 20 different foods, mostly Japanese. My favorites included sashimi, karaage, rice, mussels and beef gratin. Breakfast was similarly large, and the selection went well beyond traditional breakfast dishes, with main courses too. You could easily make a meal out of it for lunch. I liked the rice with miso soup, tofu, shrimp dumplings and curry rice. The Western options, especially the French toast and hash browns, were surprisingly good.

We needed to cook for a gluten-free diet, so we stayed in a condo. The apartment was spacious, in a great location, and had a well-equipped kitchen, though a small oven would have helped. The private onsen was wonderful, and we loved the yukatas. Free snacks and the library were nice extras. We had two relaxing nights.