Hakone Kowakien Mikawaya Ryokan

I booked a room with a private onsen because I have tattoos. We chose this ryokan for its long history and all the positive reviews online, but the stay fell short in a few ways. The room had an aged, historic feel and was reasonably clean and tidy, though the heating didn’t keep it warm. It felt cold all night and made the stay less comfortable. The building’s age may explain the very weak water pressure: during one shower, the water stopped completely four or five times, for about 15 seconds each time. The onsen water was only lukewarm, possibly because of the outdoor temperature, which was disappointing. Service was acceptable overall, and one Cantonese-speaking staff member was especially kind and helpful. Still, after staying at many onsen ryokans, this was the first time we’d been asked to carry our own luggage, which made us feel a bit undervalued. The Japanese-style breakfast was disappointing too, with most items being Western-style rather than traditional Japanese dishes. The ryokan has historical charm, but comfort and service didn’t meet our expectations.

The staff were lovely, and dinner was a great experience with lots of food to try, probably too much. Breakfast was okay. It poured with rain, which was a bit sad, but guests could borrow rain boots and umbrellas to get to the outside rooms. Our room was lovely, the bed comfortable, and the outdoor bath was cozy for two even in the rain. There was an indoor bath too, very hot and steamy, and lovely as well.

The room itself was good, spacious and comfortable, and we liked the onsen. The restaurant was a letdown. I ordered the vegetarian choice for dinner and breakfast, but both lacked flavor and weren’t enjoyable. The regular menu didn’t impress us either, and in our opinion wasn’t worth the price. Service was poor too: they brought the bill to us three times during dinner, which felt intrusive. The accommodation was good, but the restaurant needs a lot of improvement.

We stayed November 9 to November 11, and our Booking.com room type was listed as "Kaiseki dinner - Breakfast and Dinner included Japanese room twin (No bathroom) - Main Building - Adult only". But after checking in, when we went for dinner on November 9, we were told dinner wasn’t included. We showed them the reservation, but they pointed to "breakfast included" in the booking details as proof that dinner wasn’t included, even though the room type said otherwise. They offered to add dinner for 38,000 yen, about $340.00 CAD, for the two nights. We wouldn’t pay that on top of the $1,160.55 CAD we’d already paid for the room, so we had to walk through the dark and rain to a convenience store to get something to eat.