Villa Hakone Stage

There’s no staff on site, so when something goes wrong you’re on your own, with the booking app as the only way to contact anyone. We had a few issues: the key code didn’t work, promised apps weren’t available through the projection screen, and our neighbors were stomping loudly at 11 o’clock at night. These would’ve been manageable if someone had been there to help, but for the price, having to deal with it ourselves was frustrating. The villa is well located for visiting the Hakone ropeway and has plenty of useful things, including curlers, a Hoover and even a scale. Still, it feels too expensive for what it is. There was also an earthy, sometimes sulfur-like smell in the room. That’s understandable in a woodland, volcanic area, but an air freshener would help. The location is good, and visitors will probably spend much of their time sightseeing, but it’s a pricey stay.

Getting checked in was a bit of a struggle in the cold, though my husband eventually sorted it out. The room was spacious but smelled strong when we first went in. Turning on the air purifier helped. The bed linen, especially the quilt, was awful. It looked old and had bubbles on it, and the quality felt very cheap. I was really disappointed.

Getting into the hotel was easy. We had to message them on LINE to get the door code, but they replied quickly. The location worked well for restaurants and convenience stores, though getting around without a car could be awkward. There was loads of room for our family or a group, plus useful extras like a kitchen set, washing machine, iron, hair curler, hair dryer, projector and bathtub. It felt like good value. I took off a star because the spare bed sheet wasn’t clean, and there was a faint bad smell from the drain and trash bin. We hadn’t cooked or left wet waste, so it seemed to be there already.

We came as two families and had a really good stay at Villa Hakone Stay. It was clean and comfortable, and nothing went wrong for us. The lake is very close, which made the location especially nice. We’d definitely recommend it.