Hakone Hotel Kowakien, a natural onsen hotel offering dinner and breakfast that I'd rate 90 out of 100. It's not easy to impress me in Hakone, the famed hot spring town in Kanagawa Prefecture, but this hotel truly excelled across all criteria, showing a consistently high standard. Both the front desk and restaurant staff were attractive, with fluent English and standard accents; notably, they didn't employ any Southeast Asian staff. The hotel facilities are relatively new and well-designed, and the cleanliness is exceptional. The public areas offer plenty of sofa seating, and the temperature control is precise, allowing guests to comfortably wander around in traditional yukata without feeling cold. The air is fresh with no strong artificial scents, embodying a 'Natural and Pure' concept.
The restaurant, named Fontainebleau, lives up to its name with authentic French pastries. The 'all-you-can-eat' style still maintains high-quality ingredients, and there's an unlimited supply of Sapporo Asahi draft beer and Gekkeikan sake. What's more, the self-service alcohol bar is also open during breakfast, which seems quite common for Japanese guests – their physical resilience certainly differs from ours! Observing Japanese dining concepts, you'll notice several characteristics: a wide variety of dishes, comprehensive nutrition, low-temperature preservation, minimal oil and seasoning, and avoiding high-temperature cooking to prevent nutrient loss.
The sauna is also quite professional, featuring a 12-minute sand timer, anti-scald mats, humidity and temperature displays, and powerful heating elements that ensure you won't waste any time. Whether you prefer mountain views, garden vistas, or indoor hot springs, there's an option for everyone.
For those interested, the address is:
1297 Ninotaira, Hakone-machi, Kanagawa Prefecture 250-0407
We stayed in the traditional private room which was large and comfortable. The onsen was lovely and very clean. The kitchen is open for guests to use and well equipped. The hotel is located in quite a secluded area with limited amenities/dining options. There’s a 7-11 and Lawson if you really can’t find a restaurant that’s opened. There’s also a lot of stairs which might be challenging if you have heavy luggages.
Hotel near Hakone Yumoto,Hakone66.8% of visitors choose this area
PPoo n 01122025.01.16
This hotel is conveniently located. It is a traditional Japanese hotel with a lot of facilities. It is very beautiful, particularly the garden which is big and serene. The hot spring having both indoor and outdoor pools is impressive. The dining experience is fantastic because the setting is cosy and the food is extremely delicious. The mattresses, neither too soft, nor too hard, are very comfortable.
My stay at this hotel was truly exceptional. The view of Mount Fuji was absolutely perfect, creating a breathtaking and unforgettable experience. The hospitality service was fantastic—staff were incredibly attentive, friendly, and went above and beyond to ensure a comfortable stay. Every detail was well taken care of, making it a truly relaxing and enjoyable visit. Highly recommended!
Hotel near Gora/Sengokuhara,Hakone9.3% of visitors choose this area
__WeChat226333****2025.09.28
Fantastic!! As soon as I opened the room door, I was amazed by the view outside. The food was also great; we booked breakfast and dinner (highly recommend booking it, as there are very few restaurants in Hakone, so you can just grab a casual lunch while you're out). The transportation is quite convenient for Hakone, with a direct bus to Odawara that's less than a five-minute walk from the guesthouse. There's another bus stop a few minutes' walk away where you can catch an express bus directly to Yokohama/Tokyo/the airport. There are also two convenience stores nearby. This place is perfect for a relaxing, slow-paced stay, and it's also quite convenient if you want to visit various Hakone attractions. We left at 9 AM and returned around 5 or 6 PM, and we were still able to comfortably take the mountain cable car, pirate ship, and do some light hiking... Our room didn't have a private onsen, but the public hot spring was also not crowded. The service was excellent; someone takes your shoes to the shoe cabinet when you enter and even brings them out for you in the morning – the attention to detail is superb. How do I put this? This guesthouse is barely mentioned on Xiaohongshu, and those who know, know its value. My friend and I both decided we didn't want to post about it on social media; we just want to keep this secret gem to ourselves! 🥹 Hope the price doesn't go up for our next visit!
A nice hostel, very recommended if you are a budget traveller. They also have a private onsen. I like the place. Just bring and put a mosquito repellant when you stay outside of the hostel, it is given because Hakone is located in a mountain area with lots of trees.
Hotel near Gora/Sengokuhara,Hakone9.3% of visitors choose this area
GGuest User2025.11.04
A lovely ryokan-style stay in Hakone
A very good ryokan-style hotel offering great value for money and an excellent opportunity to experience an onsen in its natural setting. The kaiseki-style dinner was rich and beautifully presented, with plenty to taste and enjoy. Breakfast was equally generous – make sure you’re ready for it, as we were still full from the previous evening!
Sleeping on futons was surprisingly comfortable, and the room’s opening window with a small terrace overlooking the garden was fantastic. We had to change rooms during our stay, and the staff were exceptionally helpful, taking every step to ensure we were happy. And we truly were – thank you, arigatou gozaimasu!
Enjoy your stay!
Hotel near Gora/Sengokuhara,Hakone9.3% of visitors choose this area
BBobi11092025.04.02
A hot spring ryokan with unique character, and a very convenient location. The meals were outstanding, and the service was incredibly attentive and detailed. Overall, it was a fantastic experience. Highly recommend staying here for your Hakone trip.
The hotel is a classic Japanese hotel with large rooms. We booked a shared bath, but the room still had a toilet, just not a bathroom. Our breakfast plan included breakfast and dinner, and the breakfast options were Japanese and Western, with minimal difference: the Japanese option came with rice, while the Western option was a pancake-like toast. The dinner was quite large, and the children's meal was the same size as the adult portion. Shoes are not allowed in the hotel; you need to change into slippers in the lobby and leave your shoes at the designated check-in counter. The large public baths also have onsen (hot springs), and they were rarely crowded at night. Restaurants require reservations, so check in early to reserve them.
It's a short walk from Fujisawa Station. We arrived before 3 PM and, since we had sightseeing plans, left our luggage at the front desk without any problems. The room was of average size, but we slept quite well. I had read reviews suggesting there wouldn't be a private shower, but the twin room we booked had a bathtub and shower head. Perhaps it just meant there was no private hot spring bath? The breakfast was good, and you could borrow an iron from the front desk. Overall, it was a good experience.
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69 reviews
9.4/10
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8.7/10
Very Good
GGuest UserI spent a wonderful night here during New Year's Eve. The waiter barely understands people and foreign languages, but he is friendly and good at communication. I booked a public bathroom first, but then I changed it to a private bath when there was room. My satisfaction improved a lot! The hotel is very close to Hakoyō-Yumoto Station, and the taxi cost was less than 1,000 yen. Later, we couldn't get a taxi and it was very comfortable for us to walk to the station for 15 minutes with our children🏳️🌈
AAnonymous UserThe hotel has a lovely little garden that's beautiful both day and night. The dinner buffet was excellent, with a wide variety of dishes, including seafood, crawfish, and king crab – much better than breakfast. On the first floor, there's free ice cream; just ask the front desk for tokens. There's a good selection, and it's delicious. The chocolate cones were especially crispy.
AAnonymous UserWe booked a hot spring hotel on short notice and were very satisfied with it. We arrived early and could not check in until after 3:30 pm, but fortunately we could leave our luggage at the hotel. The staff helped us make the bed when we were having dinner in the evening. There was a rich variety of dinner, but we didn’t really like the side dishes. It would have been better if the side dishes were replaced with sashimi. We even had a surprise dessert after the meal, which made us very happy. The breakfast the next day was also very filling and delicious. The experience is very good and recommended for staying.
GGuest UserStrongly recommend this place, it’ Jewels.
The doors is directly connected to Lake Ashi , You can see the difference mood of Mt. Fuji , Tori gate in the time, especially Sunset.
In room, there are premium high technology equipment ,Utensils , Mai technology electronics , you can cooking, 7-11 nearby.
Food and Bev are provided more than enough in fridge. And all free of charge
GGuest UserOverall an ok stay. A bit hard to find, very limited English spoken by the staff which led to some confusion (even for the representatives who were assigned to us by English speakers). Felt quite formal and not that warm
Room was more or less as expected, and the dinner and breakfast meals were quite elaborate. Felt that breakfast was actually the stronger meal of the two, so wasn’t necessarily worth it to pay extra for dinner. I’d likely skip doing dinner in the future. The room attendant who helped us was very kind and attentive, although we had a bit of language barrier given we don’t speak Japanese.
The big disappointment was even though the ryokan is advertised as allowing guests to book one of the larger hot springs on the property for private use for 45 minutes, we weren’t able to do this. We arrived within the designated check in time and were told that it was all booked up for the day. There was no way to book in advance and we were only staying for one night, and they didn’t try to accommodate allowing us to book at all for the next day before checkout. This really hampered the experience overall - we weren’t that interested in using the gender segregated facility (was traveling with my partner who is the opposite gender) as we wouldn’t be able to spend time together, and the tub in our room was quite small.
They should amend this policy to allow all guests to book a private hot spring time or not advertise it as part of the room! Feels like we got cheated out of the service and we weren’t offered anything else as an alternative. I would have booked another ryokan had I known this were the case - there are many others in Hakone which are much better value and have nicer / newer private facilities for around the same price. I wouldn’t recommend Yama no Chaya given this was a big part of what we thought would make it a good experience
AAnonymous UserA very beautiful ryokan, old but very well maintained. The decor is so beautiful. From the moment you check in, you will be in good hands of the ryokan, well served with friendliness. Keiseki meals (dinner and breakfast) are served in the room. Food is delicious! And love the private outdoor onsen!! U get to book for 30 minutes per day for the stay. Well worth the price.
KKadifazhengThis hotel once hosted the Emperor. The rooms are spacious, and being nestled in the mountains, the air is rich with negative ions. There's a balcony where you can step out and listen to the gentle sound of water. For our hot spring experience, we opted for a private onsen. Breakfast was a bit crowded, but well-organized. All dinner restaurants require reservations; if you don't have one, the izakaya on the second floor is a good option, and their set meals are quite decent. You can take a train up the mountain, making the location very convenient. The red bridge in front of the hotel is also incredibly picturesque for photos.
MM253742****I booked a lake-view room, but at first, the front desk gave me a garden-view room with only a tiny glimpse of the lake on the left. After some discussion, they finally switched my room. Later, after my bath, I noticed that several rooms with better views were just getting occupied, so it really shows you have to advocate for yourself. After the room change, the scenery was fantastic, directly facing Mount Fuji, absolutely stunning. The breakfast selection was also rich. The only downside is that transportation is a bit inconvenient; there aren't many shuttle buses, and public transport services are limited.
GGuest UserThe location of this hotel is amazing! ! It is especially suitable for people who want to go on vacation. It may not be as convenient as Gora to travel, but the hotel actually has a shuttle bus to Togendai Station (a shared station for the cable car and the pirate ship) in the morning and a bus back from the Prince Hotel at Lake Ashi in the afternoon (reservations are required in advance with the front desk). It is suitable for tourists who want to take the Hakone tourist route. The general route is: take a bus to Togendai Station in the morning, take the cable car to see Owakudani, go to Sounzan Station (Hakone cu-mo), then take the mountain train to Gora, or even Hakone Yumoto, and then return to Togendai in the same way to take the pirate ship. After the pirate ship comes out of Moto-Hakone Port, there is a shuttle bus to the Prince Hotel at Lake Ashi, and you can take the shuttle bus back to the hotel from there (you can communicate with the front desk for details, and the front desk is very polite and patient). In addition, the hotel also has a shuttle bus that can take guests to the nearest bus stop (Sengoku Kogen Station) at any time.
In terms of the room, from the Tokyo Hotel to this one, the room is really much bigger, and it faces the golf course, there are mountains in the distance, and it also encountered a snowy day, which is very beautiful!
The view of the hotel restaurant is also beautiful (p9). Dinner is a semi-buffet with a Japanese style. Since there is nothing to eat around, it is still recommended. The breakfast is also very good~
The hotel provides English and Japanese services. Most of the front desk staff speak English well. Some elderly people will use their iPads to communicate with Chinese manual translators when they find that they can't understand (this surprised me, it feels so rich). There is no barrier to communication if you don't speak Japanese. The hotel restaurant also has ********* waitresses who can communicate in Chinese~
The hot spring is very good! The hotel sign says ”Laboko Hot Spring”, but it's a pity that the outdoor hot spring was under renovation when I went there this time, so there was only an indoor one, but it was also very comfortable~
and There is a small hill at the Sengoku Plateau bus station (it's called something like grassland). The view after climbing up is also amazing! (p10, 11)
I will probably stay here again when I come to Hakone in the future! I like this hotel very much~ btw their Prince Hotel in Lake Ashi is right next to the lake, and there is a bus to Ryugu Palace, which looks very good!
KKunmingzi🏔️✨【Hakone Indigo Hotel: A Dreamlike Mountain Retreat】
This was my first stay at Hakone Gōra Indigo, and I was truly rejuvenated by the ambiance. The hotel is nestled in a hot spring resort surrounded by mountains; opening the window reveals layers of greenery and distant clouds and mist, as beautiful as a painting.
The room design is modern yet elegantly Japanese, and the open-air onsen was fantastic. The spring water was smooth and comforting, instantly washing away a day's fatigue. Breakfast was also incredibly impressive, using fresh local ingredients; you could feel the attention to detail even in the bread and juice.
The staff were friendly and attentive, with every greeting feeling warm, making you feel right at home. The overall experience exceeded expectations, and it's worth revisiting, whether you're a couple, a family, or a solo traveler. 💛
The only thing worth mentioning is that the in-room onsen water seemed to be completely diluted; you could even call it a 'fake' onsen. It lacked the typical onsen smell and was essentially just hot water.
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