Hotel Centurion di Hakone

I read great reviews about Hakone Pax Yoshino. It's an older hotel in a tourist town and appears quite nice. My room was OK, large and could use some updating. My traditional dinner and service was spectacular, hence my 3-star rating. What tainted a one-night stay is I was traveling with a vegetarian friend and not only was she shut out of a dinner she paid for, but the front desk agent said they couldn't accommodate her, there would be no refund or substitutions, because we were traveling as solos we couldn't sit together - so many ”couldn'ts” that were simply not true. This tainted my stay and I went alone to dinner - plenty of room for another person - which was great. I was embarrassed that I had picked this hotel for friends to stay separately and upon arrival was told that our plan didn't include meals, which they sure did. So, at the front desk for about $300 per night, everything is ”couldn't”. Breakfast was just OK compared to dinner. I loved wearing the yakata and having hot spring water in the room's tub (which could use updating) was nice. In the morning, I was told to reserve a spot on a shuttle to the train station for what reason, I'm not sure. When no shuttle showed up for me, my friend and others waiting - and waiting - and waiting - we were then told that the shuttle doesn't always show up. Why the reservation for something that doesn't happen? The front desk could not request a cab, another ”couldn't”. Since most of us leaving had trains to catch and tours scheduled, we walked the 15 minutes or so to the station in the rain. I saw other guests I met while waiting also drenched at the station. In short, I'm not impressed though so much of Japan has impressive accommodations and kindness. Hakone Pax Yoshino falls short. For that reason, I wouldn't stay again and don't recommend it. Too bad, because the traditional dinner and restaurant serving staff are top notch. I'm sure the chef - and a dinner this good has to have a chef - would have said to serve a vegetarian rice, vegetables, desserts of which there were several as well as a large drink menu and other dishes - and the experience would have been better. Unfortunate that the front desk person we had could only say no, you don't have, we can't. Well, I think they could have. Very sad.

Location was great, just behind the train station. Room was huge and spacious with dining area. Did not book with meals, counter staff first said we can walk in to Japanese restaurant without booking for dinner, other restaurants require reservation. When we returned in the evening, manager insisted all restaurants require reservation and Japanese restaurant was not open, only Chinese restaurant available. Unfortunately whole hakone was almost closed by 5pm, no choice but to take the Chinese food. Booked private onsen with counter, staff at onsen counter had wrong rates and took a while to clarify, seems like half the staff were confused with inaccurate info. Ofher than that, overall one night stay was pleasant, left my milk bottle there and they promptly forwarded to my next hotel upon request. Much appreciated!

First time in Hakone but not in Japan. Perfect choice! We were a family with a toddler, and the ryokan will be not a proper place for a child to be or enjoy the traditional setting. Green Plaza was a nice cross between ryokan ( we got a tatami room) but had the convince of buffets for breakfast and dinner. We enjoyed it all. Great choices for food, Eastern and Western. Local salmon was to die for, but pasta and pizza were solid as well. The room was big enough and we had a pleasure of viewing Fuji-san from out window. There is a store inside the hotel and you can get supplies and water/ beer for reasonable price. Not far from a ropeway station Ubako but we rented a car and it was a great idea to save time if you want sightseeing. Onsens were awesome and open late. Everything was clean! Overall, highly recommend, especially if you are not ready to commit to a traditional ryokan and picky with food or have kids. Would love to come back and explore the area more

Joli Ryokan avec honsen privé - personnel attentionné - nous avons été dégoûté par la nourriture. Sur 4 personnes, aucune n’a pu manger ni trouver le moindre plat correct. Même le riz ou la soupe miso ont été inmangeables. Cela a gâché profondément notre plaisir et Hakone est une étape sans intérêt sauf pour les tour operators visiblement.

Pleasantly surprised by the large room we got, with an enclosed balcony overlooking the lush green valley. Spacious bathroom. Clean room. Excellent onsite onsen - enjoyed the experience. Lovely dining areas and sushi restaurant. Free pickup from Odawara Shinkansen station (45 min ride to hotel). Hotel offers free dropoff and pickup to local train station so you can comfortably take the cable car to Lake Ashi. Highly recommend the cable car, boat across Lake Ashi and Hakone's open air museum.

The overall onsen experience is awesome and stay is very satisfactory. The buffet breakfast is superb with both Japanese and western style, I would recommend to book the stay with meals both dinner and breakfast to make your stay less hassle - majority restaurants close early and you do not want to spend time on transportation. Afterall, Hakone is meant to be a relaxing and slower pace destination. I would recommend at least a two night stay.

I don’t know if this place went through a renovation or not but I was reading the reviews from a few years ago and it was not like that at all. Room was big and clean and modern. Very nice bathroom, shower, etc. the sleeping area was big. Could sleep 4 adults comfortably at least. The one bad thing was the rice pillows! The pillows are made entirely of rice it seemed and they were very uncomfortable. So bring your own! If possible. Price is a bit high. Slightly less than $400 USD, but that includes full dinner and breakfast and 3 drinks per person. Alcohol included. The dinner was..l interesting. Very Japanese style, did not know half of what I was eating and some was good and some was spit out worthy. But definitely a unique experience. The staff was amazingly friendly and accommodations and helpful. Impeccable service. For that alone it would be 5 stars. People there are so very nice. Nice onsen/ spa areas. Womens area includes 4 pools. 2 inside 2 outside. They give u full robes and what not to wear into there and there’s tea available in the spa. They are renovating the outside so the front isn’t very aesthetically pleasing. But the gardens are gorgeous. Would recommend.

This is a fantastic experience to stay in this hotel. Due to Covid19, I didnt try the public hot spring but book the room with the Japanese bathroom. The hot spring is hot enough though our room is not the sea view but u can definitely release all your stress. The food and service are highly recommended and next time will world being my family to stay at least 2 days to enjoy !

This hotel is a historic property set in an iconic setting. We stayed in the Forest Section which features large, comfortable rooms that were a little dark, the bathroom lighting could be improved. Here is my issue. We arrived around 1:15 and we’re told that we could check in at 3:00. We had lunch in their cafe ( 50$) and asked again about an hour later if we could have early access. The very polite desk clerk replied “ Yes, for $70 dollars “. Astounded , I countered that we were departing early 2 days later, and he reduced the amount to $35. Now here is where communication becomes an issue: I continued the “are you kidding me?” and he kept bowing. I thought the issue was settled. That night and the next we ate at their lovely restaurants, French and the Cascade. Food and service was superb. With wine we spent about $900. Check out was early, and my husband didn’t really examine the bill. When we were back in our free early access room in Tokyo I noticed the $35 charge. I contacted the hotel’s customer service and they confirmed the charge. So, what about customer hospitality? I have NEVER been charged an early access fee for an hour. They have been times when we patiently waited for a room to be readied, and never demanded a rebate. It is all part of the guest/host agreement, I think this is probably a corporate decision by the Fujiya Group. Rethink your mission, guys, make guests feel wanted!