Hotel Prince 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.

Stayed for one night and enjoyed the onse. The onse was man and woman separate. Further there is the possibility for a private onse. Make sure to ask for a private onse with a good view out.

The hotel has a great potential, location is good once once you are there but arriving to the Hotel is terrible. The free shuttle wasn’t running when we arrived to gondola station and we needed to walk in the middle of an icy road carring our luggage, the most incredible thing is the staff didn’t really care when we got to the reception. The hotel installations are quite old and you have issues with mold all over the place, the corridor had a basket on the floor to colect dropping water from the ceilings, our bathroom was smelling really bad probably due to some sewage leak behind the toilet. The onsen was OK, just like others in the same category, however the views of the Mount Fuji are not that great as you need to stand up and take you body out of the onsen waters to see the it. Also, it is a quite lateral and partial view. So don’t expect great things here. The food was OK and restaurant staff was friendly and helpful. I felt that the food standards were also a bit low compared to other places we stayed in Japan. The worst part was the reception staff, they don’t know how to cater for international guests and they are not willing to help in your way in and out of the hotel if you are not driving your own car. So here is my recommendation, DON’T stay here if you are planning to use Hakone’s public transportation to get hotel. We actually lost 1:30 hours of our itinerary on the way out because they didn’t want to run the shuttle bus 5 minutes earlier to take us to a bus station 6 minutes away from the hotel (btw you can’t really walk with your luggage in Hakone’s roads on winter since they are steep an icy sometimes). The funny thing is thay me and my wife where the only guests on the shuttle when the left the hotel, so they could easily save 1:30 hours of our day being a little more understanding. Overall, just find somewhere else to stay in Hakone.

Absolutely wonderful experience. My time in Yama No Chaya Hakone was rainy throughout the time, but Hakone looked so beautiful in rain. Everyone and the entire staff was friendly, professional and extremely helpful. One staff ran out in the rain from long distance to bring me an umbrella and welcome me; there was always my shoes ready to put on whenever I was ready to go out; breakfasts and dinners were prepared and served in such artful and tasteful way that I had to take so many photos. Their services and hospitality are top notch and highlight of my trip. Thank you for the unforgettable experience .

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.

We stayed 2 nights at the Kai Hakone in a traditional Japanese family room with two adults and two teens. Overall, it was a memorable experience for everyone. Here are some highlights. Pros - the family room was spacious and comfortable. It faced the river and the vegetation around it, which made it quite peaceful. The room had all tatami floors, sliding wooden doors, and traditional minimalist furniture. It also featured two futon beds on a raised platform plus a roomy living area. As past reviewers mentioned, the beds face away from the window, but you can still enjoy the views from the couch and chairs. In the evenings, the staff set up two additional, smaller futons for the kids in the living area. - in-room shiatsu massages were great and reasonably priced. - the on-site onsen (thermal pool) was super nice. Even though there were signs on how to use the spa, we had to observe a few Japanese guests first to get a better sense of the etiquette. Once we figured it out, we really enjoyed how calming and cleansing it can be. Since it rained a lot when we visited, we spent a lot of time at the onsen! - everyone in the resort were wearing these cute PJs and jacket offered by the hotel as “room clothes.” You can wear them to the onsen and to the restaurant and/or lounge around in it. Very handy and relaxing. - the typical Japanese food included for breakfast and dinner was served beautifully in private dining rooms Cons - the resort is about a 10 minute taxi ride from Hakone train station. There is nothing around it. To go anywhere, you’ll need to call a taxi, which takes about 10min to show up, or figure out the local bus schedule. - there are no food options other than the beautiful Japanese food served for breakfast and dinner. For Western palates not used to fish and tofu for breakfast (or eel and jelly for dinner), a bailout option of something more known or everyday fare would have been appreciated. All said, we enjoyed the hotel for a short stay and would love to come back in the future!