Gyokutei

Ottimo hotel! I like the environment and services very much. Their children's yukatas are very nice. I booked one night with two meals included. The food was very good, beautiful and delicious. I was full, but I had to pay for the wine and drinks separately, but the price was reasonable. The plum wine was delicious. My parents loved it and said that one night was too little. The room we stayed in was very big. We had 3 adults and 2 children and laid out 3 tatami mats. There was also a small room with two beds, so each of us could sleep separately and not affect each other. There was also a room specifically for suitcases and yukatas, which was very convenient. There was an indoor hot spring in the room, which could be filled by itself like a bathtub. I think I could soak my feet at night, but it was not necessary. At first, when I booked the hotel, I thought it was a courtyard hot spring where I could take pictures. I was disappointed when I arrived at the hotel. It was actually an indoor bathtub. Fortunately, there was a public hot spring next to it, which was very convenient. It was just two steps away, just like soaking in the room, but I couldn't take pictures and there was no scenery. This hot spring hotel is in a Japanese courtyard style, which is very nice to take pictures. You can take beautiful pictures in your own room and courtyard. It's very photogenic! Sebbene la comunicazione linguistica avvenga interamente in giapponese, utilizzeranno i loro telefoni cellulari per tradurre, rendendo così relativamente facile la comprensione.

We stayed 2 nights in Gyokutei. It was overall a nice experience. The room was clean and old fashioned. Was a nice experience. Just a few notes which may help other travellers decide if this accommodation is suitable for them: 1) As per the website, the ryokan is located 10 min walk from Hakone-Yumoto station, so it is very convenient. But please note that it’s located on a steep, steep slope. It’s no problem for reasonably fit people to walk up (though dragging luggage up the slope will be tedious), but may prove challenging to those who have much luggage or have mobility issues. There is baggage delivery service at the train station which will deliver your luggage to the accommodation for a small fee. We used it and it was reliable. Do note that the cut-off time for same day delivery is 12.30pm. 2) Breakfast is served in room at 8.30am. They were pretty inflexible about the timing. We did ask if it could be later but they demurred. The staff came every morning at 8.15am to set up the table for breakfast. So, no sleeping in. 3) Dinner is served in room at 6.30pm. Again, they were inflexible about the timing. We purchased the Hakone free pass which allowed us on most of the public transport available. However, public transportation in Hakone is pretty limited. Some of the buses come only once hourly, and some only have 2-3 buses per hour (depending on whether it’s weekday or weekend). The train from Gora to Yumoto is every 40min. Also, close to sunset, when most tourists are returning to the main train stations, there’s a very high chance one will not be able to get onto the bus if they are not boarding at the terminal stations. All the roads are single lane, windy roads, so slow traffic during sunset hours are pretty much expected. I would say most attractions are at least 30-40min away from Yumoto station by public transport. Do take this into account when deciding if you would like to include dinner during your stay.