Hakone Ashinoko Hanaori

初めて利用したが、とても良かった。 次回機会があれば、利用したいです。

To be honest, this hotel has probably the most number of English-speaking Japanese staffs out of all the hotels that I’ve stayed in so far! Impeccable service, rather smooth communication and good location within Hakone. The hotel gives off a really relaxing vibe~so if you’re finding somewhere to just chill and soak in all those “zen-ness”, this is it! Just a little tip, the hotel is rather far from the train stations so do arrange for the free shuttle service in advance!

We met 2 staff at restaurant there that were not cheerful and giving us a poker face! They even urge us to finish our breakfast when we just started for 15 mins, saying that just 15 more mins were allowed. The female staff standing at the front desk of restaurant looks like she was suffering and unhappy about her job, without any reasons, we have no clue why she acted that way. The food provided in both dinner and breakfast buffet are just so so and not much to choose from. The view from the room is excellent as the location itself is in front of the lake, the room is spacious and clean! However, with such service, I will not come back and not recommended to others, there are more options in Hakone in similar price.

I would really love to visit again. So conveniently located at togendai port. Just 5mins walk from back exit. Staff are international and speaks good english. Love the food and free flow alcohol at buffet. I booked private onsen for my family 3000yen for 40mins. Clean and comfortable. There is shuttle bus service from odawara station. Taked abt an hour. Prebook with the hotel for the shuttle bus to and from odawara. It's probably a lil pricey compared to other hotels but it's not the most expensive and I think it's worth it.

**Positives:** ✅ **Modern & Clean:** Well-maintained, spacious rooms with comfortable onsen. ✅ **Good Location:** Convenient access to surrounding areas. **Areas for Improvement:** ⚠️ **Room Location:** - Room extremely far from dining/foot bath – exhausting daily walks (especially with foot concerns). - *Suggestion:* Offer closer room options or service for guests with mobility needs. ⚠️ **Dining Experience (Dinner & Breakfast):** - **Food Quality:** Lamb not fresh; overall quality below "1 stay 2 meals" onsen standard. No beef , only lamb meat is not fresh. Not satisfied with the food quality. We wanna have cup noodles after meal. Breakfast is slight better. - **Variety:** Insufficient choices (both Western & Japanese); lacked local/seasonal specialties expected at onsen hotels. Pretty disappointed. We been to many onsen hotel in Japan. Never encountered this. - **Service/Clarity:** Buffet poorly organized; unclear signage led to confusion over food availability. - **Expectations:** Meals didn’t showcase regional ingredients or highlight local cuisine like other onsen resorts. Hakone is famous onsen should showcase their seasonal ingredients in this region. **Summary:** Strong potential with modern facilities, but **critical improvements needed in dining quality** and **room accessibility** to meet onsen hotel standards.

A perfect combination between a traditional Japanese ryokan/onsen and a western hotel. Great for relaxation within and for exploring the area.