Hakone Villa — Hotel in Hakone

First off, keep in mind when looking at these reviews that the owner gives people free breakfast only if they leave a positive review. This was kind of an uncomfortable experience, actually: we were urged to leave reviews as soon as we arrived, before we'd even seen our rooms.

And the room was the main issue. It had a big Western-style bed (another guest mentioned having a room with tatami mats), but the bed was so hard and uncomfortable that we had trouble sleeping. There was also very little privacy: there was only a thin divider between us and the next room, so we could hear it any time someone coughed or spoke above a murmur.

The location is about a 20-minute walk up a steep hill from the nearest bus stop - which is also up a steep hill from the main town and the transport hubs. Not to be attempted with heavy luggage. The owner is very willing to help with this, which is a plus: when we were running late and worried about getting to the attractions before they closed, were able to coordinate with him on fairly short notice for him to pick us up with all our baggage at the bus stop, drop us off at Gora Station, and take the baggage back to the guesthouse. But - while we appreciated that a lot - I think it mostly just offsets the...

Absolutely wonderful!

First of all they have the greatest and kindest service. The man picked us up from the stop in Gora. He doesn’t speak English and we don’t speak Japanese, but there were no problems with the communication and you can use a translation app to ask questions if needed. Afterwards we got a housetour and he even brought us to the store.

The place is quite remote, but if you need anything you can contact the hosts. The villa itself is surrounded with beautiful nature and we got greeted in the morning by bird sounds and a cute neko-chan. If you walk around in the area you will have such beautiful views of the mountains and nature.

The beds are very comfortable and the villa is quite spacious. The building is a bit older and not comparable to hotels. They have a great bath and if you book a room with a mountain view, you can view the beautiful mountains from your balcony. They also provide you with towels, pajamas and toothbrushes. Due to the location and nature there are many insects, don't let this hold you back.

We got here from Tokyo, Shimbashi Station, by train using Suica: Tōkaido Line (JT02 to JT16), Red 11 to Hakone-Yumoto and number 3 to Gora. They will pick you up at the Gora stop if you...

The best thing about this place is that the owner is so friendly. He doesn’t speak any English but is still very pleasant and accommodating. The location is not suitable for anyone travelling by public transport to walk to - though you can contact the landlord and he will gladly come pick you up. There is parking on site though you will have to navigate a small dirt road and steep slopes.

Showers and toilet are communal. The shower, in particular, is the most high tech one I have seen in Japan. It shows you the water temperature and you can control the direction of the water jets coming from at least 6 different nozzles.

Room walls are paper thin. We heard every word spoken by the couple in the room next to us. There seem to be 3 rooms on level 2 and maybe 1 or 2 rooms on level 1. The rooms are not separated by real walls, but by a solid though thin partition.

Given the relatively secluded location, the night is peaceful and the morning will find you greeted by chirping birds.

Hakone is an extremely popular tourist destination so book early or you’ll be out of lodging for the night. Overall, not 5 stars for amenities but the hospitality factor more than...