Hotel ZAGAKUKAN — Hotel in Hakone

I had an enjoyable and comfortable one night stay while visiting Hakone. The room was exceptionally comfortable and I would describe the hotel as a luxe, modern but traditional Japanese style. The room featured a generously sized bathroom/shower with good water pressure and a monsoon shower head. The room had tasteful lighting, robes, high quality toiletries and my favorite part was the tatami mats (make sure to take your shoes off at the door to the room). I booked a room type with a rooftop onsen. The room had a private stairwell leading up to the onsen, and though there was no view from the onsen due to the high walls for privacy, it was still lovely to be able to sit in the hot onsen any time I wanted. The weather was gloomy and raining when I visited so the hot water was a nice contrast to the cool weather. A big highlight was the location. Many hotels in Hakone are up steep streets which would require taking a bus/taxi or trying to bring a suitcase up a steep incline, thankfully this hotel is on the flat part of Hakone and I had no issues walking from the Hakone-Yumoto Station to the hotel. One thing to note is that the check-in time is unusually late at 5pm, but that also means a late 1pm check-out time. The hotel was happy to store my bag until I arrived for check in. Overall a wonderful stay. I would recommend for couples or...

We had a wonderful experience in this hotel, from the moment we entered to the moment we left. Everything is the room was top quality. Comfy beds, sofa area and pyjamas. Decent kettle and coffee. Great shower with rainfall option. Netflix login option on the TV. Big 5l bottle of water supplied. Lots of lighting options to suit the mood you’re in. We had a room with the rooftop onsen with a sitting area which was comfy. It was lovely to be in there and enjoy the night sky. In the morning you could sit in the onsen and enjoy the view of the trees and birds.

The hotel had a peaceful and quiet atmosphere.

The location is good. There is a bus stop round the corner which took us to Sounzan Station in about 20 minutes. The main train station is a few minutes walk away and the walk down the...

Unfortunately, my stay at Hotel ZAGAKUKAN was disappointing. The front desk staff were rather rude and didn’t speak any English, which made the check-in experience unpleasant. The room was also a letdown — the window was fake, and when opened, it faced a nearby building so close you could almost touch it. Unlike other onsen hotels in Japan that offer beautiful garden views, this felt very cramped and lacking in atmosphere. Lastly, I wasn’t impressed with the onsen itself. While I can’t scientifically prove it, based on my experience, the water didn’t feel like authentic hot spring water — it seemed thin and less mineral-rich compared to other onsens I’ve visited. Overall, I wouldn’t recommend this hotel if you’re looking for a relaxing and traditional onsen...