Ryokan Hakone Ginyu — Hotel in Hakone

Hakone Ginyu is a traditional ryokan with modern touches such as Western or traditional (futon) style bedding. We booked the tatami room with futon bedding. The ryokan is very easy to get to from the station but note that getting back to the station means climbing up a very steep hill. As someone who's fairly in shape, I was completely winded when we reached the top. I can't imagine how travelers with rolling luggage make it up that steep incline. ||Check in took place in a sitting area overlooking the beautiful forest greenery. A welcome drink is also prepared on the veranda. You can choose from a small menus of tea, coffee, and alcoholic beverages. Depending on your pick, there may be a small charge. The ryokan staff, knowing we spoke English, ensured that a fluent English speaking staff member gave us the tour of the room. We booked one of the maisonette and the combination indoor and separate outdoor onsen was a highlight. If possible, get a room on the upper floors to see the mountain views. The first floor opens out into a forest clearing that lights up at night--also very beautiful. ||Prior to dinner, we received small snacks consisting of umeboshi, rice crackers, and water. However, no other snacks were in the room without an additional cost. The kaiseki dinner took 2-2.5 hours to complete and took place in the dining area of the room. We asked the staff to set up the futon and rested before the late dinner. We picked 8pm as our start time and it didn't end until close to 10:30pm. Breakfast the next morning also took place in the dining area of the room and both the Japanese and Western breakfasts were varied. ||All amenities were available in the bathroom. In particular, I looked the bath enzyme scrub made of rice. I thought about buying it from the gift shop on my way out. The skin care products offered were of high quality and completely brand new packaging. The highlight of the room was truly the outdoor onsen. Two sparkling cider drinks was available for free in the outdoor fridge, which is the only free drink available aside from water that is brought to you in a pitcher. ||Overall, this was a nice stay and would check your box if you wanted to experience a more traditional ryokan with modern touches. Booking is through a third party, the Ryokan Collection. Recommend contacting them way ahead of time with multiple dates and flexibility as this is a very...

Little piece of Japanese Heaven...

Spent one night here with my wife on our hectic Japan 10 day family vacation. Left the kids with family in Tokyo and took the bullet train. Being our first Ryokan experience we have nothing to compare against but we have been to luxury Four Season resorts all over the world and this place ranks up there in top 3 best places we have stayed. I did quite a bit of research prior to the trip to find the perfect Ryokan for the experience. 1. not too far from Tokyo so you can do on a day trip. 2. Close to Mt Fuji, for sightings, which we missed due to weather (Summer is not the best season for that). 3. Traditional Japanese rooms with private outdoor Onsen (hot spring bathing). 4. Not too big, crowded to have a sense of privacy. 5. Good food. Hakone Ginyu was the best choice, and it didn't disappoint. My wife loved it like crazy and I was pleasantly surprised as well for the quality of the facilities. There is a lot attention to detail here. If you decide to come here go fully Japanese and try the traditional rooms for the Zen-like minimalist experience. Eat and sleep on the floor.... Also get the room with private outdoor baths, but still try the Public Baths on the 5th floor for the experience. They are segregated clothing free baths with beautiful views. They swap gender rooms at 10pm so you can try both rooms. Maximize your stay here but also go out and explore the area if you have time. Visit the Hakone Open Air Museum for a treat of great art. Take the cable car to the top, then the rope way to the lake, the boat across the lake and bus back up. The complete loop may take you 3 hrs but is worth it. Now fully charged again we ar on our way to rendezvous with rest of family and off to Kyoto and Hiroshima to...

An incredible experience and a highlight of our Japan trip. Upon arrival, our luggage was transferred to our room and we were offered drinks and took some time to enjoy the beautiful lobby. We spent the first night in the Sora room and the second in the Tsuki room. Both rooms were beautiful but the Tsuki (ground floor with two hot spring baths) was outstanding- highly recommend booking this room. We also recommend the Japanese style rooms - the beds were very comfy and there is something SO cozy about sleeping on the floor after a nice hot springs bath!! Our attendant, Saki, was absolutely lovely and brought us our meals each morning and evening in our room. Dinner was truly an experience - 7-8 courses of delicious and traditional Japanese food- as a westerner, some items were a little foreign to us but we appreciated the new experience and all of the food was very tasty. If you are not very accustomed to Japanese food, I recommend getting the Western breakfast, as this was great as well. We also really enjoyed the Sake selection available at dinner and the beautiful bar for a nightcap. ||The spa is a MUST - my husband and I received the best massages of our life here- it was an out of body experience! The hot springs in the spa are also beautiful and you are able to use them following your treatment. ||Definitely worth visiting the public baths as well. Note that tattoos are generally a no go - I have a very small tattoo that I could cover before entering the baths (bring your own cover). ||Finally, the staff truly made the experience exceptional - they decorated the lobby for our honeymoon and surprised us with gifts after dinner. It was the cutest experience ever and meant so much to us. ||Highly...