Shinanoki Ichinoyu — Hotel in Hakone

We stayed here in the annexe while showing our daughter and her partner Hakone. The rest of the trip had been in less travelled areas and we found the Hakone experience quite full on. The standard of the rooms in the annexe was very good being a Euro friendly Ryokan layout with bedding on a raised platform permanently set out but a traditional Japanese bath area leading to a private onsen on the balcony.The rooms are spotless, servicing was faultless and there was plenty of room. A large leather easy chair was bless after a series of accommodation where I had to mostly sit on the floor. Breakfasts were relatively simple sets by Ryokan standards but were delicious and it was a relief from some Ryokan where consuming all you are served to satisfy the demands of Japanese etiquette often meant consuming more than you needed. The evening meals based around a Sukiaki set one night and Shabu-Shabu the other were likewise delicious and cooking at the table is a lovely way to dine. The location of the accommodation with bus stops right outside is excellent and the ride to Gora station to access the Mountain Railway and Funicular up to the Ropeway is quick and easy. Checkin and checkout were painless and we had no complaints about any part of this stay. This area is very popular and quite close to Tokyo and given the huge increases in tourism on the Golden Route finding easily accessed accommodation is a high priority here. This accommodation is...

This place is well below Japanese standards The toilet stank, we complained, but it was not cleaned even after normal room cleaning. Only after the 3rd complaint. The bath/onsen in the room was awful - made of sharp rough garden paving stones, concrete and using grey plastic refuse water pipes (see photos). The shower tiles were evidently not cleaned for years (see photos). There was lots of mold on the ceiling of the bathroom (see photos). The bedrroom was quite nice, but the heating/airconditioning unit was so loud that we had to switch ii off to be able to sleep - and hence we were quite cold. The room service made the beds up like total incompetents||The only thing that was up to Japanese high standards was the service in the dining room. Excellent. Same could not be said about the reception staff. The first set dinner was very nice. But the breakfast soup had rancid raw bacon (left over from the previous dinners?, as it seems to be the standard meat element), which made it inedible. The next dinner was pretty much the same as the night before. Could get very boring.||The outside of the annex was also very overdue for painting and maintenance.||The metal doors of the rooms look like an entrance to a garage or factory||This was a real dump by any standards, and I could hardly believe this lack of cleaning and maintenance could happen in Japan.||The place seems to cater for...

PRIVATE Onsen ... if you want a private Onsen with your room ... this is the place in Hakone. They have improved, just the mattress ...

While the doona is super fluffy and warm, the mattress is thin, uncomfortable, and needs to be upgraded ... but for the rest, they've improved ... room wise, even with acrylic tatami floor mats, big space, couch,all the amenities in the new Annex building ... and it comes with local flavours, it's delicious, scrumptious dinner (all alcohol included), and breakfast set ... the wait team is amazing. They are so attentive, smiling, and would not let you do anything ... just sit down, relax, and enjoy your meal. The set dinner and breakfast comes with the room (you can opt out too, but at least do 1 set, it's worth the convenientand money, you don't want to be looking for food out there) ... The rooms come with your own private ever flowing onsen ... great value at around A$400.00/night for two ...

And there's a self-serve free flowing alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages ... whisky, such, and the likes, comes in a big tub and not a Suntory quality okay ... but it's a very nice gesture.

There's a separate public onsen for Male and Female, upstairs ... no handicap access.

Serenity and relaxing place to stay ... with convenience, a 7/11, and an upscale French restaurant 8 minutes away.

Our second...