Shiunso — Hotel in Hakone

We actually booked another ryokan across the street but for some reason when we got to that hotel they said they had some maintenance problem and and took us to Shiunso. ||||So we were shocked and disappointed as we found this hotel was quite old. However after talking to my travel agency, we were given the type of room that we originally booked at the other hotel which was the largest room of Shiunso that had two beds and a large tatami area for two people with a private onsen. ||||We stayed at this hotel for two nights and had three meals (two dinners and one breakfast). The food quality was great, especially the second night's dinner. The service was outstanding. Well maybe it was just regular Japanese ryokan food service but we felt we were treated as royalty. ||||The Tonosawa train station was very close to the hotel and the next day we took the train to see the Open Air Museum (which in Japanese was, "forest of sculptures"), and also took the Gora cable car to get to a high mountain top. Because it was raining and windy, we did not find the hiking trail if there was one. ||||The hotel staff did not speak much English. However every time I asked them a question they tried their best to "explain" and offer a solution. I somehow managed to be able to communicate with them with my limited Japanese vocabulary and Google translator. ||||On the day we departed, the front desk called a taxi to send us to the Odawara station, and the hotel's general manager came out himself to say goodbye and went to the middle of the street to stop the traffic so our taxi could go. I turned back and saw them bowing to the leaving car behind us. You don't see this type of courtesy anywhere else in the world. I really appreciated that. ||||That being said, I don't think Hakone is worth a visit for first time visitors to Japan. It would be a nice retreat place if you live in a nearby city for a long time, but for first time visitors, there are many more good...

We actually booked another ryokan across the street but for some reason when we got to that hotel they said they had some maintenance problem and and took us to Shiunso. ||||So we were shocked and disappointed as we found this hotel was quite old. However after talking to my travel agency, we were given the type of room that we originally booked at the other hotel which was the largest room of Shiunso that had two beds and a large tatami area for two people with a private onsen. ||||We stayed at this hotel for two nights and had three meals (two dinners and one breakfast). The food quality was great, especially the second night's dinner. The service was outstanding. Well maybe it was just regular Japanese ryokan food service but we felt we were treated as royalty. ||||The Tonosawa train station was very close to the hotel and the next day we took the train to see the Open Air Museum (which in Japanese was, "forest of sculptures"), and also took the Gora cable car to get to a high mountain top. Because it was raining and windy, we did not find the hiking trail if there was one. ||||The hotel staff did not speak much English. However every time I asked them a question they tried their best to "explain" and offer a solution. I somehow managed to be able to communicate with them with my limited Japanese vocabulary and Google translator. ||||On the day we departed, the front desk called a taxi to send us to the Odawara station, and the hotel's general manager came out himself to say goodbye and went to the middle of the street to stop the traffic so our taxi could go. I turned back and saw them bowing to the leaving car behind us. You don't see this type of courtesy anywhere else in the world. I really appreciated that. ||||That being said, I don't think Hakone is worth a visit for first time visitors to Japan. It would be a nice retreat place if you live in a nearby city for a long time, but for first time visitors, there are many more good...

We stayed two nights at Shiunso with breakfast and dinner.||||The traditional ryokan is slightly dated but everything still felt right. The staff was welcoming and service was great. The receptionist spoke a lot of English and made us feel comfortable. When our room was ready, we were shown to our room which faced the river. There was a place for our street shoes and were given sandals to walk on the tatami mats and around the hotel. We were served tea before dinner. The dinner was 10 courses of traditional foods. You can specify at check in, or before, if you had food preferences or allergies. The entire meal took about an hour and a half and it was fun trying new foods and being immersed in the whole experience. Promptly after the meal, staff came to clean and move the table, and set out the beds and comforters. To our surprise, the beds were quite comfortable! It was very peaceful sleeping to the sounds of the river right outside the door.||||Shiunso has a public and private bath. The private bath can be booked with your stay and is located on the first floor. It is a simple room with two large bath rubs. You clean yourself before and enjoy soaking in privacy. The water was so hot that the hour for the private baths was mostly unused. After about 20 minutes, we were ready to jump out. The public paths had an indoor and outdoor pool. It was very spacious, clean, and relaxing next to the river. There were few occupants in the public bath and it never felt invasive.||||Breakfast was also multi-courses but served all at once. We found the meal to be so large that we did not need lunch, maybe just a snack, to get thru the day. ||||The entire experience met all my expectations. It was a great escape from the hustle of...