Takumino Yado Yoshimatsu — Hotel in Hakone

My husband and I just checked out of our Ryokan literally 30 minutes ago and im sitting on the bus on the way to Odawara station as im writing this review. We travelled to Japan from Dallas, Texas to celebrate our honeymoon & 1st year wedding anniversary. We wanted to take a break from the hustle and bustle of Tokyo to enjoy a nice relaxing break. I did extensive research on all the different Ryokans in Hakone before I finally pulled the trigger on Yoshimatsu. I have never written a google review In my life so this is my first one.

Yoshimatsu is your traditional Ryokan experience. We booked a room with a private onsen. The onsen was amazing after a long day of exploring and traveling. Our room had the traditional tatami mats, yukatas for sleeping and dinner. Shoes to change into when using the bathroom and another pair to explore the Ryokan itself. The Ryokan served breakfast and in-room kaiseki dinners which was one of my must-haves when staying at a Ryokan.

Communication: I had been emailing the Ryokan with my different questions before we left the states and they responded very efficiently. When staying at the Ryokan there were some people that spoke english very well, or at least enough to help you get through and understand so that was an even bigger positive note in my book.

Cleanliness: The room was extremely clean. Pristine if I must say so myself.

Service: From the moment we walked through the doors the service was impeccable! Probably THE BEST service I have ever experienced when staying somewhere. I was blown away to the attention to detail. Hot green tea, a fresh hot towel, and a snack were provided every time we stepped into the hotel. I absolutely loved it. They provided fresh Yukatas, socks, towels and emptied the trash can everyday. Im typically the type of person that doesnt like my room being entered when im not there but the Ryokan service was an experience I had to indulge in.

Mia, took care of us during our stay and she was A M A Z I N G. She spoke english, guided us through our meals, she helped us with every single one of our questions and trust me, we had alot of questions. From arranging transportation to the Tori gates, to helping us get an extra futons for sleeping, and arranging transportation to the bus stop when checking out. She was on top of everything.

Food: One of my biggest must-haves when staying at a Ryokan for my first time was the in-room Kaiseki meals. We stayed 2 nights and received a Kaiseki meal each night. The Kaiseki course meals were absolutely delicious! chefs kiss My husband and I were worried about not being full but trust me at the end of the meal you were absolutely full. All of the dishes were absolutely fresh. We were also served 2 breakfast meals in the morning and they were just perfect enough to not make you feel sluggish or overly full. After breakfast we were served hot coffee and dessert! Its like the meals and treats never stop! The experience is amazing.

Ive been saying this all morning, but im going to miss this place. What a wonderful experience and memory I will forever cherish.

So, if you are looking for a traditional Ryokan with great food and impeccable service. This is the Ryokan for you. I promise you. You will not be disappointed.

Thanks for everything Mia...

My group of 5 friends stayed at Takumino Yado Yoshimatsu for 2 nights. It was a short walk from the bus stop for the H line.

When we arrived, we were already greeted by the clerk with much hospitality. As they readied our room, we were served hot tea and a delicious dried bean snack. We were given a tour of the area, including the public and private onsens that are included with the stay. Along the way, other employees were courteous, greeting us with warm welcomes. The area of the ryokan with rooms have another doorman, who took our shoes and gave us indoor slippers to use. It was comforting.

Our room for 5 guests had two area for sleeping, a dining area, and a seated area to an outdoor garden. This felt comfortable and clean. Tei, our hostess, who took care of setting up our futon beds, serving food and tea was nice, attentive, and courteous. She always announced herself when entering our room to set up our meals as well as cleaning after. Having our meals inside our room and a consistent host welcoming was one of the unique experiences I had not had before and Tei did a great job. We had two dinners and two breakfast, which they will ask when you want served. 30 minutes prior to serving, the hostess will come into your room to prepare. There was so much variety and the food was delicious and filling.

The onsen was great, clean, and offered a hot tub option indoors as well as one in the outdoors. You can smell the sulfur from the bath, and was overall pleasant. They offer private onsen option if you want your own space.

The location was great since it was also next to one of the ferry stops, offering a quick way to go around Lake Ashi, and accessing the Ropeway. They also offered a shuttle we didn’t use but it would provide a quick ride to the surrounding area like the Torii of peace.

The hotel employees may speak English.

Overall the experience makes me want to return to this...

What a luxury experience. From the moment we arrived, we were treated impeccably and made to feel very welcome. The freshly made matcha tea in the welcome room as we checked in came with an amazing view of Mount Fuji, then our maid took us to our “room”. ||When we booked the room, we didn’t realise it was the size of an apartment! A large hallway, 2 bedrooms, a dining room, a sofa area, bathroom - so much space! ||We were shown how to put on a yukata and there were instructions on how to use the onsen in the information pack in the room. My daughter only wanted to use the onsen if the private one was available and we were lucky to find it free at the first time of trying. Such a great experience, and my husband really enjoyed the public men’s one too. ||The gardens here are beautiful and we were lucky enough to see Mount Fuji both days, and got some wonderful photos of us in our yukatas amongst the scenery. ||The food we had here was exquisite - we were given a printed menu of all 11 courses at dinner so we knew what we were eating. It was quite a long time sitting on the floor but we just got up between courses to stretch our legs. We were very excited to eat blowfish and anglerfish. ||Breakfast was also very good. We loved how the children tried everything too - lots of new flavours! Check out was easy and they drove us to the local bus station in the morning, to go back to Odawara. ||We did the Hakone Loop on the day we arrived - ending with the pirate ship - make sure you check the timetable as we didn’t realise how early that was and had to rush at the end of...