Tensui Saryo — Hotel in Hakone

I don't understand the people giving Tensui Saryo low grades. No expresso? Go to the cafe across the street. This is a ryokan, not a Starbucks. The menu is fixed and if you can't eat something, let them know in advance so they can prepare and accommodate. This is part of the Japanese culture. Complaining about having to cross an underpass to get to the ryokan? Blame the city's civil engineers. Complaining about the staff not understanding English? You're in Japan. How about learning a bit of Japanese and use Google Translate?

Tensui Saryo is a great ryokan in Gora. It's right by the Hakone Railway and the Cable Car. There are two buildings, the original and annex. The original (I think) are where the traditional Japanese rooms are, and the annex are the Western rooms. If you stay in the annex like I was, you'll have to walk a bit to get to the main building, where all the amenities are.

The young lady who checked us in was super sweet. She spoke some English and let us leave our bags since we arrived early. When we got back later on, all our bags were in our rooms. My friends stayed in the traditional Japanese room, while I stayed in the annex. The traditional room is a bit outdated, but the annex room is very nice. The view is stunning and it has all the amenities you'll need. The onsen in the room only fits one adult but the water is super hot. However, if you soak in the water when it's cold outside, the water is very comfortable. There were complimentary beers/water and a coffee dripper with 3 choices of coffee in my room. Those were nice little amenities.

My only complaint is with the sink, it is right by a bed so it was a bit awkward trying to use the sink while your spouse is sleeping.

You'll also get a free drink at the bar when you check in. You can soak your feet while enjoying a beer or a glass of wine. Like other reviewers said, the bar closes around 9 so you can't grab a drink after dinner. I guess that's why there are complimentary beers in your room.

Don't forget to book a time slot for a private onsen. It comes with your booking. I booked mine for early morning and was able to catch the sunrise while soaking in an onsen. What an experience.

The dinner and breakfast were included in my reservation, so I'm not sure why some reviewers said they didn't get dinner. Our waitress was very sweet and spoke English very well. There is an English menu and our waitress explained the food to us as well. It's very seafood focused, so if you can't eat seafood, let them know at least 3 days in advance.

Overall, my stay at Tensui Saryo was very positive. The location is perfect in Gora and the staff was very attentive. I would definitely stay here again if I'm visiting...

Location - a 5 minute walk from Gora station, which is around a 40 minute ride from Hakone Yumoto station if you're coming off the Shinkansen.

Service - phenomenal. From the moment you walk into the ryokan the staff does their best to take care of you and make you comfortable. They bring all the check - in information to you, and explain to you the process of staying at a ryokan. You can book a session in the the private bath and hot stone room, and pick your dinner and breakfast time during check - in. You also get to pick your yukata from a wide selection, which I appreciated. The foot bath and free drink that you probably see in many reviews was a cool perk as well. Service during the meals is also great.

Food - dinner wasn't the best. The fish seemed a little old, and some of the flavors didn't combine together and the gelatin in some of the food made it have a super gummy texture. The breakfast, however, was amazing. It was a traditional full course Japanese breakfast and the flavors were wonderful compared to dinner. Therefore, I would recommend getting dinner elsewhere, but definitely try the breakfast here if you can.

Room - I stayed in a queen bed western style room. The shower and bathroom area was quite large, and the bed was very comfortable. There is also a tatami mat area with some bean bags and chairs. Complimentary tea and coffee in a keurig - style machine.

Hot stone - literally a hot stone that you lie on. I personally found it slightly uncomfortable since I don't like hot temperatures, but I can see how it would be relaxing.

Private bath - depending on which room you get, it could be either a ceramic tub or a wooden traditional style bath. Big enough to fit two people with an amazing view.

Public bath - there's lockers for your valuables, and an area for blow drying your hair after the bath. There are towels provided in the public bath, so you don't need to bring any from your room. Instructions are on the wall for how to use the public bath, but essentially you shower before getting into the bath, and shower/rinse off after you get out as well. There was an outdoor and indoor bath and they were both spacious and relaxing. If you're not comfortable being unclothed around people I would recommend coming at a late time or early time, or booking the...

We were very excited to stay at a high end onsen in the Gora area of Hakone, but overall we found the experience at Gora Tensui to be a very expensive disappointment, especially compared to other ryokans in the area.

Our room was very spacious, one of the larger more expensive traditional and western rooms, and we opted for the private onsen. However, the pictures online did not match what we had. Our biggest issue is that we wanted a private onsen because we have extensive tattoos and so we wanted the option to enjoy the health and relaxation benefits of the onsen, without having to worry about offending anyone or having to wear covering garments.

Out of the 3 nights we stayed there, we were only able to really enjoy the private tub twice; once in the morning and once at night. Otherwise, the bath was either luke warm or so scalding hot that not even my partner could handle it, and she enjoys 110*F water.

To make matters worse, our view was mostly covered with bars and a fence and cleanliness of the outdoor shower and tub were lacking considerably.

It was a big disappointment because the one night we were able to enjoy the tub, after a long hike in Hakone, it was amazing despite the other issues. But for nearly $500usd/night, we expected way way more. We did try the public soaking baths, but did not find them special in any way and it wasn't as enjoyable since we had to cover our bodies.

The traditional kaiseki meals were beautiful to look at, but were definitely not made "to order"; it was obvious that they had prepped all of the food at the beginning of the morning and the beginning of the evening, and then served the same thing throughout the serving times. Our later set dinner time left us with many dishes that were either cold, or reheated. Presentation was great, but service was also lacking, with many moments where we wanted to order additional beer or sake but were left alone, watching the servers run around seemingly overwhelmed. However, breakfast was better and enjoyable, although in general far too much food for us!

Unfortunately I would recommend you check out one of the many other cheaper options in town as we found they offered either similar or even better experiences, along with much nicer gardens...