James C
Google
Excellent across the board: services, facilities, food. To summarize:
- We booked a maisonette room (2 floors). Very large for two people. The private onsen was fantastic and peaceful.
- The meals were great. Don't expect michelin level kaiseki that you might find in a big city like Tokyo. If you do, you'll just disappoint yourself for being misguided. Still, the food was fresh and tasty - excellent overall. I especially liked the breakfast.
- The public onsen was amazing. Clean and spacious. Not sure how the female side looks but I'm sure it's equally nice.
Few things:
- Location may not be for everyone. We arrived at Hakone Yumoto station around 4, and arrived at the ryokan around 4:40 via local bus. Traffic was fairly light BUT could be worse during high season. We didn't mind the location because it felt more secluded vs. staying in town or down by the lake.
- The onsen is drawn from natural sources and not filtered. It will have a slight sulfuric smell. That isn't a bad thing but if you can't deal with it, you shouldn't book this place.
- Fair amount of stairs, albeit short runs. Still, if you or your party are impaired or not fully mobile, it could be inconvenient.
- If you aren't fully comfortable with public onsens, I suggest you go very early in the morning. They open at 5 am. I went twice, once early (all alone for 30 min), and once late afternoon. Second time it was occupied by two others, but honestly... everyone is nude and you get used to it quick. Use the small towel to cover up if you must.