We bought a 3-day Hakone cable car ticket and this hotel is right at the Obako stop of the cable car route. It was our anniversary treat so we booked the biggest suite of the hotel. We broguht our daughter along and we figured out that sicne they charge a per person rate for this big suite, it worked out cheaper if we booked this big suite for the two of us and put our daughter in a separate large double room. They serve dinner in the big dining hall (not in the room as most other onsen hotels), and they gave us some special chopstick covers and free fruit plate for our anniversary. Dinner itself is a 12-course kaiseiki style Japanese banquet with beautiful displays. They serve welcome wines and after dinner they have live piano (playing famous Japanese & western music) in the grand classic reception hall. We have a private onsen in the suite but this is just a big (special wood) tub with onsen water directed via special pipes to this small bathroom. There is not much of a view even if you open the windows. In fact we didn't get to see Fujiyama during our stay as it was always cloudy.

This hotel really made you feel as if you were in a lovely, isolated area. In fact, it was SO isolated it didn't even have Internet. And when that's all you have to communicate with the outside world, including possible emergencies, it's sorely missed.

That's the only complaint I have about the facilities. The lobby is beautiful and elegant, with constant automatic piano music going (mostly the Beethoven "Moonlight" Sonata, played ad nauseam), a very nice bar with a mostly knowledgeable bartender, and a very nice garden with a Fuji view. The staff were, to a man (or woman) very helpful, pleasant and almost too anxious to please. My very heavy luggage, for example, was whisked away from me by a very petite little Japanese lady which made me feel a little guilty at making her lug so much. As one of these helpful ladies said, "That's my job."

I was torn between taking the direct bus from Odawara to the hotel or taking a combined train/cable car/roapway and having to transfer all my luggage from one to another. So I opted for the direct bus going, and it was a very pleasant ride, taking me from the busy downtown area of Odawara to the mountainous, scenic and lovely onsen towns. One little glitch about this was that when you arrive at the Obakyu station, you are pretty unceremonially dumped at the side of the road. At least he was able to point me in the direction of the roapway station. But when you get there you discover that, unless you have been notified to call the hotel, you have to walk down a very narrow and unpaved path to the back of the hotel. Since my luggage rides on those wonderful little wheels, it was a bit difficult. But once you're at the hotel you're treated like a king and all the facilities are really nice.

I especially loved that outside rotenburo that everyone else has talked about. When I arrived, though, the view of Fuji-san was not to be had, so that was a disappointment. I took a ride on the roapway, though, in both directions, first to the volcanic activity area and then back to Lake Ashi, and when I returned behold, there was Fuji-san in all its snowcapped beauty! I headed directly to the outside bath and that glory was visible for all to see at this wonderful rotenburo.

I had opted for the European dinner, and it was fine. I decided that one of the things the Japanese really do well in the culinary department is the "potage" course. Mine was a delicately flavored celery soup and it was really great. The dining room, by the way, is a huge, long building that can house quite a few diners, but the wait staff still make you feel at home and a welcome guest (if that's not an oxymoron).

The room was very comfortable, western-style, with a nice view of the garden and the lake, but the refrigerator kept going on and off, every time with a little "boink" sound, and that made it difficult to sleep.

The breakfast, as one of the other reviewers has said, was a typical east-west buffet, but it was just fine.

Going back to Tokyo I decided to chance the roapway/cable car/train route, despite having to lug luggage all around. It wasn't as bad as I'd feared, and it was fun looking out over all that scenery again.

In all, I'd say it was a very nice experience and I would go back again. I think I'd try that Japanese style room with its own onsen though,next time. I'll be back!

We booked a room for four and stayed at Hakone Green Plaza for 1 night. This was recommended by the Odakyu Travel as I wanted to stay near Togendai to take the pirate ship the following day. We paid 10,500yen/person. Was encouraged by the agent to take a room with Mt Fuji with extra charge. Thank God we didn’t as it was cloudy the day we checked in and misty the next day after a very heavy thunderstorm overnight. You can get a view of Mt Fuji from its garden and hotspring on a clear day but as it was so misty/cloudy when we were there, Mt Fuji could not be seen at all, both from the garden and hotspring!

The room size is good for 2, just enough for 4. They laid futons for us while we had dinner and there was little walking area after that. The bathroom was very small, smaller than Sardonyx Hotel in Ueno, which surprised me very much since this was Hakone and we paid premium, compared to hotel in Ueno. The worst thing was there was no internet in this hotel. On top of all these, I felt very cold in the room (the heater must be spoilt) and the staff had to bring in a heater!


Kaiseiki dinner and buffet breakfast at the restaurant were good though. The staff were helpful but miscommunicated such that we missed the shuttle to Togendai and had to take a cab (1,250yen) to catch the connecting bus to Hakone-En.

Hotel is a little old though the lobby area looked grand and big. Deco is more traditional than modern.

Unlikely to stay here next time.

This is the best hotel to see Fujiyama.
The best view is from ROTEN BURO, out side bath atached to public hot spring bath area. If you arrive before five in the evening, lady's bath has purprise compliment of free sake. Fuji-san can be seen from the garden in front of breakfast room as well. Although it all depends on the weather.
The traditional dinner was very nice as well as buffet breadfast.
We paid 11850yen per person per night which included dinner and breakfast in a cosy twin bed and Tatami mixed room without view in particular. This was the cheapest pack but there were rooms such as with private hot spring bath, with Fuji-san view, or up-graded dinner, etc...
Access is very easy: just 3minutes walk from UBAKO rope way station or you can call for pick up there. Be careful! The rope way moves only from eight in the morning until five in the evening or so. Anyway, during on time, it continues to arrive every minute and the view of Fuji-san between Oowaku dani and Ubako is just breath taking.
I would surely go back to this hotel next time at Hakone.