5-Star Hotels in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan

The room facilities were decent, and the hygiene was excellent 👍. The public bath was also very good 👍. However, the room floor and view I was assigned this time were just average. The dining quality also wasn't as good as before, and the service quality has declined a bit.

The room was quite spacious, and being right by the sea, I could enjoy ocean views from the window. The location is super convenient – it's only about 300-400 meters from the Big Ferris Wheel, 700-800 meters from the Red Brick Warehouse, 200 meters from the Convention Center, and 300-400 meters from the Portside Shopping Area. Chinatown is roughly 1.3 km away, and Noge Yokocho is about 1.2 km. Absolutely fantastic location!

The moment our car pulled up, a staff member rushed out to help with our luggage, smiling all the while. They guided us through check-in, even offering a warm towel and welcome tea – talk about a fantastic first impression! Just outside the lobby, there's a lush, green mountain view. Lounging on the beanbag chairs there, just chilling out, was incredibly therapeutic 🌿. The room itself was a typical Japanese style, spacious and spotless. The balcony even had an open-air private onsen tub, so if you didn't feel like going to the public baths, you could soak in your own hot spring while enjoying the view – maximum privacy. The hotel also provided yukata robes, and wearing them around the premises really added to the whole experience 👘. The onsen facilities were definitely the highlight! The public baths on the fifth and sixth floors alternate daily for men and women. The open-air onsen on the sixth floor had an absolutely stunning view – mountains by day, starry skies by night. Soaking in the hot spring with a towel on my head, just zoning out, felt exactly like something out of an anime. The toiletries were POLA, with everything from makeup remover to toner and lotion provided. My skin felt so smooth after the bath, I just went straight back to my room and passed out ♨️✨. For dinner, we chose the teppanyaki. The chef cooked each dish right in front of us, meticulously explaining every course in English. The ingredients were fresh, the seasoning precise – you could really taste the care put into it. Breakfast was a buffet, and having unlimited sashimi rice bowls was pure bliss. Seafood donburi lovers, rejoice! 🍣 On checkout day, a staff member stood at the entrance, bowing goodbye and waving until our car was far out of sight. That feeling of being genuinely cared for truly makes you want to come back again and again.

This hotel is self-service, but it's absolutely fantastic. First off, the location and the view from the window are unbeatable. It features authentic Hakone hot spring water directly to your room, and you can definitely smell the sulfur. You can also BBQ on the terrace while enjoying a foot bath and a drink. It's perfect for a longer stay during your vacation.

I usually don't write reviews, but the service at this hotel was truly frustrating. First, the environment and location are great, and the hotel facilities are new, clean, and tidy. However, when checking in, there were about 30 people in line in the lobby, and only three or four staff members at the front desk. The efficiency was incredibly low. One family of three seemed to be dealing with something for about twenty minutes. Then, they have a few self-service machines. A staff member led me to one of them, and even though there was a Chinese language option, they selected Japanese. I thought they were helping me, but after I entered my name, they just left 🫪🫪! Luckily, I know a bit of Japanese, otherwise, I would have been completely lost. What made me most speechless was after checking out. I stored my luggage and went out to eat. When I returned to pick up my luggage, my friend went to the restroom, and I sat in the lobby for a bit. Immediately, a female staff member came over and asked me what I was doing there. She asked if I was picking up luggage. I said yes, but my friend was in the restroom, so I needed to wait a bit. She then asked, ”How long?!” What's the deal? Can't I even sit in your high-and-mighty lobby after checking out? It was truly speechless.

This was my first time staying at Tokyu, and don't make the mistake I did by thinking the small reception desk at the main entrance is for check-ins – it's not. Check-in is on the second floor. When I first arrived with my child, I asked the ground floor staff if we could check in early, but they didn't mention that check-in was on the second floor. My child and I傻傻 (foolishly) waited until 3 PM to go to the ground floor reception, only to be told to go to the second floor. Once upstairs, there was a long queue, and we didn't get checked in until almost 4 PM. If I had known check-in was on the second floor, my child and I would have gone there to queue much earlier. The front desk staff don't speak Chinese, but the hotel breakfast is good with a wide variety. The location is also very convenient, directly connected to a mall and the subway.

My main reason for choosing Hotel Indigo was the expectation that a foreign hotel would offer more diverse food options than traditional Japanese cuisine, and that the rooms would be more modern. Both expectations were met, which was great. However, the hotel's location is quite remote, making it difficult to walk to Gora Station. Thankfully, the hotel provides a shuttle service to the station from 10 AM to 6 PM. If you plan to take the shuttle to Odawara, remember to book it in advance at the front desk. There's also an unsightly warehouse-like structure next to the hotel, which is a bit of a letdown considering how secluded the location already is – it really spoils the view. Around 90% of the guests here seem to be Western tourists, likely in groups, as the breakfast area was almost full before 8 AM. For dinner, we decided to eat near Gora Station and had some excellent unagi (eel) rice. A taxi back to the hotel cost us 700 yen. For first-time visitors to Hakone, I'd recommend staying in Hakone-Yumoto instead, as it's livelier, offers more dining choices, and has more convenient transportation. Also, the hotel's public bath is mixed-gender, requiring you to bring your own swimwear or borrow special attire from the front desk, which I found a bit inconvenient, so I didn't end up using it.

When checking in, the hotel will explain the tourist route of Hakone. It's a no-brainer to check in and just follow the map provided by the hotel. The service exceeded my expectations. I felt like a princess returning home during my stay. I thought this was the standard Japanese service. But later I stayed in other hotels and found that the service of Gora Kadan is far better than other hotels of the same price. The room is a bit old and the shower is also very old, but it is cleaned quite well.

This is my first time to experience this kind of pure Japanese-style hotel. Although I only stayed there for one night in a hurry, the experience was very rich and colorful. The service staff was warm and considerate. Although we relied almost entirely on translation machines and body language, it did not affect our communication. The aunt who was responsible for taking care of us would patiently help us change our clothes, remind us to appreciate the cherry blossoms, and ask us where to go. It felt like my own relatives were taking care of the children who came to travel. This is probably the meaning of a family hotel. Dinner and breakfast were very delicious and sufficient! The girls really couldn't finish it! When I learned that someone of us had a birthday, I got a handwritten blessing card, which was very touching! Our friends agreed to stay more time to come here next time!

From the moment we arrived, our stay felt magical. We booked a standard room for two nights with a dinner and breakfast package, and our cosy room even came with its own private onsen, such a treat. We were incredibly lucky that it snowed in Hakone during our visit. We wandered through the town as snowflakes fell around us, then spent the afternoon soaking in the Gora Onsen. Sitting in the steaming outdoor bath while snow drifted down was honestly unforgettable one of those rare travel moments you never stop talking about. A huge thank you to Mai and the wonderful staff at Gora for making our stay so special. Their warmth and hospitality made the experience even more memorable. We still talk about how incredible our time there was, and I would recommend Gora to anyone visiting Hakone. We’ll definitely be back.