Hakone Yuyado Zen

We absolutely adored our stay here. Everything was incredible, from the staff, to the view, to the meal. The room was exquisite - there are a lot of things (beverages, snacks, face masks) to make your stay cozy on top of having the amazing private onsen. I highly recommend paying extra for a Mt. Fuji view room as well! The meals were so authentically delicious and incredible, we enjoyed every bit of dinner and breakfast. The staff was incredibly friendly and welcoming and did a fantastic job accommodating my peanut allergy. While it was tricky to get to (a ~45 minute bus from Odawara or a few cable cars/trains), the remote-ness is absolutely part of the charm. From the ryokan it was super easy to get around Hakone which was a blast! I cannot recommend this place enough!

Stayed in second-floor Akane room for 1 night to experience the ryokan at rank 1 in TripAdvisor for Hakone area. Really worth the stay from the welcoming to the dining and in-room onsen. Want to thank the staff for their hospitality especially the friendly and English-speaking Nepalese named Binod. His jovial attitude and laughter brightens the stay for us. Overall highly recommended but we were not able to see the full Mt Fuji at all, only parts of it,unless you stay on the third floor. Maybe next time...

irst of all, the hotel is not situated in one of the mainstream locations near Yumoto or Gora. The nearest public transport station is in Ubako or Palace hotel Mae and these would need a pickup from the hotel especially if you have never been there before. Don't expect there will be any convenience stores or any other shops nearby, but you shouldn't need to leave the hotel as it comes with all the drinks, food and services that you will ever need. The hotel is very modern and well furbished. There are not many rooms so at any one time you won't feel crowded at all. There is a common room/bar/lobby where they would serve the welcome drink and do the check-in. Once that is done, the staff would take you to the room and explain to you about the room and how the onsen will work. The beauty of the Private onsen, besides being completely private you could also "tune" the water temperature. Like a bath, you could add cold water to make it colder, which is not possible in a public onsen. We picked the western room with Mt. Fuji view. At first we could not see the mountain as it was covered behind the clouds. However, on the next day, as soon as we woke up we saw the beautiful Fujisan capped with snow. Taking the onsen with the Mount Fuji as a backdrop was definitely an experience (and the onsen was in a semi-opened area so you could feel the fresh air while taking the onsen) Dining (Both dinner and breakfast) was done at the restaurant instead of at your room. I think that's fine as you get your own "room"or partition inside the restaurant so you will have complete privacy over the course of your meal. Like all onsen hotels, dinner was a multi-course meal, each used the seasonal ingredients and fully explained in English. (The staff there spoke perfect English and there was no issue in communication.) Other reviewers commented the food was a bit bland but I thought it was fresh and tasty. They even gave you some rice roll for snacks at night if you ever got hungry. Breakfast was also plenty and tasty. The room price is definitely not on the cheap side, but for the spacious room you get, the private onsen and the Mt. Fuji view plus the sumptuous food and the hospitality you get i think it is value for money.

My husband and I booked this hotel/Ryokan in the middle of our vacation in Japan and we were not disappointed! We had a room that faced Mt. Fuji and a private onsen. The room itself was well appointed, and extremely comfortable. Sandi, one of the staff members was incredible! She spoke excellent English and made sure we had everything we needed to enjoy our stay. She took the time to explain the amenities of the room and to find yukata we would be comfortable in. She really made the place something special! We were greeted with a complimentary non alcoholic wine (we are non-drinkers) and refreshment upon arrival. There was a full Kaiseki meal at breakfast and dinner everyday. When I discovered my tastes were too western to tolerate the fish offered they happily accommodated me with A5 Wagu beef! All beautifully presented! This is THE place to come if you are looking for a resting spot between Kyoto and Tokyo on your trip, or you just want to get out of the city and enjoy some of the traditional offerings of Japan. Simply amazing! Definitely will be back again!

Ok - I didn't take a taxi to the hotel/resort, so I had to hoof it 10 min. up the steep hill with my luggage. And I was already tired from figuring out that there is no bus pass, but you just have to pay as you go when you board the bus (I believe bus #4-this is key). On top of that I was hungry. When I asked the sweet, polite host where I could find lunch/transportation, she informed me that there is neither until check in at 3 pm. Needless to say, I was mildly pissed off and my incredulous response was rude. My son and I hiked back down to the bus and headed to the glass museum where we were able to eat lunch. After foregoing the shuttle and hiking back up the hill, I apologized to the nice woman for being so rude. And from then on, our experience there was magical. We had a stunning view of Mount Fuji from our Onsen (yes we had to stand up, but it was in full view). The room was perfect - spacious, clean, authentic, peaceful, just lovely! Maybe I didn't read the instructions carefully when I booked this place, but I didn't realize it came with breakfast. The breakfast, if you want to call it that, was a sumptuous meal - I'm not sure what it is called in Japanese- but it was absolutely delicious. We didn't have room or time for dessert, sadly; however, I'm sure that in itself was incredible. The dinner was spectacular - I think 10 courses - and the service, magnificent. I just cannot rave enough about how special this place is and I am not sharing our room number because I will definitely be back next year. Hakone Yuyado Zen was delightful and I am so fortunate to have been blessed to spend some time in this quiet sanctuary with a splendid view of heavenly Mount Fuji. Thank you to the staff for a memorable experience. I am going to be sending them a gift from the states to express my gratitude. And when I return, I plan to take the bus and hike up and down the hill again:) ! (sorry for lack of time to upload photos)

The food & service were good, but the space looks tired & feels a bit depressing. We stayed one night and we're sorry to say it wasn't relaxing. After everything we had read about ryokans, this was a disappointing stay. If you're taking the 45-min bus ride to Zen, we strongly recommend having only a backpack or small rolly as the bus is heavily used by local residents. Plus, there's a 10-15 minute very steep walk (or call and a staff member will pick you up). Upon arrival, you're escorted into a living room where the staff checks you in with a complimentary beverage. They take considerable time ensuring you understand where everything is in your room and how to use it. There is a private onsen, & complimentary beverages: a small bottle of brut, two cans of beer, water in the fridge, & one coffee pod. There are pajamas to wear only in the room, and yakata to wear around the ryokan. Both dinner and breakfast are included in the price; you eat in a dining room in which there are semi-private dining nooks for each party of guests. Dinner was served at 6p and you could choose either 8:30a or 9a for breakfast. Check-out is promptly at 11. The "garden view" is really of the parking lot. If you're staying in a garden view room, ask for a "Mt Fuji" view at least once when dining. Dinner is 12 courses; expect 90-ish minutes. Breakfast has many small components. Both are very good. Our service person - Sandy - took good care of us. We appreciated her.