Hakone Kowakien Ten-yu

This time, I booked a hotel on Trip.com without any prior research, and I wasn't disappointed when I arrived. I opted for the 'one night, one meal' package, but in retrospect, 'one night, two meals' might have been more convenient. Getting there was easy, with convenient bus stops at Kowakien and Tenyu stations. The surroundings are lovely, and the cleanliness was up to par. The room even has a bathtub for a natural hot spring bath! It's real hot spring water, and they only charged a few dollars for two uses, which is very reasonable. Overall, I'm extremely satisfied.

A great onsen hotel, especially the infinity onsen on the 5th floor. Both dinner and breakfast were buffet-style and quite delicious. You can also have unlimited cold drinks.

This hotel is quite unique! Because it's built on a hillside, its first floor connects to the fifth floor of a neighboring shopping mall, while its main lobby is on its own fifth floor. The higher floors offer even better views. The lobby entrance faces directly onto the mountains, providing stunning scenery, and the foot bath by the entrance is wonderfully therapeutic. Both large onsen pools have outdoor sections with fantastic views. They are fully equipped with jacuzzis, saunas, cold plunge pools, and massage areas, making for a truly satisfying hot spring experience! Both breakfast and dinner are buffet-style and taste excellent. Additionally, the hotel offers a wide range of complimentary activities. I highly recommend the Mori no Yu onsen facility that partners with the hotel; it has numerous hot springs with diverse styles, and the bathing experience there is even better than at the hotel itself. This was an absolutely perfect onsen experience and well worth it.

This hotel is conveniently located about 200 meters from the Tenyu bus stop, accessible by Hakone's main bus lines, Z03 and J03. The hotel itself is beautifully decorated and has a very stylish ambiance. The Japanese-style room, though not huge, was quite spacious and quiet. Despite checking in during February, the room's excellent insulation actually made it feel warm. The private open-air bath on the balcony was amazing; even with outside temperatures around 5 degrees Celsius, the continuous flow of 40-degree-plus hot spring water meant it was never cold. The hotel also offers outdoor public baths and a footbath. Plus, on the 5th floor lobby, there are two free ice cream machines – just ask the front desk for complimentary tokens to enjoy as much as you like – and a continuous supply of various iced teas. I must especially commend the dining experience; half-board (dinner and breakfast) is an absolute must! Upon check-in, the front desk proactively changed our two nights of shabu-shabu to one night of shabu-shabu and one night of kaiseki. Each dinner was a full course, incredibly delicious, and left us completely stuffed. For breakfast, there are two restaurants, and I highly recommend the buffet; the variety is extensive and far superior to the breakfast at the Imperial Hotel, which is often ranked as a top Tokyo dining spot on Ctrip. The hotel also hosts free evening performances, and you can even pay to release sky lanterns. Honestly, if I came to Hakone 100 times, I'd stay at Tenyu 100 times.