We stayed in 2 rooms with our family of 4. Close walking distance to the station. We forwarded our luggage to Kyoto and only traveled with small backpacks which worked perfectly. Once we got to the hotel we wore the wonderful yukata and pj’s, and all the bathroom amenities were divine. The onsen on the patio was lovely. The dinner was fun- definitely add the shabu shabu option. It was the highlight. Overall super fun stay and ideal for one night.

The hotel needs to improve their coffee and tea options! They made way too big of a deal of only serving one cup at breakfast and only if you select the coffee option. Only instant coffee available in the rooms. The place is way too high end to skimp out on good and flowing coffee in the morning!

Access to onsen was a delight and masseuses were super professional, we did the chiropractic massage and were both happy

The setting for the meals was suprinsingly good, but some details on the food were not quite right. Salmon was overcooked and it would have been better if someone professional was preparing the wagyu, since it’s such a delicate meat, I want to enjoy it at the peak. Sashimi was the highlight of the meal for us. For breakfast we tried Japanese and western style and preferred western which still includes some details of japanese tradition but execution was better. Overall it gave the feeling that the meals were prepared ahead of time and just put together to serve later.

Absolutely beautiful place. We were greeted promptly and they provided us refreshments and a hot towels. Very nice. Our room was fantastic, we had a traditional setup with a table and sit down pads. The staff changed that and put down 3 beds for us. We had a very nice bathroom with shower and toilet - both were exceptional. We had our own private onsen which was great. Super nice views and nice temperature. We had a wonderful traditional dinner - exceptional food including beef, veggies, rice, miso soup, etc. The food was very fresh and very tasty. Breakfast was very good as well. One of us did a western breakfast and the other 2 did traditional. Similar to the dinnner, it was excellent. Fresh and tasty. We all got a great nights sleep on the beds/pads they provided. Overall excellent stay. Definitely would recommend to others. Very special visit

Kind and helpful staff, excellent service, comfortable bed and faboulous private onsen.

It's not especially close to anything, you would have to take one or two buses to get near the lake and see the sights. In our case, the weather was awful so it didn't matter much - we ended up dtaying in and enjoying the onsen!

Everything was as advertised, the room was spacious, super clean, even for Japanese standards. The staff was great, right from the checkin we felt taken care of. We stayed there in the second part of our trip and really enjoyed a break, it's good to wind down and relax. We liked the food too and were grateful for accomodating our vegetarian diet.

I think it was overpriced for what you get. Don't get me wrong, the hotel is very good, but not exceptional to the point I'd like to stay there again. There isn't much to do in Hakone-Yumoto, so I'd only stay if you'd like to soak in the onsen and relax for a night.

Amazing view, large clean and spacious room, really good private onsen. Extremely friendly and helpful staff (almost felt like a 5* at times in term of services). Great experience with the Japanese menu. Great location (quite close to the station, the 'big climb' to go to the hotel is not as difficult as some reviewers say it is, we did it without any issue with a 11yo and large luggages)

Not much to complain really, but if we were to be picky, while this hotel is mainly aimed at adult visitors it would have been nice to get child size Yukata. The Japanese menu was a great experience, but possibly a bit on the 'tuff' side for kids.

To get to the hotel, it was quite a journey by foot since you go up a hill. But once you arrive at the accommodation, a person is there to greet you immediately. They guide you inside and instantly start taking care of you during the check-in process. We sat in the waiting room, we were given refreshments and they explain everything about our stay. Once that's all done, they give you a quick tour of the hotel and then guide us again to our room. They then give us another tour and explanation of our room. This was very lovely since you don't ever experience this all the time in other hotels. Dinner was amazing. It was a full course and everything about the food was delicious. I loved that we had our own private area to eat. Same thing for breakfast, the food and service was amazing. This place really takes care of you and makes sure your stay at the ryokan was perfect. My favorite part of this stay was the private onsen and the amazing view of the mountains. It was so serene, peaceful and phenomenal. This was the reason why my husband and I chose this ryokan. It had all the things we wanted. I would definitely come back and recommend this hotel.

To be honest...it was a treat..and it was a lot of money for 1 night.. but we expected a little more...we've stayed in some expensive hotels and you would not want for anything...here, you had to pay for a coffee with breakfast..the room towels were a little old and the mirror and shower area were in need of renovation. On the plus...the staff were amazing and it certainly was a different experience...the dinner experience was fantastic where you dine in a private room.. checkout was 10am too unfortunately...even if it was 11, you could enjoy the facilities a little longer.. A great hotel in short..but overpriced for what it was in comparison to other hotels..

Hakone Airu was our second stay on our Honeymoon trip during our first time to Japan, and we were wowed the entire time! We stayed at the ryokan for one night, passing through Hakone on our way from Tokyo to Nagoya, and we wish we planned more time to stay here! We arrived early and the desk kindly held our bags until check-in while we explored a bit of the town. Upon our return, we were greeted by staff who kindly showed us through the facilities and also explained the dinner and breakfast to us. The kaiseki dinner (if you choose to partake) includes a multi course meal for which you'll dress in traditional Japanese Yukata and head to the restaurant downstairs, using your room name to find your reservation (the staff will kindly guide you on your first night). You'll get a phone call via the in-room landline informing you that they're ready for you in the restaurant at your requested time. The room was amazing, the pictures online don't do it enough justice. It is a traditional Japanese style room with tatami mat flooring, and it's initially set up as a living area with floor seats and a low table. Once you go to dinner, the staff will put these away and prepare the futons for you to sleep. I think this was the best sleep we had on the trip, the futons were so comfortable! The bathroom and the deck were beautiful, you can shower with a beautiful view of the mountains before stepping into your own private onsen bath, which is out on the deck allowing for a fresh breeze. This was fantastic for us, who visited in February, as the cold air is needed to keep you from getting too lightheaded in the hot bath. As far as getting here, you should bring coins with you, especially if travelling by bus from the train station. The station staff near the bus stop were available to answer our questions and also to help let the shuttle driver know which stop you were headed for (the shuttle stops right across the street from Hakone Airu).

I cannot recommend this place enough! It far exceeded my expectations. The room was beautiful and extremely spacious, and the personal onsen was a dreamy experience. The beds were so comfortable, a welcome surprise considering they were on the floor for the traditional ryokan experience we requested. The included meals were just above and beyond. The sashimi platter alone was outstanding and enough food for a group. Everyone was so kind and the location was great and easy to get to. Everyone should stay here!

Nothing! Everything was great. Believe their words of advice that walking from the station is a steep, difficult incline. :)