This is probably the nicest onsen hotel in Hakone, so if you're looking for the best - book it! Beautiful traditional rooms, kimonos, slippers and even socks - all provided by the hotel, you don't need to bring anything. We had our own bath in our private garden which we enjoyed, as well as the Grand Baths. We especially loved the food - it is proper fine dining kaiseki twice a day (breakfast and dinner) served on beautiful plates, in your own room. On our check out day, we got a private drive from the hotel to one of the rural sushi restaurants which we appreciated. The staff at the reception were very kind and helpful, and spoke good English.

Unfortunately our experience was influenced negatively by our host, who was very young (in his early 20s) and hardly spoke any English. We had to explain everything many times and misunderstandings occurred from this. He felt like he's on training rather than a proper host. We would have appreciated to be assigned to an English-speaking staff member. The shower in the bathroom was old and chalky. I pointed it out, to which I got an answer that the room is very old. Well if you can update the prices, surely you can update the bathrooms too. And more about the price - it is extremely expensive, which of course we knew, however did not expect the 10% charge on top of our stay for an extra hour of check out time.

Beautiful hotel grounds, beautiful room! The onsen is stunning! feels like you’re in a movie. Best onsen experience for sure.

Not good value for money. Check out is at 11 - and this is no acceptable for a 5 star hotel. If I was staying at and airbnb or some lower star hotel - I would understand - but this is simply not ok for a hotel with this level and price. We checked out an hour later, and they charged us a steep price for staying an hour longer. This is simply not ok and this is not hospitality! This made me leaving with a bitter taste. Details like this matter.

Absolutely luxury place from the beginning to the end - beautiful location, customer service, comfort, facilities, and kaiseki dinner plus breakfast - top notch. Public baths (separated by gender) spacious, having both indoor and outdoor hot spring “pool”. Amenities - highest quality. All in all - this place belongs to top 10 onsen places in Japan. My recommendations.

One comment - and that is not hotel fault however maybe there should be more explained to some kind of tourists. During our stay there was a group of people from US. Very loud, especially at public baths where you expect silence. Also going to hot spring without washing themselves - what is against all etiquette and rules in onsens. Not sure - that was because of lack of knowledge or else, but it was rude.

EVERYTHING!!! Absolutely loved my stay at Gora Kadan! My parent were also very delighted with the facilities and welcoming staff :)

The ryokan is a convenient location close to Gora Station, making it easily accessible by foot or with a complimentary car pick-up service available upon request. Upon arrival, we received a warm welcome from the multiple staff members who greeted us at the entrance of the ryokan. The interior and exterior of the property are stunningly beautiful and well-maintained, featuring a harmonious blend of traditional Japanese and modern design. The highly trained staff, many of whom speak fluent English, were attentive to our every need and provided excellent service throughout our stay. After checking in, our nakai-san, Ayano-san, gave us a brief tour of the ryokan before leading us to our Botan suite on the 4th floor. The suite was equipped with a large spa bath, sauna, and balcony with a breathtaking mountain view. Complimentary drinks from the minibar and a menu of food and drinks were also available to order throughout our stay. The Wagyu beef kaiseki option for dinner (~7,260JPY extra charge) and the Japanese and Western breakfast options were all extremely delicious and surpassed our expectations. In addition to the public onsens, we had the opportunity to reserve a private open-air onsen for 40 minutes. Upon checkout, the ryokan provided us with free transportation in a luxury car to our next destination at Sounzan Station. A special thank you goes to Ayano-san, who was an exceptional nakai-san throughout my stay. She was very attentive, frequently checking if we needed anything, answering any questions we had, and in general, a wonderful person to talk to and learn more about. Her exceptional hospitality and presence made my stay even more enjoyable and comfortable. Overall, my stay at Gora Kadan was a luxurious and memorable experience. The exceptional hospitality, stunning scenery, and relaxing atmosphere exceeded my expectations. I look forward to staying at this ryokan and seeing Ayano-san again during my next visit to Japan!

Only wish I could have stayed longer!

The estate of Gora Kadan is immaculate and beautiful. It also snowed during our visit and made it even more romantic. I loved walking around in the traditional wear (the vest for winter was an excellent touch). I loved how spacious the hotel was and multiple rooms (lounge, reading room, onsen, hallways) to explore and enjoy the serenity. The onsen (both private and public) were well stocked with towels, drinks, brushes, lotions and everything you would need. I went every day to take advantage of the amenities. The staff and service was incredible. Our host stayed with us the whole trip and made sure our stay was perfect. Language was not an issue for us! We were a family of 6 (split into two rooms) but they accommodated a banquet room for us to enjoy our meal together. While the price is premium, i truly believe it was great value - considering the history of the estate, the breakfast and dinner kaiseki was 5 stars in quality and presentation and the services they offered (public bath). I would absolutely return

The description of the room (at the time of booking) read "private onsen". However, this is a bit misleading as the private onsen is not attached to the room but an option for you to book. While not a big issue (as we were able to book once during our stay - although the times were limited by the time we did), it should be clarified that this is not attached to the room.

The service was sublime. The in-room meals were an incredible experience; attention to detail like no other meal I've ever eaten. A few flavours less palatable for the westerners, but overall we just loved it. We particularly loved the Japanese breakfast. Special thanks to Shizuka for taking such good care of us. The outdoor onsen was also lovely - especially when dark outside.

It's a pricey experience! Could have used more comfortable furniture for during the day. The beds were amazing though.

Lovely hotel. Our room was very spacious and we had a lovely patio overlooking a beautiful and peaceful rock garden. The dinner was a great experience and they provided our daughter with a children's meal which she appreciated. The breakfast was also delicious. All meals were served in our room. The service during meals and check in/out was also very smooth and everyone very very kind and helpful. The staff were very responsive. On our day of check out the local trains were not running due to damage along the tracks from a storm overnight. The hotel staff did a great job notifying us about the closures and provided us with transportation to the local bus station since it was a bit further away. We also utilized the indoor pool, which our daughter loved. Overall, we enjoyed our stay at Gora Kadan.

The care and attention of our Room Attendant was amazing. Koki was attentive, fun, helpful and brought the experience of the Japanese style meals and the overall accommodations to the highest level we could have imagined! The food, with it's preparation and delivery (from Koki) was far beyond what we imagined. Would highly recommend the in-room Kaiseki meal - amazing! The location is a four minute walk from the "mountain train" (public transportation in Japan is awesome) and a five minute walk from the Hakone Open Air Museum - which is a world class museum with both the expected outdoor sculptural/experiential art pieces, as well as beautiful indoor exhibits and collections, including a whole museum of Picasso's work.

Not much to dislike here. I think there need to be shades in the coffee/bar area for those who like to have an early morning and watch the sunrise - as there's no way to sit by the windows without being blinded.

We stayed for 2 nights on our honeymoon and it was overall a wonderful experience. The room was beautifully traditional with comfortable tatami floors and furnished with small sofas for those who don't like sitting on the floor. The view in our veranda was breathtaking and the air was crisp and clean. A truly revitalizing experience. Service wise, from the moment we entered the premise to the point when we left the service was flawless. Nene-san who was our personal attendant was so attentive to our needs and made sure we were well taken care off throughout our stay. The meals she served us daily for breakfast and dinner were truly exquisite, particularly our dinner on the second night, a teppanyaki wagyu beef course served right in our room. We were genuinely hesitant about booking Gora Kadan as the price is truly on the high side, but we have to say that the experience surpassed our expectations and we will definitely be back in the future. Thanks again to Nene-san and the chefs who cared for us and fed us so well!

Price is definitely on the high side. Also the futons may not be for everyone as it is not as soft as a bed with a mattress. I believe there are other options in the property with actual beds so you might want to choose those. In line with this the pillows are a bit thin. I would think that you could request for different pillows but it wasn't a big deal for us so we didn't bother asking. Finally it may be a bit hard to find if you're walking over from Gora station. You'll need to look out for a small crossing across the train tracks as you're walking out of the station that leads to a path to the property. Its a short distance, just a few minutes. If you have a Japanese number and can call them, I believe they can pick you up from Gora Station.