Staying in Odawara really turned out to be a memorable part of my trip. The sounds of the sea and the smell of it were just great. The place is super close to the beach, right across from a harbor. You can watch the harbor activity in the mornings, which was nice. It's surprisingly quiet inside, even though it's on a street where cars pass. The property itself was decent; the bathroom and washing machine worked fine. Getting there was easy, only about a minute from Hayakawa Station, which is close to Odawara Station. There are futons for up to 6 people, and the internet worked okay. No elevator, but it's only on the second floor, so that was no problem. If you're planning to visit Hakone, I'd suggest staying here. Hakone can be really busy and expensive for lodging, so this is a good alternative. It's just an hour or two away from Hakone by bus or train. The host was also helpful and easy to communicate with.

For things I didn't like: the plates, glasses, and cooking stuff were a bit limited, so it was hard to cook much. The building feels a bit old, but it's okay. A few electronics were there, like a projector and a speaker, but they were hard to use. The projector was too high to connect to a laptop easily, and the speaker was old, so it didn't have Bluetooth.

Spacious apartment with comfortable beds, great facilities (including good wifi), spotlessly clean and in a fab location. We loved staying in this apartment for a few days. Seconds from Hayakawa Station and a 10-12 minute walk to Hakone-Itibashi Station it was ideally placed to explore the Hakone-Izu National Park without having to deal with the craziness of Odawara and Hakone-Yumoto. It was designed so the kids could have their own space, which they loved, and everything was thoughtfully done; the projector was a particularly nice touch. If we came back to this area we wouldn’t stay anywhere else.

Could have done with a cloth to wipe surfaces or a tea towel for dishes but I’m nit-picking as everything was really great!

Great stay at the authentic Japanese apartment. You can even see the Odawara Castle from the window

We were a family with 4 adults and a child that stayed here and the apartment was spacious enough. It was well equipped and even had mobile chargers. The host answered our questions promptly and was genuinely helpful regarding our baggage arriving by post. The futon mattresses here were much more comfortable than some of the other places we stayed in Japan. Hayakawa station that has connections to Odawara was a short walk from here.

The window towards the seaside was difficult to open and also early morning sunlight came right through.

The apartment was spacious and open plan. Facilities were great. The kitchen was well stocked with all the necessary appliances, plus a washing machine with a drying rack. Beds clean and comfortable. A little on the quiet side but close proximity to Hayakawa train station and only one stop up the line to Odawara for restaurants and shops. We enjoyed our stay.

This was our 18yr old daughter’s favourite accomodation on our Japan trip. It is cute and unique to where we live in NZ. You can walk around the harbour. We are at the Italian restaurant a couple of blocks away. We stayed here because we had a booking for the fun2 drive sports cars in Hakone. Easy to catch a bus to and from fun 2 drive

Great location and had everything we needed.

Air conditioning not suitable for the size of apartment especially with the single glazed windows which means you can hear all the road traffic, boats and wind. You will most likely need the free ear plugs.

The apartment is just a stroll from the train station and overlooks the harbour in a quiet neighbourhood. By Japanese standards, this is an enormous unit, with amazing, nearly new kitchen, bathroom and washing facilities. We really enjoyed our stay here. We will stay again.

Quite a spacious place for a Japanese place. Wi fi pretty good. Close to a station. Excellent restaurant nearby. Apartment well fitted out. Washing machine worked well

Instructions for things could have been clearer (ie what does and doesn’t go in particular bins)

First of all, very good value/cost ratio. Apartment is very clean and spacious. There is a gas heater so you don't have to worry about cold. Quite comfortable mattresses.

Building is just very old, but again: cost/value ratio is very good.