The onsens were INCREDIBLE. The layout of the room was great and the view was amazing. Loved the bath on the balcony, and attire they give you to wear (wish there was instructions though!!) I really wish we stayed for an extra night or two... One night wasn't enough!

As a neurodivergent individual who has never been in an onsen & gets very anxious about new things, I really wish there was some more in-depth information about what to do in the onsen. Ie what to wear and bring. I know very basic Japanese, the poor lady did try and help explain it to me but I was still very confused and almost didn't go - I was afraid that if I just stripped off into the nude and walked into the onsen with no towel that it would be odd (btw - it's not!!) I wish we had a double bed instead of twin beds. It was also extremely hard to get to the hotel from the train station after 5pm, our phones wouldn't let us make phone calls and we couldn't work out the phone booth as it was all in very fast Japanese! So make sure you get here earlier in the day!

The facilities are good. They provided free tea, coffee, ice cream. Certain date and time have live concert. The onsen is big, indoor and outdoor. They have sauna and cold bath as well.

Maybe due to our lack of research, this place is actually a high rise building with rooms decorated as ryokan. We thought it was an actual landed house ryokan. The dinner is at another annex building. The hotel reserved the dinner time at 5pm without my knowledge. If you miss the shuttle bus, then you need a taxi or bus to reach the hotel. Do not rely on the shuttle bus timetable mentioned in the booking.com replied questions. It was misleading.

Super intimate and relaxing room. The real hot spring water was so special to have. We had a view of the trees behind the property with the sound of their small waterfall (manmade) in the garden. The breakfast was delicious with so many choices. It becomes very limited if you're vegan, and semi-limited if you're vegetarian. Pescatarians will have no problem.

DO NOT go to the "Sushi & Shabu Shabu Kumashiro" buffet that the hotel recommends in the flyer they give you as a dinner alternative near the property in the next building over. It was the WORST and most overpriced food I've ever had in my travels and we couldn't even finish 1/4 of our meal. I can't even find this place on google to warn travelers further about it. Ten-yu charges 120$/17,000 yen for their dinner but I wasn't certain it would be vegetarian friendly and for that price I didn't want to risk it. Highly suggest taking the bus to Moto-Hakone or Gora area to find food, definitely more options.

This was a real treat. Not cheap but the experience was more than worth it. On arriving, you are greeted at the door by wonderful ladies that take your bags and help you check in. Tea ,cold drinks, ice-cream are all available in the reception area where there is also an external balcony area with seating and foot spa looking across to the mountains.The rooms have private onsens on the balcony and the rooms are spacious and well appointed. We had a kaiseki meal plan which was theatre in itself. Breakfast was even more incredible with a mind boggling array of choice including lobster legs and champagne! Our stay was our last day in Japan after a 5 week tour and when the taxi took us to the train station..I actually shed a tear of sadness. It was such an incredible place to stay .THANKYOU !.we will remember it always!

nothing.

This place is so beautiful during the Autumn time. The amenities are great, there's free ice cream from the vending machines! They also had a free concert going on when we were there. The onsen is fantastic, they provide toiletries as well as yukatas. There's a garden at the property you can walk around in. The dinner kaiseki was great, they gave us a dinner buffet afterwards as well if we wanted more food. The breakfast buffet was also fantastic!

There was A LOT of people, probably because we went during peak Koyo season, but getting to the destination via bus was a nightmare! The only way to get to Odawara for the shinkansen is by bus, which is 40-50 minutes. You can opt for a taxi, but when we tried, they were all booked already :(

Dinner was disappointing. It was the first time throughout my whole trip that I felt very much on my own. The dinner wasn’t in the hotel which I didn’t realise and if I had known I would not have included the dinner in my booking. I was taken across the road to a restaurant and was put in an area where I sat completely on my own eating. No atmosphere, no nice surroundings and the decor felt dull making it feel like a cold atmosphere. Couldn’t wait for the dinner to be over and go back to the hotel. Breakfast on the other hand was in the hotel, the atmosphere was buzzing, nice decor, didn’t feel isolated like I did at dinner and loads of people around enjoying a good variety of food on offer.

The restaurant where dinner took place.

Rooms were stunning. Views even more so. The onsens were incredible, especially the views, with two different ones that rotated for males and females to use from evening to morning so even with one night stay we could experience both. We went for the Kaiseiki dinner option and requested vegan and it was some of the best food we had on the trip, full of flavour, authentically Japanese and presentation of it all was so beautiful (make sure you come hungry as there was plenty of courses)

Our stay at Hakone Kowakien Ten-yu was nothing short of incredible. From the moment we arrived, we were welcomed by the warm, friendly staff, many of whom spoke excellent English, making everything smooth and easy. The highlight of our trip was the perfect blend of fun and relaxation. The gorgeous Kaiseki dinner was a feast for both the eyes and the palate, and the breakfast was equally exceptional. The hot springs, both in our private room and in the public areas, offered a serene and calming experience, allowing us to truly unwind. Every detail of the hotel was designed to help us relax, from the peaceful ambiance to the outstanding service. This was a wonderful stay, and we can’t wait to return!

For dinner we requested no seafood and they customized all the courses to our liking. you could feel the effort and we highly appreciate it. For breakfast you have various options - western and Japanese, we loved it. Room was well equipped and you get various sizes and options for the traditional Yokatas clothings. Cleanliness wise - all in Japanese standards and it's the best you can get.

Location is a bit tricky, since in a place like Hakone if you travel with the Hakone pass and the buses, the bus stop is a bit far from the hotel main entrance, so on first arrival with the bags it was not so comfortable. Since the hotel do offers a shuttle bus from the train station, I recommend you request the shuttle bus schedule in advance so you synchronize your arrival with it.

OVerall the stay was wonderful - great food, luxurious onsen, and friendly staff in a beautiful and convenient location for Hakone sightseeing. The kaiseki dinner was beautiful and delicious but there was only one set menu. So if you are staying for 2+ nights, the meal would be the same each night if you request the kaiseki meal every night. We switched the second night's kaiseki dinner to the buffet dinner to change it up. The buffet breakfast and dinner were both great - there were many options. The public onsen was fantastic! - especially the 6th floor bath. The 5th and 6th floor baths swap between the genders each day (i.e. men on 5th floor, women on 6th floor; then the next day men on the 6th floor and women on the 5th floor). We also had the private balcony bath which was well worth the extra charge for more privacy. The hotel has some free snacks in the after and free ice cream machines (ask the front desk for tokens). There is a shuttle that can take you to Gora station for free. The bus stop for the Hakone free pass is also just outside the hotel. When we visited, the hotel had a promotion allowing their patrons to visit the nearby onsen amusement park (Hakone Kowakien Yunessun) for free after talking with the front desk to get the passes. It was fun trying the different baths and not that far away - just a meandering walk through some indoor passageways (no need to worry about cold/rain). Most of the front facing staff also spoke/understood English, which helped at check-in/out and requesting other services.

It was difficult to control the room temperature without English instructions (google translate wasn't the most helpful for explaining all the different settings). It also seemed to get reset after a certain amount of time (we woke up sweating/tossing off the covers) and was possibly reset during the morning cleaning. Also, Mount Fuji isn't really visible from this location though it is close to some good views (weather permitting).