Palace Hotel Hakone

Hakone visit

Convenient to bus route and comfortable. Restaurant is pretty expensive though and not many alternatives in area

Secluded, comfortable, and Western-friendly

The good: -Seeing Mt. Fuji from our room and the hotel lobby (thanks to the weather cooperating as well). Awesome views of the area in general, as the hotel is on a small bluff. -We got upgraded at no charge which was nice (don’t expect this to be normal), but we got a glance at the "regular" rooms and they were decent sized for Western standards as well. -Very Western friendly (most everything has English) and seems to cater to a Western clientele. -Plenty of free parking. -Close to the Hakone Ropeway, though I don’t quite agree with the other reviewers’ idea of "close" especially if you’re with older folks. It’d probably be a good 20+ walk on some moderate hills. We drove. The not so good: -Location is a bit remote in relation to the rest of Hakone, so a car would be a good idea (we were glad we had one). For those who don’t have one, there’s a bus stop at the hotel’s entrance on the road. -Said to have been renovated in the 90s, but definitely starting to show its age. Room had a VCR (?!?) with a VHS rental at the front desk... nice touch but a bit dated. Hallways had that "college dorm" smell to them. -Hotel’s (men’s) onsen is ok at best and it is free of charge, but definitely recommend going to a "real" onsen somewhere else in town. Entrance. -Restaurant was expensive as expected (you are in a remote mountain town after all). Ate breakfast there, expensive but the French toast was awesome. With a car there are a bunch of restaurants within reach.

Traveler's tip on getting the most out of your stay

Facing toward the front entrance, if you get a room on the farthest left side, the windows will be in perfect view of Mt. Fuji. Don’t know about other rooms... but of course, as mentioned, you can see Mt. Fuji from the lobby on a clear day.

Budget Western Style Hotel with Onsen

The Good: This hotel has an amazing view of Mt. Fuji and is located just one bus stop away from the Hakone Ropeway and Lake Ashi. The ropeway takes you to some wonderful scenic stops and Lake Ashi is a beautiful lake in the mountains. This is a sightseers and hikers delight. Buy a Hakone "Free Pass" at the Tokyo train station and you can travel most Hakone transportation for free. I recommend taking the EXPRESS Romance Car from Shinjuku Station. The Bad: I have stayed at some very nice 5-star hotels with onsen (hot spring baths) over the years, so I am bit spoiled. Soaking in the onsen is a big part of the experience I look forward to when traveling to Japan - The onsen at the Palace Hotel was in need of some repair and was not particularly pleasing to the eye, however the water was hot, the tubs were comfortable, and the bath areas were all well cleaned. We booked this hotel at the last minute and I was lucky to find a room at all considering it was a long weekend and there are many travelers getting out of Tokyo for the weekend. If you don’t plan to spend any time in your hotel, save some money and try this hotel. If you are looking for a traditional Ryokan style hotel and Japanese food in your room, look elsewhere. You won’t find the majority of Ryokan on internet travel services. You will need a good travel guide. Book your stay 2 months in advance. The best Ryokan fill up early. When you stay in one, you will know why.

This is a tough trip to make with small children. We took a 3.5yr and 1yr old with us and found it exhausting traveling around. The kids had a blast, but Mom and Dad were beat! Pack light, pack light, pack light! Backpacks are best. Go see the Open Air Museum if weather permits. The Yousen themed bath park was great for the kids, but the baths were a let down compared to a real onsen. Leave extra time for yourself getting where you want to go and pack comfortable walking shoes.