Shinanoki Ichinoyu

Location is not too bad. The meals are good and value to stay. Very relaxing.

The pillows are either too hard or too soft. The soft location is quite strange. Not too convenient.

Very tranquil environment and peaceful to live in. With a private onsen pool in the room! Spacious room for 4 of us.

Perhaps the property should install insect screens to separate the private onsen pool from the forest (trees) outside. Because the private onsen pool is open to the outside, at night time all sorts of insects were flying in being attracted by the lamps overhead.

The room was very clean and I appreciated that the onsen had no grime. There was enough space for two 24" luggage to be fully opened. The hotel provided a change of towels and yukata, along with toiletries everyday. The hotel information provided in the ring file (inside the room on the table) was very useful as it informs guests about the food, the different onsens etc. There are 2 public onsens in the hotel, 1 indoor (separate for male and female) and 1 outdoor. We did not have a chance to visit the public onsen as we already had a private one in the room. However, I took a peak in the changing room and it was well-equipped with hair dryers and mirrors (belongings have to be put in a basket, so don't bring valuables). We typically use the onsen at night, where sometimes insects (of large sizes like a giant moth) might land on the water, but that's pretty typical of the natural surroundings. There is a net provided to catch/ scoop up the insects. The flow of hot water at night is pretty stable although many people were bathing at the same time. There are about 3 power points in the room, which was enough for the 2 of us. BUY THE WAFER, IT'S ONLY 9 FOR 400 YEN. We really enjoyed the food at the hotel (both breakfast and dinner) where we got to try shabu shabu, sukiyaki and dongpo pork for 3 dinners and mackerel, and salmon for breakfast. The meals rotate on a 2 day basis for breakfast (not sure for dinner as we had different dinners for 3 nights). There is half a lobster served per person on the 3rd consecutive dinner night, but it was pretty chewy. You are able to order additional items on the spot (except for some stuff that must be ordered 2 days in advance) and I recommend the fried tofu, soft on the inside, crispy on the outside when hot.

As we came from Kyoto, we had to get to the accommodation via the Odawara station, which was a pretty long bus ride (about an hour plus). Hence, the place is not the most convenient especially if you are travelling with elderly or kids. If you are, rent a car. Many hotel guests come by car and there are lots available at the hotel itself. The nearest convenience store requires you to take a bus down the hill for about 20-30 minutes, so get a Hakone Free pass of Hakone Fuji pass to cover the trip. The hotel has no lift, which might be a problem for old folks and their luggage. However there are only 2 storeys, so its just 2 flights of stairs up to the 2nd floor. I am used to bathing early in the morning, however the hot water might not be there (it was there for 1 of the 3 mornings we stayed) and the water will be ULTRA cold, not to mention that the morning temperature is 16 degrees, so bathe with discretion. Dinner is typically served at 6pm, but you can request for it to be served at 7pm. We informed them that we wanted dinner at 7pm upon check-in. The timing is pretty early, but everything in hakone closes early anyway. Usually at 8pm, the restaurant is empty and the staff will be packing up, so time yourself if you are a slow eater and want to avoid the awkwardness of being the last person in the restaurant.

When we booked the food at Shinanoki Ichinoyu we didn't expect much but the dinner and breakfast blew our expectations out of the water! The shabu shabu dinner and traditional japanese breakfast were delicious! Our room was clean, fairly spacious, and the private onsen was so relaxing.

The temperature of the onsen was a bit too hot for us - we wished we could have adjusted the temperature within our room but it is controlled by batches (would have to call reception to ask for adjustments - no guarantee it would change). The location is also a bit out of the way from the major attractions in Hakone - you should expect to take multiple buses going through winding mountain roads (if you get car sick easily make sure you have some gravol!)