The Prince Hakone Lake Ashinoko

We loved the hotel. Seems that need a renovation but it’s very very comfortable and staff are super friendly and helpful. Onsen is great and breakfast is good. Restaurants in the hotel are quite expensive comparing to region. Hotel has a bus to and from Odawara station that is very convenient, you need to book in advance. We lost the last bus to Odawara for one minute as we did not make a reservation and it really leave on the minute (you can catch a regular bus in Hakone En bus station nearby) or get a taxi. We went to have dinner in MotoHanoke at 7pm and took an Uber to go and come back, to come back was quite hard to get one so if you do that organize with the driver to pick you up for return. Hotel has some free bus to MotoHakone as well but we haven’t use it. Best part was to wake up in a sunny morning and see Mount Fuji from the garden while resting in a chair. I hope to come back to this hotel again and spend more time in Hakone ! Miss Yamagiwa Kanau was specially helpful and nice.

This is one of the few hotels that truly feels like a traditional hotel. Unlike many modern minimalist hotels that feel more like apartments, this property has a classic charm and atmosphere that I really appreciated. The views are beautiful, the staff are friendly and welcoming, and the onsen is excellent. It is a great place for a relaxing staycation. One thing to note is that there are no buses to or from the hotel after 7:30 PM. Walking from Motohakone-ko at night is not recommended, as there are sections without sidewalks and some stretches have no street lighting. I did it once, but I would not do it again if given the choice. The main area for improvement would be the air conditioning. It was not strong enough, and the room remained quite warm until late at night. I had to use a small fan to make the room more comfortable for sleeping. Overall, I enjoyed my stay and would recommend the hotel to travelers looking for a traditional hotel experience with a great onsen and scenic surroundings.

Hakone Prince Hotel benefits from a very good location near Lake Ashi — this is its only real advantage. The Japanese restaurant was a complete disappointment. We were told the restaurant was “fully booked,” yet in reality only 1–2 tables were occupied in a large dining hall. At the same time, a significant part of the menu was unavailable — even basic items like miso soup were not offered. The selection was extremely limited, service felt disorganized, and the overall experience did not match the standards you expect in Japan. The pricing, however, was very high. The final bill was completely unjustified for the level of food and service provided. Compared to other hotels in Japan, where staff go out of their way to accommodate guests and offer alternatives, this place showed no flexibility at all — even dishes listed on the menu were simply unavailable. I would only recommend this hotel for its location. If you decide to stay, book a room with a lake view — otherwise the experience may be quite disappointing. Overall: strong location, but very poor dining experience and unacceptable value for money.

Absolute dream!! The best view of Mt Fuji ever!! The view doesn’t seem real. View and balcony alone made it worth it. We booked a lake view twin room which worked for us and our 2 young daughters as it had 2 double beds. Had all the amenities you need eg fridge, kettle, Nespresso machine etc gift shop had the best snacks (get the almond caramel biscuits) rooms were quiet with black out curtains. We didn’t use many amenities like onsen etc but they seemed cool. The restaurants are super expensive (but beautiful) so we just got our own food from the konbini and had the most beautiful picnic on the lawn. Stunning surroundings with dreamy forest walking paths etc. Staff were all very friendly, big car park etc my only disappointment is we only stayed 2 nights wish we could have stayed more. Will 100% come back for a week next time.