Karaku, Gora

This places was incredible. Admittedly there were a few reviews I read that seemed concerning but the staff and accommodations quickly dispelled those. Everyone we interacted with was polite, kind, and professional. The food was incredible. Both in presentation as well as flavor. The beds were comfortable and the private onsen was out of this world comfortable and peaceful.If you're trying to find a place that will take great care of you; look no further!

Although it's expensive, I think it's a good hotel because of its location as a sightseeing base in Hakone, its newness, and just the right amount of luxury. We especially recommend the private bath. It costs 5,000 yen per hour and is much more elegant than the guest room open-air bath or the observation open-air bath (large public bath). This includes post-bath juices (straight smoothies, unusual fruit sodas, etc.), and 30 minutes of cleaning between guests. It would be a waste to come to this inn and spend 5,000 yen and not take a private bath. It is a good idea to make a reservation from the tablet in your room immediately after checking in. For some reason, reservations were scarce on the day of my visit. too good to waste.There is also a guest lounge where you can enjoy drinks and snacks. Although it doesn't have all the luxury items, it has a nice atmosphere and is perfect for taking a break after a meal or hot spring. It closes early at 8pm, so get there early.There is also a terrace, an outdoor lounge right outside the guest lounge, and a forest terrace up the stairs from there that is refreshing and recommended in the morning. There are many pitfalls of jade dragon (a plant with thin, dark leaves) under your feet, so be careful especially at night. At night, we recommend the water terrace that can be accessed from the main building, and the illumination reflected on the shimmering water surface is full of emotion. Both rooms have sofas and side tables, so you can enjoy them even more if you bring snacks and drinks from the guest lounge.On the other hand, I can't help but feel that it was a little disappointing.・There was a piece of garbage left on the floor of the guest room toilet,・Even though I asked for details about what drinks and tea items in the guest room could be refilled, the explanation was incorrect.・ Regarding the precautions for breakfast, even though I made a reservation online in advance, I received a polite phone call from the hotel afterwards to confirm, so I didn't fully understand what I had said there, so I had to explain and confirm again on the spot.・The hair dryer and facial beauty device in the public bath look a lot older...There were some worrisome scenes. It's impossible to make sure everything is perfect when it comes to cleaning, the public bath is used by guests, and I think there are various circumstances regarding the staff's knowledge and communication, so it seems like a new hotel and we will continue to do so in the future. I look forward to it. By the way, the breakfast was very delicious and I enjoyed it.I took a quick look at other reviews, and there are some points that make me realize that this may indeed be the case. I don't know if the staff are undergoing training, but as mentioned above, there were some who were not able to get things right, and I don't think that would happen at a long-established inn in the same price range, so I definitely didn't miss a single thing. If that's what you're looking for, there seem to be a lot of long-established luxury inns that cost between 70,000 and 150,000 yen per person, so those are probably the best options. I looked at it with a smile on my face. Although some of the customers were not Japanese, they did not have any trouble communicating in Japanese, and I think they have a variety of staff available to accommodate the increasing number of English-only customers, who have been increasing in recent years. Masu. I don't know what the situation was because there was no sign of anyone being overbearing.There were times when the elevator had a strong odor, but it was completely due to the strong perfume of the passengers (we were identified by chance next to each other when checking out). A relatively large number of people who like perfume are young women who work in offices in Minato Ward. The inside of the building, including the elevators, was clean considering it was a new building, but the only place I felt that it wasn't thoroughly cleaned was the floor of the guest room toilet. Common areas such as public baths are more the responsibility of the guests rather than the responsibility of the hotel... Ah, in that sense, it might be better to stay at a more expensive inn. However, Hakone is a popular tourist destination and a place that many people visit, so I feel like there are some aspects that cannot be helped no matter how high-class it is.Overall, I couldn't help but feel that it was a bit expensive since it's in Hakone, but overall I think it's a very good inn considering the location (it's a good base for heading to various sightseeing spots in Hakone), hospitality, and facilities. The hotel industry as a whole is currently at a high price due to inbound demand and the backlash from corona damage compensation. This is an inn I would like to visit again once the price and family situation have calmed down a bit.

Words cannot describe the experience we had at this place. Hakone is such a great place to visit on its own, once you pair it with Karaku it would turn into a magical place. Once you step into this place you would get nothing but great hospitality, luxury experience and feel the Japanese culture and traditions. This nicest part of this place was the availability of private and in suit Onsen, especially if you are traveling as a couple. Dinner and breakfast are all prepared with utmost care and are really tasty. You’ll have the option to choose between Japanese or western cuisine. The hotel also offers free shuttle services to and from Odawara station. So make sure to check with them about the times as it would be a bit tricky to travel on your own with the bus and expensive by a taxi.

Finally someone picked up and dropped off the suitcases! Indicates that hotel workers have begun to move in! Good sign!