Hakone Nanase

In 2018, I stayed at this hotel and was absolutely amazed. The experience left such a deep impression on me that I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I fondly remembered the beautiful piano and violin performances in the lobby, the delightful room with a private hot spring on the balcony, and the cozy Japanese-style private dining rooms serving exquisite cuisine.

At the end of last year, I finally booked another stay, excited to relive the magic. Unfortunately, this time was a letdown. While I couldn’t secure a room with a hot spring, the differences went far beyond that. The room I stayed in was quite ordinary, lacking the charm I remembered. The dining area had changed to standard partitions instead of the intimate Japanese-style rooms, and while the food presentation was still stunning, the flavors were unremarkable, and the portions left me feeling unsatisfied.

Sadly, this stay didn’t live up to my cherished memories, and I know I won’t be returning again.

Special location on a hill next to a waterfall, little hotel with an onsen both private in the room and public
The room and onsen were great
A special experience not to miss
The only thing that was missing is a breakfast or restaurant of any kind
According to the reception the chef took a day off🤷🏻‍♀️
The hotel is very isolated abd hard to get without a car, so we had to buy few things and eat at the room, i think it’s not appropriate for a hotel not to think about their customers

Staying here was a very enjoyable experience.

We stayed for 2 nights. What we enjoyed:

1. The quiet country atmosphere
2 our own private onsen (divine)!
3. The private onsens where you can lock the door.
4. The dinner was spectacular - presented beautifully, in our own private room.
5. Large rooms.
6. Wearing our traditional and comfortable yukatas to dinner was so nice.

Things to be aware of:

1. The rooms are very dated! Comfortable but dated.
2. Our fridge had seals that no longer sealed hence the fridge was useless.
3. They only offer a Japanese breakfast these days (which our group did not enjoy). I had advised previously of a fish allergy so I received a western breakfast instead which was great. We asked if we could all have this on the 2nd morning, but the response was they don’t do western breakfasts (obviously only if you prearrange an alternative).
4. If arriving on the train, it’s a precarious trip down hill with your luggage (the hotel will only offer a courtesy pick up at certain times).
5. The hotel does not have a bar or food outside of breakfast and dinner (if you have this as part of your package) so you will need to come organized with food and drinks outside these times. The hotel is a bit isolated - during the day it is easy enough to get to a convenience store - but not at night.

The staff were lovely and the concept of a private onsen in your room was great for a special occasion (we were on our Honeymoon); we also didn’t struggle to use any of the “shared” private onsen (there are three you turn up and lock the door and it is yours for 45 mins). These were slightly bigger than the private onsen hence why we used both.

Whilst the hotel was a lovely experience after the wonderful chaos of Tokyo I’m not sure it was worth the £330 a night we paid. The room needed updating - there were patches of masking tape covering gaps in the floor for example. We also experienced a loud humming noise in our room the duration of the trip that couldn’t be fixed; despite the staff being super helpful. We were in room 47.

The food was an experience! If you enjoy sashimi / raw fish you will love it. I have attached pictures of the menu both nights we stayed; night two menu was much preferred. The breakfast was a unique experience (fish and rice) which was nice to try but not our cup of tea as Westerners! Still amazingly presented. Disappointing only water or oolong tea was included in the price and we had to pay 800yen for a beer with the meal given we’d paid so much to stay to begin with.

In summary: definitely worth staying somewhere like this on your trip to Japan! But it is expensive so don’t expect a full “five star” experience

large, comfortable, scenic rooms with a nice seating area with tatami floors.
excellent japanese breakfast ...only problem is , it has to be booked in advance. as with the dinner ...kaiseki dinner but requires a prior booking so we missed out on that. Lovely private and public hot baths. nestled among trees and greenery. quite a revitalising stay!

We stayed for two nights at this wonderful resort, and it felt like a dream.

We booked a suite with a private onsen. The room itself was very large, and the beds quite comfortable. I can't say the same for the sofas, which felt as if they had seen better days and felt awfully springy; thankfully, we didn't need anybody to sleep on them overnight.

The private bath was of course the main attraction, and it was just wonderful -- it was so enjoyable we took 4 dips just on the first day. We also tried the family bath down on the 1st floor one afternoon; at no point did they all look full and they were great for stretching out your legs and getting more space to soak in.

The food was the other star here. Both dinners were spectacular. The food was traditional Japanese food, with no substitutions or changes; some of the dishes were certainly things we wouldn't have ordered if given the choice, but turned out delicious. For breakfast, we were not offered a choice but simply served a Japanese breakfast. I'm not sure everything was to my palette, but the parts that were were cooked to perfection. I'm talking some of the most perfectly grilled fish I have ever had.

The front desk staff was impeccably polite and spoke English with no problems at all. They happily took our bags when we arrived hours before check-in, and even provided some maps of the area. No complaints at all.

The resort looks close on the map to Kowakidani train station, but trying to walk the hilly road with no sidewalk while dragging two suitcases was not at all a pleasant experience. The hotel does offer a ride in their private van to/from the train station, which we took advantage of upon checking out and would recommend. Otherwise, the main transportation available is the H bus, which is convenient (running from Hakone-Yumoto all the way down to Lake Ashi), but only comes every 15-20 minutes, can be very crowded, and takes many many tight turns -- great for sightseeing but not recommended if you are bringing luggage!

I wanted to give it a 4.5 star but half a star is obviously not possible so I just round it up lol

Anyway, the location is convenient, pretty close to the train station and the good thing is that they gave me a ride from that train station to the hotel, a really good courtesy ride! Bus is also a good option and the closet bus stop is like a 5-min walk away.

There are a few things that I really like about this hotel:
1. The art pieces and decor, very detailed, that distinguish itself from other properties
2. The dinner was soooo good! One of the best ryokan dinner experiences I had
3. The in room hot bath is great and it comes with the price that we paid which is a good deal
4. The private bath for rent was not busy, and when I say rent, it is actually free. I went during the autumn leaves season so I could actually view the autumn leaves when I bath, so going in the red leaves season would give you a surprise
5. This is a cozy and quiet hotel, so if you long for some quiet time this would be the place to go.

The thing to improve is that some areas of this hotel are dated which need some touch up. But I can live with those, not major actually.

All in all I would recommend this hotel!

食事がとても美味しかったです。
従業員の皆様のサービスも行き届いていました

良くなかった所を考えるのが難しいくらいとても良かったです。
食事は見た目も味も最高でした！
お野菜もお肉もデザートもとても美味しかったです。
施設の方も接客がとてもスマートで、心地よく、フロントの方はとても上品で優しかったです。
また行きます。

About 10 minutes walk from Kowakidani station, but it is quite steep. I recommend asking the hotel for pickup (by Mercedez!). Some rooms have their own private spring hot tub and it is awesome. No large public bath, but there are three small chartered baths, so you can enjoy it whenever you want even if you stayed in a room without a spring bath. Dinner and breakfast have plenty of vegetables and you can enjoy Bagna cauda and various vegetable sticks with white dip sources. Kaiseki (course meal with many small dishes) is very healthy. The room is clean and cozy, but a bit aged (but it does not blot on the good points at all). Nothing is around here and it is very quiet; it means that you have to buy snacks beforehand. I love this hotel!

御影風呂のお部屋に泊まりましたが、非常に満足しました。お値段が高くなっても、檜風呂や御影風呂の付いているお部屋をおすすめします。
3つ貸切風呂がありますが、「煤竹」が一番見晴らしがよいかも。
お食事もバーニャカウダなど、自然の野菜の風味を生かした懐石料理で、お刺身、お肉も繊細でヘルシー、そしてお腹いっぱいになりました。
駅から遠くはありませんが、険しい坂道なので、送迎をお願いするとよいです。
まわりには何もない静かなところなので、事前に買い物をしておくことをおすすめします。

We stayed in a Suite with Semi Open-Air Cypress Bath during March of 2020. The whole experience was absolutely wonderful and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend staying here!
We are from the UK and as with many places in Japan it goes a long way to speak a little Japanese and learn as many customs as possible whilst you enjoy their beautiful country.
We stayed for 2 nights, and I will try and break down each part of our stay!
Food - You get your own private dining area which was super romantic and a really lovely touch. We opted for one Japanese style breakfast and one Western breakfast, and as much as I loved the Japanese experience, my other half was grateful for the western breakfast the second morning, so I would definitely recommend this to western travellers. However the evening food was absolutely spectacular, an incredible mix of different types of cuisine with a menu to explain what you are getting, even if there are sparse instructions on how exactly best to eat some parts of the meals! (I think that is all part of the fun and the staff are happy to help try and explain, even with limited English!) The wine and drinks are quite expensive, but living near London, this didn't faze us as much as it seems to some other reviewers!
Room and Bath - The in-room onsen looked so inviting and we were incredibly excited on seeing our room as it was pretty spectacular with gorgeous mountain views. Our ONLY gripe was that the bath was INSANELY hot when we first got into the room and only Daenerys Targaryen would be able to get into it! However it did cool over the course of the day and we very much enjoyed not having to leave the room to enjoy the bath!
Private Onsens - We also made use of the onsens on site that you literally just walk down to and if one is available you lock the door behind you and it is all yours. We visited quite a few onsens across Japan and it was an absolutely luxury to be able to use one together with my other half as most (all) other onsens are gender specific and public so it is a very different experience. I am truly glad I got to experience both!
I would honestly say that if you are trying to save a few pennies, don't go for the tub in your room and just use their ones on site. They are private, clean, and each one is slightly different which is a fun thing to experience.
Location - the hotel is up the hill from the town of Hakone and you do need to familiarise yourself with the Round Pass bus system and where to get on and off. Again, we found this all to be part of the adventure, but I can appreciate that if you aren't used to looking at maps and timetables, you may get a little lost/frustrated! If you were short on time, this might not be the hotel for you, but if you have a few days to explore, relax and enjoy, this is 100% the hotel for you. Definitely not a traditional ryoken, and perhaps geared more towards a Western audience, but hey, we were that, and we had an incredible time. Can't wait to go back. Thank you to everyone who made our stay an absolute delight!

The location of The Mantei is wonderful. Peaceful. Entering into a spacious and tastefully designed reception where all check-in formalities are being dealt with efficiently. The rooms are spacious with a nice view. They are however in need of some TLC and modernisation here and there. Especially the bathroom. It could also do with some additional space to store and hang your clothes.
Part of the service are these very comfortable cotton pyjamas.

The Onsen in the hotel is nice - comfortable and relaxing but not very special.

The absolute high-point of the hotel is the food. Absolutely amazing. 7 or 8 courses of very fresh and tasty Japanese dishes.

The service in the restaurant is very courteous and kind. The staff at reception could do with some additional training in being 'friendly and helpful'.

All in all - a safe bet in the Hakone area

Such a nice place to relax and take a moment to enjoy where you are. Food was amazing and staff made you feel at home. Was one of my favourite places to stay. Bed was a little too hard for my partner but good for me. You wear your traditional Japanese pajamas throughout the hotel which added to feeling relaxed. I would recommend private onsen, I used it so much and so glad we opted for it.

Hakone is known for things like the beautiful nature of the Lake Ashi or Owakudani, volcanic hot spot, but it is also known for its Onsen. That is where this property comes into the lime light. Our stay at Manatei Art and Music was for 2 nights at the premium suite called Owakudani. The suite itself is spacious which could, from my observation, can sleep 4 adults 2 on the two double bed pressed together on the left side of the room when you enter through the entrance and 2 on the right side a futon/lounging area. The suite also comes with a private semi open air Onsen which is out to favorite feature of the room. The room is indeed a “Premium suite” for all these features and space plus along with amenities such as solid collection of bathroom amenities as well complementary tea (with Matcha powder and tea kettle) and a complementary water as well. We also paid for half board which means breakfast and dinner was included in our stay. For breakfast, it is a standard Japanese style with an main entree (breakfast can be change to western style upon request before the check in) and dinner is highlight and star of the meal. The hotel calls it a creative Kaiseki 7 to 8 dish course meal which is not only pleasing to the eyes but to palette as well. The service here was impeccable, special thanks to Mr. Oyama for taking care of us during the both meals for both days!! They also have English speaking staff daily from 9 AM to 6 PM at the front desk. So it is foreign friendly as well. After you finalized your booking it also sends an automated email in English that explains everything about the hotel.If you want to get the true authentic experience of Hakone this place is a must.

The Manatai was the perfect way to experience the traditional Japanese Onsen (hot tub) while still enjoying western comforts.
The hotel offers both public as well as private onsens. The service was amazing as was the traditional Japanese breakfast and dinner.

We stayed here for 2 nights on our honeymoon in December 2019. The rooms are amazing! spacious and the in room hot springs hot tub is worth it! Delicious breakfast and dinner included each day. The staff were very helpful and able to get us anything we needed. Highly recommend a stay here if in the area!

This property was the most expensive on our trip and we looked forward to it the most.
Unfrotunelty it was a terrible disappointment.
To start with the rooms are average and dated.
But the major disastor was the dinner which was unedible.
after telling them no sea food, im allergic. I was still served sea food, resulting in arguements each night. This in turn resulted in me being sick for the rest of the holiday.
If you dont eat seafood be prepered.
The only redeeming feature was the bath. Still however this was worth the drive but not the cost.

Stayed here for two nights in January 2020. While the staff and food was excellent, the accommodations were lacking and in desperate need of some attention. Hotel and rooms felt old.

We had stayed at a variety of properties across Japan so were able to compare to other hotels. The price per room here was high so we were expecting a nicer experience. We even opted for the “suite” with in-room soaking tub. The bed was not very comfortable, noticeable stains on carpet and mats, and the bathroom shower was outside next to the hot soaking tub.

As mentioned everyone on staff was very friendly and the hotel dining was really delicious.

See pictures.

Overall it was fine but given the price I think you could do better.

This hotel for the price you charge/they charge is unacceptable - not worth it.

It is a great plave to stay. The room was spacious and clean. And the view during fall was amazing. Definately should reserve the room that has your own private onsen bath it is worth it.