Everything was spectacular. When I walked in, I was floored by the view in the lobby and in our rooms. Overlooking a mountain of trees, the room was beautifully Japanese, and looked even better in person than in the pictures. The meals were amazing, beautifully balanced, and huge! Staff had english speakers which made it easier to communicate. And of course, the onsen... absolutely lovely. We took advantage of both the private and public onsen and it was so relaxing, it was really quite the perfect Hakone experience. And oh yeah, the location is wonderful. I booked this ryokan specifically for the location. Just a few minutes walk and on the 'loop' it's the perfect location for a Hakone trip. As others said, I would definitely take the recommendation of the ryokan and reviewers of getting off at the cable car to avoid the hill. :)

Nothing!

This Ryokan was a real gem and our absolute favorite from our recent trip to Japan. The food was exceptional—sometimes a bit too much, but undoubtedly the best we had during our stay. The place is incredibly calm, and the staff is top-notch, providing "au petit soin" service, as they say in French. Sleeping on traditional futon beds might seem a bit daunting at first, but it was actually a wonderful experience. The onsen was also excellent, adding to the authentic experience. They even managed to arrange a birthday cake for my son on very short notice—thanks again for that!

The only downside is that they only accept cash payments. While this wasn’t a problem for us since we had cash on hand, they should definitely inform guests about this policy at check-in. It’s likely mentioned in Japanese, but not in English, which could cause issues for some travelers.

A smaller boutique type hotel with Ryokan Experience. Food service included is amazing. Dinner (which included grilled fish and waygu shabu shabu) and Breakfast were extraordinary affairs. Very clean. Private onsen offered (1/2 hr time slots that you need to sign up for) was amazing for a newbie. Easy to get to by train from Tokyo. Need to make a few transfers. The final trains to the hotel was really neat. Very small and quaint. Need to take a cable car up the mountain to the first stop and then walk a few hundred meters, If you take the same cable car up to the final stop, it takes to you to the rope car that goes up the mountain and across the valley to the lake. Generally an easy walk with rolling luggage to get to. We had an amazing view of the mountainside. Beds were comfortable. A very quiet facility. Value wise, I think it was mostly in the food and private onsen experience.

While it is in a more modern building (circa 90's?), the facilities were a bit tired. The bathrooms (think pastels) could use an update. Would be hard pressed to stay more than one night as it is in a smaller town. Authentically Japanese, but don't expect to be waited on by geisha, lol.

We got to experience traditional Japanese hospitality and kaiseki style dinner without breaking the bank. Love that they also cater for kids and adjusted dinner slightly for my son. I absolutely loved the hotel staff : guy at reception and the ladies who were serving dinner/breakfast and doing housekeeping. Especially the lady who spoke very good English, she made us feel very welcomed, was very helpful with all my questions.

You have to pay extra for table tennis game, JPY 300 for 30 min. I found that odd.

The staff were kind and accommodating. Dinner was a 7-course feast, inclusive of shabu-shabu beef that was of the highest quality, and breakfast was extremely filling. Loved playing dress-up in beautiful yukatas and tried on several colors. Guests get to book a 30-min private outdoor onsen time at check-in, and the indoor public single-gender onsen was open for most of the day. Chair and foot massagers were a plus and we tried out every one of them. The place is family-owned, and has a pleasant 70s vibe, although some furniture could be upgraded. The owners speak very good English. Location can't be beat - right by the Gora stop on the train/cable car.

Nothing! Everything was great.

Staffs were attentive to details, polite, warm, speaks good English(rapports+++), accomodating, patient. Room was clean, facilities aged but works just fine. Traditional ryokan with onsen(public/private) and tatami flooring. Kaiseki dinner was scrumptious.

There’s a steep slope uphill from gora station to hotel which can be challenging to guests carrying heavy luggages.

We loved the Onsen. The food was great but a bit too much for us. The location was amazing and serene. We really loved the accessibility to the cable car and gondola as well as the open air museum etc. It was kid friendly. We traveled with our 10 and 12 year old's and they were treated kindly. We loved wearing the Yakudas provided as well. Tea time in our room was wonderful and the mattresses we slept on were great. I appreciated that they set them up and put them away for us while we ate meals.

The interior needs updating. The pillows were very hard and at night there was a green light from the fan that illuminated the entire room making it slightly difficult to sleep.

Hotel Lalaca offers a very classic Ryokan experience. The staff are very friendly and it's a very peaceful spot in the mountains with private onsen as well as some other amenities (massage chairs/table tennis). This is more of a retreat hotel as you've a walk to anything else in the area. The kaiseki breakfast and dinner were outstanding in terms of quality and value, and the onsen were excellent.

It's a shame but it feels like the property hasn't been maintained as well as it could be. The dining area has beautiful views but there are marks all over the walls and missing pictures. Basically a lick of paint new carpets and some local art could bring the rating of this hotel up a whole lot. Also the towels were thin and small and looked like they were from the 80s. Given they have a number of onsens, they really need to up their towel quality.

We had a huge room with beds and tatami mats, and amazing view of the mountain with the snow-covered 大. We stayed for 2 days and all 4 meals were different and amazing. One breakfast included a bit of fruits, yoghurt with granola, another one - an omelette with a sausage and salad (I like traditional food more, but for those who are concerned). We stayed in 3 different ryokans, and I would say kaiseki here was overall the best (specifically we liked japanese snapper). Location was also great as the cable car operated until 18:30ish. Addressing the comments about the uphill climb from the train station - just don't do it! :) You will most probably buy the Hakone pass anyway, so, when you arrive just take the cable car and walk downhill from the first stop. P.S. Hakone pass works for calendar days, so if you stay 1 night you would need a 2-day pass, for 2 nights a 3-day pass. We used only the private outside onsen (30 minutes for free each day), it was great!

My wife and I had strained backs after the long flight, so we decided to have a massage. It was a total waste of money (5000ish yen for 40 minutes on the beds in our room), strongly discouraged: my wife got a bit of relief, I got zero, had to wait until we got a great massage for 4600 per hour in Osaka. Not a dislike, but just for information: during the cold season it may be a bit cold in the toilet (we had the same experience in all other hotels too though) and the shower (which is not a problem as the water can be adjusted to very hot).

Beautifully presented traditional Japanese dinner and breakfast. Comfy beds, pretty view from our room. The onsens were clean and had a cute little garden area to look out at. Staff was super friendly. When no taxis were available, they helped me arrange a hotel shuttle for my family to the bus stop with all of our luggage, despite the fact that it was a holiday and they didn't originally have someone to drive us. I think they called someone in for us!

Nothing, we loved all of it! The property is slightly dated, but in great shape and very clean.