Hotel Nanpuso

This was the big splurge on our trip to Japan and it didn’t disappoint. The hotel is set amidst the Hakone Mountain system and is such a nice refresh/reset between Tokyo and Kyoto. We booked a room for one night with a private onsen and had the Kaiseki dinner and buffet breakfast included. The dinner, which was served in our room, was possibly the best meal we had in Japan. There were so many choices at breakfast it was almost overwhelming. We booked the private onsen because we weren’t sure how comfortable we would be with the public baths - but in the end we were fine with them. The public onsen at Nanpuso is really beautiful with outdoor stone and wooden tubs as well as indoor tubs in both the men’s and women’s onsens. We barely had time to use our private tub because the public facilities were so lovely. Our room felt really luxurious. We walked from the train station but it’s all uphill so some may prefer the shuttle that’s available between the station and the hotel.

Per my earlier check in review, the one major item that had a negative impact on my stay at Hotel Nanpuso was the room temperature of the air conditioners could not be controlled. The hotel had a central control that basically rendered the temperature control of the air conditioning in each room inoperative. The room was warm and stuffy which required opening the windows to cool the room. Fortunately, the hotel was quiet so leaving the windows open was okay. Another thing to consider is if you decide to drive around the Hakone area just a word to the wise. The roads in Hakone area are narrow, winding and offer poor visibility to oncoming traffic. The tourist spots have limited tight parking and can be extremely congested. Other than the road, parking and traffic conditions. Hakone is a location that offers beautiful scenery, quiet tranquility and excellent hot springs.

Loved staying at a Japanese ryoukan and a super warm onsen in our room as incredible. The kaiseki dinner service was very good as well. Loved the experience

Staff

Our room was in what appeared to be the older annex and the building and room were both old and shabby. There was peeling wallpaper and lamp shades that were coming apart. The shower room was tiny with dirty looking grout and looked like something in a third world country. We were told we didn't have breakfast included, which I know I booked. The staff said they could not add breakfast for us and said they'd check availability the next day, but never got back to us. There are no shops or restaurants near the hotel, and the bus stop is located up a steep hill. A shuttle brought us to the hotel with our luggage but didn't leave early enough for us to make our train ride when we were leaving. Pushing our luggage uphill was no joke! The onsen was the saving grace. It was wonderful with great amenities and yukata available in different sizes. This was the most expensive hotel room on our trip by far, so the lack of breakfast and the shabby rooms were a disappointment.