Hakone Gora KARAKU

Incredible stay. Gorgeous property, beautiful rooms, really nice amenities… I really appreciated nice touches to the room like high end skincare and hair care. I loved the really fancy hair dryers in the room and spa! Spending time on our patio in the onsen was so nice. Renting a bigger onsen for a private hour was also a highlight. The kaiseki dinners and traditional Japanese breakfasts were really delightful. The guest lounge with complimentary snacks and drinks was a nice touch. Proximity to the Gora station, shrine, open air museum and owakudani was also wonderful.

The property was nice and clean. The staff for the most part had great service. What I don't know is that there were no buffets or menus. You had to eat whatever they gave you. It was very difficult to eat there. Most of the food we didn't like. We paid a lot money and didn't eat. The Onsens were meh. Nothing special. The absolute worst thing that happened to us there was when we went to the private Insen there,there was two small smoothies in bottles that we were able to drink. Later when we asked for more, they said no. We weren't eating anything and at least wanted a smoothie but would not let us have more and we couldn't even buy more. They had a small lounge where you could drink alcohol for free but we couldn't get a bottled smoothie. That was ridiculous. No room service. No food we could request to eat. So disappointing and definitely not with the money.

The property is new and tastefully done in every way. Breakfast and dinner both wonderful. The in-room Onsen was great. The outdoor onsens are clean, large and wonderful.

Wunderschönes Hotel mit jeglichem Komfort und äusserst freundlichem und hilfsbereitem Personal. Sorgfältiges Check-in mit Information der„fremden“ Touristen bezüglich spezifischer Gepflogenheiten bezüglich Kleidung (Kimono, Pyjama, Schuhe, …) und punkto Verhalten (Waschen vor Benutzung von Onsen-Bad und Pool, Baden ohne Badekleidung, …) Tolles, grosses Spa mit schöner Aussicht und vielen Annehmlichkeiten für die Körperpflege. 2 sehr schöne Restaurants mit hohen Standards bei den mehrgängigen Menus: Am 1. Abend ein durch den Chef Herr Ikuhiro Akazaki Schritt für Schritt unmittelbar vor unseren Augen zubereitetes fantastisches Dinner im Tepanyaki-Stil. Am 2. Abend ein ausgezeichnetes Keiseki-Menu. Alles in allem ein wunderbarer Aufenthalt! Darf ich mir zum Schluss doch noch eine kleine Bemerkung respektive Anregung erlauben? Es wäre sicher für viele Touristen aus Europa (wir sind aus der Schweiz) und aus den USA, die mit dem Genuss von Fisch und Meeresfrüchten bereits zum Frühstück nicht vertraut sind, eine Freude und ein Genuss, wenn neben dem reichhaltigen und sehr feinen japanischen Frühstück (wir haben einen recht grossen Teil davon genossen) eine Alternative - mit etwas Brot, Butter, Konfitüre, Käse, Schinken, Kaffee, usw. - angeboten würde. Es ist uns halt schon aufgefallen, dass doch recht viele junge Japaner sich direkt nach dem japanischen Frühstück mit Kaffee aus dem Automaten „versorgte“

Great location and good service. But make sure you book spa treatment before arrival or else difficult to secure an appointment, the same with omakase dinner at the Japanese restaurant.

The breakfast was fixed menu no selection and very cheep portions, If you don't reserve mounts in advance don't expect to to have massage in SPA or diner in the hotel. overall one of the most expansive hotels in Japan and no value for money.

温泉(露天風呂)を楽しみに行きましたが 部屋風呂も大浴場も綺麗でした。満足。 お酒をたくさん飲むので持参していきましたが、無料スペースがあるので持参不要でした。 コンビニなどなくても充分たりました。 各部屋に露天風呂があるせいか？ 三連休でも大浴場は、貸切状態。 貸切風呂も含めて全てのお風呂が素敵でした。👌

This was our third time staying at Hakone Gora KARAKU, and it’s still one of our favorite places in Hakone. The location is super convenient—just a short walk from Gora Station. We booked a room with a semi-open private onsen tub, which my wife really enjoyed. I spent more time in the public baths with sauna and steam (they switch each night). It was never crowded, so it felt peaceful and relaxing. The lounge was fine—coffee was delicious, but snacks were pretty limited. Our stay included Japanese-style breakfast and kaiseki dinner both nights. The food was absolutely delicious, beautifully plated, and served at a nice, relaxed pace. The staff were friendly, professional, and helpful—exactly what you’d expect from great Japanese hospitality. We keep coming back because the mix of comfort, great food, relaxing baths, and welcoming service is hard to beat. Already looking forward to the next trip!

We had a room with mountain view and a private onsen in the west building. It was amazing The hotel was lovely, the service was impeccable and the meals were outstanding. There is a guest lounge with free drinks and snacks open for most of the day, too. Well worth the extra money.

This is a beautiful, newish property. Pros: - Comfortable stylish lounge for all guests with free snacks and drinks (including a wide selection of wine, beer, spirits, and soft drinks) all day - Beautiful lobby and common areas - Professional and attentive staff - Located 5 minutes walk from the Gora train station so very convenient Cons: - The price was very high - The food was sub par in general and compared to other ryokans in Hakone (the western breakfast was much better than the Japanese dinner) - The style and view from the public onsen was not great despite facing the mountains (e.g. you could see a large factory, and the view of the trees was blocked when you were sitting in the onsen) Overall I would choose another ryoken next time I visit Hakone

Really nice hotel, great food and friendly staff. The room is very clean!

Spacious, clean rooms. Loved the outdoor bath and view from the balcony. Staff was very attentive and greeted us with a delicious mochi treat and tea while they readied our room. Also personally showed us the facility and took us to our room. The dinner and breakfast was also outstanding and delicious! The dinner meal was served in courses rather than all at once and the attention to detail was outstanding. Loved the resort and would definitely consider visiting again!

Serene and relaxing setting. Facilities were very clean and well maintained. Staff was super attentive and friendly.

I was really excited to stay here, but it didn’t live up to the price. Breakfast isn’t a buffet but a fixed menu at a restaurant, and you have to book a time in advance so when we checked in late, only 7:30 or 10:30 were left. I asked for a vegetarian meal, but it wasn’t respected, so I had to skip breakfast. Later I found my terrace hadn’t been cleaned and there were dead bugs in the onsen. Beautiful place, but the service and attention to detail were disappointing.

Everything. This is truly a 5-star hotel resort. The room was spotless, beautiful, organized, and cozy. The hotel offered excellent amenities through their lounges and in the rooms. The baths were so inviting!

Property was extremely clean atmosphere was amazing exactly what we needed to relax paired with the amazing food the only regret we had was not to stay longer.

とても新しく、綺麗でした。スタッフも親切で、対応が気持ちよかったです。ミストサウナ良かっです。

総合的には満足できましたが、下記３点がマイナスでした。 1．エキストラベッド用の棚（鍵付き）が施錠されておらず、開けたら雑然と布団が置かれていて見苦しかった。 2．洗面所の排水の水はけが悪く、使用しづらかった。 3．夕食の先付から前菜まで30～40分間隔があき、スタッフに催促しそれから提供されたのでもう少しスムーズに提供して欲しかった。

Amazing! Both inside and out. Views are one of a kind. Rooms are large and spacious. Staff is amazing and so attentive. Well designed. Well cared for.

Quite simply the nicest hotel I have ever stayed in. The service was impeccable and everything was spotlessly clean.This felt like a holiday within a holiday. My only regret is that we could not stay there longer.

This hotel is top-notch in every way. The rooms were spacious and luxurious. The decorating was tasteful and demure. They treat every guest with great respect. They have an absolutely lovely customer lounge area which provides snacks and drinks as well as wine & beer for their guests. It is a four minute walk to the train and an eight minute walk to the bus. The skin care and toiletries that they have for your use are very high-quality. Because this is a Japanese Rioken they provided three or four sets of clothing that you could wear in the hotel during your stay. Oh yes, they had bath slippers slippers for around the hotel room, and slippers to wear on the patio. Truly, they have thought of everything to make your stay so incredibly comfortable and enjoyable. I would write them a 10 if I could. I wish we had more time to stay there longer it was so lovely and relaxing.

Spent 2 nights here with 2 friends on a girls’ trip after several days in Tokyo. It was superb! Room was spacious, stylish, and well-equipped. We made good use of the private osana with a beautiful Mountain View. Western breakfast and fixed price Teppanyaki dinner were both delicious. We especially enjoyed and took advantage of the variety of private bath options. Great guest lounge with food and beverage, as well super relaxing stay all around!!

We had a lovely room with a private onsen. There's nothing quite like waking early and walking from your bed to a warm bath on a terrace with a stunning view. Easy walk to the cable car and ropeway to enjoy views of Mt Fuji, Lake Ashinoko and the steaming caldera.

We are still on our family 5 star trip through Japan. We just stayed at Gora Karaku. I chose this hotel because of the rave reviews it got on Expedia. Here are my comments. 1) The hotel is conveniently located just 300 ft from the main Gora railroad station. This is a PLUS! 2) when we checked in (early afternoon), we asked if we could book 4 massages. At first, the answer was they could accommodate just one. Note: our stay was for 2 nights They finally were able to accommodate 3 massages , after a lot of discussion and follow-up. 3) I thought we booked western style breakfast and dinner. They had us booked with Japanese style breakfast and dinner. We requested to have us moved to western style dinner. They were able to move us to western style breakfast, but only western style dinner on the 2nd night. 3 of us don’t eat raw fish. We were not able to eat a thing for dinner on night 1. The second night was teppanyaki style. It was good. We were not told that there was an upcharge for this. Upon checkout, the hotel charged us 11000x2=22000 yen (almost $200) for the one western style meal. When I questioned it, they claimed that I booked Japanese style dinners. That is not true.The difference in price for dinners through Expedia was not different. 4) The rooms were both nice, with private onsens. However the bathrooms are teeny tiny. If you want spacious bathrooms, this property is not for you. The breakfast was not edible. This hotel is NOT reccommended! Very disappointed!

If I can sum it up in one word…. ‘Wow!’ This hotel was amazing. I booked a Japanese style room on the upper floor of the west wing with a private onsen. The room was spacious, clean and really comfortable beds. Sitting in the onsen and having a ‘cold drink’ with the views was amazing. The hotel staff was excellent on check- in and check-out. Dinner and breakfast service was also excellent.

Hotel staff was amazing. It was so clean and so beautiful. Best part was the private onsen. It was cloudy so we couldn’t see the mountain view. If I rebooked I would just get the cheapest view as the balcony view isn’t guaranteed.

Excellent property. Loved the en suite onsen.

Amazing! Both inside and out. Views are one of a kind. Rooms are large and spacious. Staff is amazing and so attentive. Well designed. Well cared for.

We had a room with mountain view and a private onsen in the west building. It was amazing The hotel was lovely, the service was impeccable and the meals were outstanding. There is a guest lounge with free drinks and snacks open for most of the day, too. Well worth the extra money.

We had an excellent stay at this luxurious ryoken. Having the onsen in our room was amazing. It was worth the splurge. One consideration is they allow families which is great. However when we were relaxing in the tub we had a young family next to us, and were surprised to hear children’s loud chattering when quiet would have been preferred.

Great area! Right next to the train station so easy to get to public transportation. Staff were extremely courteous and attended to my needs. Would come back here again

This hotel has wonderful amenities and a courteous staff. But the staff's ability to speak English is greatly challenged, making it difficult for my wife and I to communicate. When there was a problem, it took way too long to resolve. Their accounting systems were also slow, and we were incorrectly charged for a dinner that took15 minutes to resolve, putting at risk the connection to our reserved train 45 minutes from the hotel.

This hotel is top-notch in every way. The rooms were spacious and luxurious. The decorating was tasteful and demure. They treat every guest with great respect. They have an absolutely lovely customer lounge area which provides snacks and drinks as well as wine & beer for their guests. It is a four minute walk to the train and an eight minute walk to the bus. The skin care and toiletries that they have for your use are very high-quality. Because this is a Japanese Rioken they provided three or four sets of clothing that you could wear in the hotel during your stay. Oh yes, they had bath slippers slippers for around the hotel room, and slippers to wear on the patio. Truly, they have thought of everything to make your stay so incredibly comfortable and enjoyable. I would write them a 10 if I could. I wish we had more time to stay there longer it was so lovely and relaxing.

We had a memorable and wonderful time at Gora Karaku. The facilities are beautiful, the staff was kind and helpful, and the food was great. Odetta at the front desk was incredibly helpful and knowledgeable. She is great. There was a mistake with our dinner reservation on the second night, but Keishiro Ishihara fixed it, and some. He moved reservations around and got us the table we were promised, and then he had the perfect table reserved for us the next morning for breakfast. That was very thoughtful. Our most memorable experience was Keishiro Ishihara telling us how to get from the restaurant to the water feature and showing us to the elevator and bowing to us as the door closed. And when the door was open on the other floor, he was there waiting for us. He did the same elevator trick a few more times. He even met us in the lobby as we checked out and walked us to the street. And he waived to us until we got to the train station. This was such a kind gesture, and made our experience better and more memorable.

When we attempted to check in at noon, the front desk said check in was at 3. That wasn’t a problem. The problem is that they were not welcoming and did not encourage us to walk around hotel. We were encouraged to leave the hotel. When we checked in, they didn’t explain the hotel concept, it’s amenities and sent us on a wild goose chase to our room. By the time we could figure out the hotel and the traditional concept, it was time to check out. We did not make a dinner reservation and was coldly told they were sold out. I would not go back. We stayed in a similar hotel in kyoto and only then realized how bad our experience here was. They missed the mark with us. Bumner

I was really excited to stay here, but it didn’t live up to the price. Breakfast isn’t a buffet but a fixed menu at a restaurant, and you have to book a time in advance so when we checked in late, only 7:30 or 10:30 were left. I asked for a vegetarian meal, but it wasn’t respected, so I had to skip breakfast. Later I found my terrace hadn’t been cleaned and there were dead bugs in the onsen. Beautiful place, but the service and attention to detail were disappointing.

おもてなしもよく、ゆっくりと休むことができよかったです。

全てのスタッフが笑顔で応対してくれました。 食事中ビールのコップを割ってしまったのですがスピーディーに対処してくれました。 また行きたい。

Staff were amazing! Always went above and beyond

とてもきれいでスタッフの方の対応も丁寧で素晴らしい宿です。 ただ、24時までの大浴場へ終了10分前にわざわざ着替えて行ったのに清掃終了のため入れてもらえなかったのは残念でした。 思えば、チェックインも後から来た人たちは どんどんお部屋に案内される中、ずいぶん待たされたような…。

Great area! Right next to the train station so easy to get to public transportation. Staff were extremely courteous and attended to my needs. Would come back here again

Great location. Very convenient

Great place to relax and enjoy nature. Very modern and clean property.

One of my best Hakone Experience. Close to Gora Station.

The Orix hotel is farther away from the main Hakone shopping area, however it's walking distance to/from the Gora station so it's easy to get to. The property is perfect for quiet get away and to enjoy a private onsen. Absolutely love the experience and staffs are all very friendly, helpful and polite.

We had a lovely room with a private onsen. There's nothing quite like waking early and walking from your bed to a warm bath on a terrace with a stunning view. Easy walk to the cable car and ropeway to enjoy views of Mt Fuji, Lake Ashinoko and the steaming caldera.

Private onsen was amazing, the location walking distance from train station and cable car y very convenient, and the complimentary shuttle service to Odawara made a whole difference. All the little details in the room and the food was amazing, we would love to go back!

Foid was excellent. Great location. Staff was very helpful.

Gora is a great place to stay if you don’t have a car. The hotel is Ideally located near public transit. A short walk to the train station and cable car station with buses stopping out front and a taxi stand. The onsen is modern and has a good view. The staff is uniformly helpful and friendly.

This was our third time staying at Hakone Gora KARAKU, and it’s still one of our favorite places in Hakone. The location is super convenient—just a short walk from Gora Station. We booked a room with a semi-open private onsen tub, which my wife really enjoyed. I spent more time in the public baths with sauna and steam (they switch each night). It was never crowded, so it felt peaceful and relaxing. The lounge was fine—coffee was delicious, but snacks were pretty limited. Our stay included Japanese-style breakfast and kaiseki dinner both nights. The food was absolutely delicious, beautifully plated, and served at a nice, relaxed pace. The staff were friendly, professional, and helpful—exactly what you’d expect from great Japanese hospitality. We keep coming back because the mix of comfort, great food, relaxing baths, and welcoming service is hard to beat. Already looking forward to the next trip!

Spacious, clean rooms. Loved the outdoor bath and view from the balcony. Staff was very attentive and greeted us with a delicious mochi treat and tea while they readied our room. Also personally showed us the facility and took us to our room. The dinner and breakfast was also outstanding and delicious! The dinner meal was served in courses rather than all at once and the attention to detail was outstanding. Loved the resort and would definitely consider visiting again!

Excellent service. Outstanding food. Elegant hotel in a beautiful location.

Spent 2 nights here with 2 friends on a girls’ trip after several days in Tokyo. It was superb! Room was spacious, stylish, and well-equipped. We made good use of the private osana with a beautiful Mountain View. Western breakfast and fixed price Teppanyaki dinner were both delicious. We especially enjoyed and took advantage of the variety of private bath options. Great guest lounge with food and beverage, as well super relaxing stay all around!!

I was really excited to stay here, but it didn’t live up to the price. Breakfast isn’t a buffet but a fixed menu at a restaurant, and you have to book a time in advance so when we checked in late, only 7:30 or 10:30 were left. I asked for a vegetarian meal, but it wasn’t respected, so I had to skip breakfast. Later I found my terrace hadn’t been cleaned and there were dead bugs in the onsen. Beautiful place, but the service and attention to detail were disappointing.

We are still on our family 5 star trip through Japan. We just stayed at Gora Karaku. I chose this hotel because of the rave reviews it got on Expedia. Here are my comments. 1) The hotel is conveniently located just 300 ft from the main Gora railroad station. This is a PLUS! 2) when we checked in (early afternoon), we asked if we could book 4 massages. At first, the answer was they could accommodate just one. Note: our stay was for 2 nights They finally were able to accommodate 3 massages , after a lot of discussion and follow-up. 3) I thought we booked western style breakfast and dinner. They had us booked with Japanese style breakfast and dinner. We requested to have us moved to western style dinner. They were able to move us to western style breakfast, but only western style dinner on the 2nd night. 3 of us don’t eat raw fish. We were not able to eat a thing for dinner on night 1. The second night was teppanyaki style. It was good. We were not told that there was an upcharge for this. Upon checkout, the hotel charged us 11000x2=22000 yen (almost $200) for the one western style meal. When I questioned it, they claimed that I booked Japanese style dinners. That is not true.The difference in price for dinners through Expedia was not different. 4) The rooms were both nice, with private onsens. However the bathrooms are teeny tiny. If you want spacious bathrooms, this property is not for you. The breakfast was not edible. This hotel is NOT reccommended! Very disappointed!

The Hotel is awesome, the room is really nice, just that is an extremely complicated Hotel, for the price you don't get the service, you get a nice room, but everything is annoying. For breakfast, they dictate the schedule, and the occidental menu is always sold out, so you must have Japanese cuiisine at 8 am, with some might find nice... but still there should be the option for timing and preference between oriental o occidental food. Also for dinner, this is a Hotel who tells you at what time you will have your dinner, you don't have to much of timing options, neither choices. For spa don't even mention, impossible to book, you must book your spa session few weeks in advance. Onsen is great, people are extremely nice, but just needs some customer friendly timing and service. I dont know if I would recommend this place, for 600-700 usd per night, there are much nicer and more customer orientate places.

館内の２つあるレストランで提供される料理はどちらも非常に美味しかったです。朝食も夕食も満足です。

The breakfast was fixed menu no selection and very cheep portions, If you don't reserve mounts in advance don't expect to to have massage in SPA or diner in the hotel. overall one of the most expansive hotels in Japan and no value for money.

The kaiseki was incredible. Staff was extremely professional, helpful and nice. The property itself is beautiful, and the onsen itself was clean, modern, and had an amazing view.

This is a beautiful, newish property. Pros: - Comfortable stylish lounge for all guests with free snacks and drinks (including a wide selection of wine, beer, spirits, and soft drinks) all day - Beautiful lobby and common areas - Professional and attentive staff - Located 5 minutes walk from the Gora train station so very convenient Cons: - The price was very high - The food was sub par in general and compared to other ryokans in Hakone (the western breakfast was much better than the Japanese dinner) - The style and view from the public onsen was not great despite facing the mountains (e.g. you could see a large factory, and the view of the trees was blocked when you were sitting in the onsen) Overall I would choose another ryoken next time I visit Hakone