Hakone Yutowa

The sprawling complex reveals its personality gradually – the East Wing houses reception and the high-ceilinged restaurant, while the West Wing contains the large public baths and spa lounge. But it's the public spaces that steal the show. The library lounge on the second floor stocks 700 books and becomes a social hub with its mix of counter seats, sofas, and table games like Jenga. The atrium's wooden deck features a foot bath, bonfire stove, and swing chairs where complimentary detox water flows freely. The restaurant adopts a semi-buffet approach at dinner (about 15 dishes plus your chosen main), while breakfast spans 30 Japanese and Western options. After 10pm, when the free drinks stop flowing, the property settles into a peaceful rhythm perfect for one more soak.

Choose your adventure: 62 hotel-style rooms in the East and West buildings, or 10 apartment-style condominiums. Hotel rooms blend tatami floors with Simmons beds in a modern Japanese aesthetic, though the semi-doubles lack bathrooms entirely (you'll use the public baths). The real stars are the condominium units – spacious living areas with proper kitchens (induction hob, full cookware, proper fridge), and the pièce de résistance: private view baths with constantly flowing hot spring water. The largest sleeps six and spans 70 square metres with a balcony. Yes, you'll make your own bed if using the sofa bed, and yes, the elevator only reaches the third floor, but having your own hot spring on tap at 3am rather makes up for it.

While the property keeps you entertained – two private onsen baths bookable separately, sauna in the public baths, relaxation salon for treatments – Gora's location puts you at the heart of Hakone's tourist circuit. The cable car to Sounzan leaves from right outside the station (five minutes away), connecting to the ropeway over Owakudani's volcanic valley. The Open-Air Museum sits 10 minutes' walk away, while Gora Park practically neighbours the hotel. The Hakone loop becomes manageable from here, with Lake Ashi's pirate ships and Hakone Shrine all accessible via the mountain transport network. The hotel can arrange everything, though honestly, after a day navigating tourist crowds, that library lounge with unlimited drinks starts looking very appealing indeed.