Spacious room, serene hot spring, and scenic garden by the lake, The Prince Hotel Ashinoko is the perfect accommodation for family to enjoy Hakone nature.
For the first two nights of our Hakone trip, we checked into a family-friendly resort deep in the Hakone forest, Prince Hotel Ashinoko. Though the location is quite secluded, the resort has everything you need: comfortable room, relaxing hot springs, enchanting view. What’s more, there are plenty activities you can do nearby.
What we love about Prince Hotel Ashinoko:
- Peaceful resort by the lake with Mt Fuji view
- Wonderful indoor and outdoor hot springs with sauna
- Hakone-en — part of the resort complex with aquarium, ropeway to the top of Mt Komagatake, restaurants, souvenir shops, and more!
- Exquisite and thoughtful services throughout
Related Post: Ultimate Guide for the Best Hakone 5D4N Itinerary – 1
The Guest Rooms and Suites
The interior of the rooms and corridors centers around the natural space surrounding the resort. There is only one type of suite room, a superior twin room, twin and double rooms. Each offers breathtaking view of Mt Fuji, the lake, or woodlands.
Because it was only two of us, we reserved the Garden View Twin Room for our stay. And even that was too large for us! There are plenty of space in the hallway, a comfortable sofa and seating space, and a balcony.
And though we couldn’t see the lake or Mt Fuji from our window, we’re more than satisfied to enjoy the scenery during our morning garden walk and open-air onsen time. We’ll show you how the view looks like in the next section!
Pros
- Like we said before, it’s a LARGE room, no complain
- Peacefully quiet! and comfortable
- Complete amenities — including Nespresso coffee machine (as always from Prince Hotel 💛)
Cons
- Slightly dated interior and furnitures
The Onsen
One of the highlights of Prince Hotel Ashinoko is definitely the hot springs or onsen. There are two main hot springs: indoor and outdoor. Both areas are clean and spacious. Make sure to also soak in the open-air hot spring to get maximum experience! If the sky is clear, you can also see the night view of Mt Fuji.
Additional Notes on Onsen
- Sauna is closed during Covid-19
- No tattoos allowed
- Open hours: 6:00 – 11:00 (L.E. 10:45) and 13:00 – 23:00 (L.E. 22:45)
Breakfast Buffet at Lake Side Grill
There are a couple of restaurants available in the property. The restaurants seem to follow a theme: Lake Side Grill for American-ish, Le Trianon for French, and Nadaman Garden for Japanese cuisines.
During our stay, the breakfast buffet was served at the Lake Side Grill. Though the breakfast menu is not extensively varied, they serve the essentials for Japanese and Western-style breakfast. They also offer some fusion dishes such as Chicken Pho and Curries.
Because we’re staying together with a group of foreign tourists, there was additional allergen stickers. The stickers were really helpful if you have dietary restrictions like us (muslims).
Pros:
- Breakfast starts early (7:00 – 10:00 L.O. 9:30)
- Well-thought seating (family with kids have separate area)
- A mix of Western and Japanese cuisines
- Friendly and helpful staff!
Cons:
- Same menu 🙂
- Limited dish options
Final Words!
Spending half of our Hakone trip in Prince Hotel Hakone was so special. Other than the limited access to the area, we really have nothing to complain! We have a few notes if you’re planning to visit:
Tips on Staying at the Prince Hotel Ashinoko
- Check out the free shuttle bus to get around! There is a free shuttle service from Odawara Station to Hotel, too.
- If you’re on a budget, Garden or Woodlands view is not so bad! You can still enjoy the beautiful scenery while soaking in the outdoor hot spring. There are few benches too on the lakefront!
- As the area is secluded, there’s no convenience store nearby. But you can get your stuff (and dinner!) in Moto-Hakone; there are few restaurants nearby, and a Lawson next to the hotel bus stop.
- Do visit Hakone-en to make the most of your stay!
And… that’s it! Hope you have a good time in Hakone 🙂
