華之宿福屋(Hananoyado Fukuya)

We did the Hakone loop and after the boat ride we walked over to our ryokan and stayed for one night. We left our luggage in our hotel back in Tokyo and just packed a small backpack for the overnight trip. There is a hill to get up to the entrance but if you call they will come down and drive you up we chose to walk it. We were warmly greeted with two glasses of champagne upon our arrival and promptly shown around the location. We had our own bath onsen on the deck to our room that was very private. We also used one of the two much larger public onsens. We were informed that although the larger onsens are public you and your companion or family can use them privately from mid afternoon into the evening if available. You just lock the door and they are very private as well. We didn't book the dinner package so we walked to a restaurant and had dinner. Just be aware there were not many choices as that part of Hakone during an early June evening was very quiet. The breakfast was very interesting to say the least but I ate about 90% of the many courses that were served and my wife probably had 70%. Not even close to a traditional breakfast we normally have back in the states. All the employees were very welcoming and helpful during our stay. We were both pleasantly surprised by whole experience and really glad we did it. It was definitely the highlight of the whole Hakone visit. Upon checkout it was pouring rain so they drove us the short distance to catch the bus back to the Hakone-Yumato station.

Our stay at Hananoyado Fukuya was designed as our two-night luxury ryokan getaway of our trip to Japan. It certainly delivered elements of this. The food was incredible, a true kaiseki experience of 11-12 courses for dinner and an equally stunning breakfast. The chef is clearly first class. The location of the ryokan is also fantastic, 2 minutes walk from the lake at Motohakone, although the hill up is steep (they will pick you up from the 7-11 if requested). Now, the downside. This is an expensive stay. The room alone would equate to around $800 AUD per night for a family of four, and dinner effectively doubles that. We had no change from about $3,500 for two nights. At that price, I was expecting excellence in the accommodation. The room we stayed in (202) was however dated (particularly the bathroom) and in need of a refresh. While it was large and spacious, we didn’t get to select our room and as a result we had what looked to be the worst balcony onsen (the only one not seen on the booking site photos) and a view that looked out onto a old carpark. If the ryokan can refurbish its rooms, then it has all the hospitality and charm to be a luxury stay in the future.