Clean room, friendly staff, great foods and lounge experience. Unfortunately our room clock and the facial steamer weren’t working properly. Also the kettle was difficult to use it. However very great experience with them! Definitely worth to visit again!

Room was gorgeous with the open air bath on a balcony overlooking Mount Fuji. The staff was extremely hospitable and professional.

Everything was thoroughly intentional

At check in,there was confusion about the room type booked.We chose the hotel specifically for its Japanese esthetics& was excited to stay in a Japanese style room.We booked 2rooms as we are a family of5 &requested in advance for sidebyside rooms.We received an email back confirming our request.However it was never disclosed that they decided to change our room type to western.Front desk initially apologized but said nothing could be done& blamed the mistake on our request for sidebyside. We stood firm,showed our booking confirmation&emails,telling them this was unacceptable. After spending20mins at check-in, they assigned us the room types that we booked to rectify THEIR mistake.Dinner was another major letdown. We booked Japanese grill which was highly anticipated as the property received Michelin ratings.To our surprise the staff service was subpar.Our teppanyaki chef was clearly sick(although wearing a face mask was consistently coughing,clearing his throat w/phlegm&sniffled throughout our entire 2hr course meal while preparing,cooking&serving our food.Which as anyone can imagine was extremely inappropriate&unprofessional (video proof available).Also, a server accidentally dropped a piece of food from the plate to table&used his bare fingers to place it back on dish.We stayed here 2yrs ago&loved it,which is why we returned with our family.We raised our concerns after dinner but noone followed up even at checkout.Very disappointing experience for a hotel of this caliber.

Overall, the hotel did not meet 5 star standards. The nicest part of the hotel was the private onsen on our balcony and the view. The rooms were dated and a bit unkept. The hotel staff were cold (bordering rude) and incredibly unhelpful when it came to helping us find places for dinner nearby.

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

very nice room. great baths. great food

Amazing staff and beautiful rooms, outstanding food as well.

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!

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

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!

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.

Staff were amazing! Always went above and beyond

Services

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.

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.

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.

Amazing!!!!

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

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!