Hakone Kowakien Hotel, Hakone

I stayed here with my wife and another couple at the height of the Japanese Christmas holiday. Reaching the hotel from Kyoto via Shinkansen to Odawara then train to Hakone Yumoto with suitcases is not for the faint hearted. There then follows a scramble for a bus located some way from the station along a poorly maintained path and up and down stairs. On arrival at the hotel the staff were efficient but not very friendly. The rooms and facilities were what one would expect of a resort hotel but our impression was colored by the fact that the hot water system broke down on our last evening and the staff were not very helpful until pressed to provide access to a room where the system was still functioning. The restaurants were of good standard. Leaving the hotel is another "battle" particularly as there is no shuttle bus and the public bus does not allow you to put suitcases in the luggage compartment of the bus but drag them into the narrow entrance of the bus. Take the bus to Odawara and don't change at Hakone Yumoto station if you want to avoid dragging your luggage further than you need along the street.