Yoshimatsu

This was my first time ever staying at a ryokan and it was an amazing, relaxing experience! The property was beautiful and the rooms were spacious. The staff were very welcoming, helpful and even made transportation accommodations for our travel. Our hostess spoke English very well which was very helpful. The food was also very delicious! I would definitely recommend this place to everyone!

We loved every minute of our time at Yoshimatsu. It was our first experience staying at a ryokan, and it met or exceeded every expectation. We booked a Japanese-style corner room with private onsen, which was spacious, comfortable, and immaculately clean. We also used all of the public onsens and never found them to be busy (often we each had our respective gendered onsens to ourselves or shared with 1 other guest, and we also used the "public" family onsen). A key advantage of having the private in-room onsen was being able to enjoy it at all hours because the public ones were closed for cleaning, etc, from ~10am-3pm each day (but available all night/morning). We enjoyed the elaborate 10-course kaiseki dinner and the impressive breakfast served in our room. These chef-prepared meals are a valuable part of the experience -- and they cannot be modified for vegetarian diets -- so we would only recommend this ryokan to guests who are willing (and preferably, eager) to participate in that (i.e., we tried some seafood dishes that we would never have ordered on our own). The staff at Yoshimatsu were exceptionally welcoming and helpful. They were responsive to all questions prior to our visit, and we were easily able to arrange shuttle pick-up from the local bus station. We also appreciated having the shuttle return us to the bus station at our departure, so that we did not have to walk with our luggage. Yoshimatsu is conveniently located a short walk from Lake Ashi. It is easy to jump on public buses from there to other areas of Hakone. We also enjoyed walking/hiking the Old Tokaido Highway trail to Hatajuku, with a stop at the Amasake Chaya tea house.

No complaints, but would not recommend this ryokan for vegetarians or anyone else who would not appreciate the kaiseki dinners because they would be missing out on a critical part of the experience.

The dinner and breakfast service was delicious and a wonderful experience. The onsen was very relaxing and clean. The room was clean and comfortable.

From the moment we arrived in viewing distance of the property, we were already being greeted and our bags were taken from our shoulders. They ushered us into a room where we were fed green tea and chestnut biscuits while taking in the most incredible view, before being shown the property and our rooms. The hospitality of the staff at Yoshimatsu is some of the best we have ever experienced, not just during the kaiseki meal experience, but even small moments like swapping our shoes or preparing for check-out. The food was delicious and a great chance to experience traditional Japanese food. You will be full without feeling sick, like one might after eating food that is too rich. As foodies, we loved the chance to sample foods that we have never tried. We loved the garden views, which were so lush and peaceful, and the public outdoor bath let us enjoy the greenery while soaking. Plus, in July, it was the best temperature, particularly in the early morning and late night. We also loved that it was in Hakonemachi which meant that we were able to finish the bulk of the Hakone Loop before arriving for check-in. For those who are staying in the Japanese-style twin rooms, we were originally nervous because the provided photos are a little hard to assess and the bathroom seemed a little old. A few notes: first, the room was gorgeous and huge. We didn't even touch our shower/barely touched our sink (just for brushing teeth and other mundane tasks) so we did not care at all. IMO, take this out as a decision factor if you are comfortable using the public baths (which were empty or had at most 1 other person every time we went) or reserving the private bath (which is available first-come first-serve for 30 minutes at a time). If you are doing this right, you will spend most of your time either eating, in the hot spring or the massage chairs, taking in the views, or sleeping. Still, I attached the only photo I have of the room (which is of food).

We didn't love the private first-come first-serve bath that much because it was a bit bland to be indoors! In contrast, the public baths, especially the outdoor ones, were amazing!