Yushintei

There are some big “mega hotels” in the area, but I think staying in one of these would be missing the point of staying in Hakone. Yushintei instead captures the essence of the area. With its private onsens (small, medium and large) and spacious rooms with toki baths, Yushintei makes for a fantastically relaxing stay. The staff were wonderful - they were polite, helpful and very accommodating. The hotel is walkable to and from Hakone-Yamumoto station, but the K bus also runs conveniently close for when you have luggage. One word of caution, if you’re catching an early Shinkansen upon departure from Odawara, don’t rely on an advance Uber booking to get you to the train station. Ours was a no-show at 0535 and none of the local hotels could get any of the local taxi companies to come and pick us up. Instead, we luckily managed to get a taxi via the “Go” app as we ran to the train station. So, best either avoid taxi or make sure you’re already at the train station so you can fall back on the train (the first train of the day would still be cutting it close for the early Hikari Shinkansen!)

Spacious and clean

This place is easily the best place we stayed at during our Japan trip, and possibly the best overall experience I've had in a one-night stay ever. You have your own onsen in the room, along with two private onsens in the hotel (free, no reservations required to use). The traditional room is large for Japanese hotel standards, the hotel is a 15-minute walk to Hakone station, and the staff have mind-blowing hospitality! Highly recommend

This was a great stay, helpful and friendly staff! Nice location!