This hotel is in a really convenient location about a three minute walk from Odawara station. A previous review said that it was in a bad area - I disagree - yes there were a couple of bars nearby but nothing in Odawara is particularly seedy and we felt completely safe, even coming back at night. Nor did we hear noise at night time. Although the rooms are small, the place was scrupulously clean and we had every facility in our room that we needed (except for wardrobe space) so we lived out of our suit case for a week. The staff were friendly and there were fresh towels and water left every day. At reception there was a range of free items such as robes, toothbrushes, wash cloths etc that you could pick up as you needed Odawara is a charming little town and a good base for exploring the area. My son was teaching there and we spent a couple of days in Tokyo, saw Mount Fuji from Hakone, visited Yokohama and Kamakura and even went on a longer trip to Sendai which by Shinkansen (changing in Tokyo) was possible for a day trip.
I read great reviews about Hakone Pax Yoshino. It's an older hotel in a tourist town and appears quite nice. My room was OK, large and could use some updating. My traditional dinner and service was spectacular, hence my 3-star rating. What tainted a one-night stay is I was traveling with a vegetarian friend and not only was she shut out of a dinner she paid for, but the front desk agent said they couldn't accommodate her, there would be no refund or substitutions, because we were traveling as solos we couldn't sit together - so many ”couldn'ts” that were simply not true. This tainted my stay and I went alone to dinner - plenty of room for another person - which was great. I was embarrassed that I had picked this hotel for friends to stay separately and upon arrival was told that our plan didn't include meals, which they sure did. So, at the front desk for about $300 per night, everything is ”couldn't”. Breakfast was just OK compared to dinner. I loved wearing the yakata and having hot spring water in the room's tub (which could use updating) was nice. In the morning, I was told to reserve a spot on a shuttle to the train station for what reason, I'm not sure. When no shuttle showed up for me, my friend and others waiting - and waiting - and waiting - we were then told that the shuttle doesn't always show up. Why the reservation for something that doesn't happen? The front desk could not request a cab, another ”couldn't”. Since most of us leaving had trains to catch and tours scheduled, we walked the 15 minutes or so to the station in the rain. I saw other guests I met while waiting also drenched at the station. In short, I'm not impressed though so much of Japan has impressive accommodations and kindness. Hakone Pax Yoshino falls short. For that reason, I wouldn't stay again and don't recommend it. Too bad, because the traditional dinner and restaurant serving staff are top notch. I'm sure the chef - and a dinner this good has to have a chef - would have said to serve a vegetarian rice, vegetables, desserts of which there were several as well as a large drink menu and other dishes - and the experience would have been better. Unfortunate that the front desk person we had could only say no, you don't have, we can't. Well, I think they could have. Very sad.
We spent one night in the Kaede room and really enjoyed our stay. We took a taxi from Odawara station, which was around ¥3100. After arriving at the ryokan, we were greeted by their staff and escorted to our room. Our room had a private onsen and we also reserved one of private onsens as well. I booked a massage after the kaiseki dinner, which was so relaxing. Everything about our stay was amazing. It was as just the rest and relaxation we needed due to all the walking we had done already on our trip. The only negative was the construction outside our room. It wasn’t going on while we were in our room but the staff mentioned they’re extending the ryokan to include a restaurant so just double check before booking to ensure you won’t have an obstructed view or issues with construction noise if you’re there for more than a night. If you’re in the onsen in the Kaede room, you won’t notice the construction until you’re at the sliding doors looking out. Our attendant was super helpful, nice and spoke fluent English (I can’t spell his name correctly). He made us feel at ease and ensured all our needs were met. He even helped arrange a taxi to pick us up to take us back to the station the next day. We really enjoyed our stay and wish we had spent at least two nights instead of one.