Ajisai Onsen Ryokan - Award Winning Private Open Air Onsen

All of the ladies on staff were wonderful. They were so sweet, and always helpful. Being able to reserve a private bath 3 times a day for our family was wonderful, and they have 3 different ones to choose from. The food was tasty and presented beautifully. We could choose from traditional or western. We went the traditional route. The facility was very clean!

The Ajisai Onsen Ryokan was a very beautiful and private stay for our family! This boutique hotel is offering a special and complete experience to his customers, from the private onsens (both inside and outside) to the 7 course set dinner that is truly remarkable. The traditional breakfast is roch and interesting, and they also provide continental breakfast for the classic taste. The 3 onsens can be booked 3 times a day and whenever they are available. The robes provided are very comfortable and the toiletries are all very good quality and diverse. I would suggest a minimum stay of 2 nights and as many sessions of onsen as possible so that you can really wind down. The room was decorated traditionally, the futon and pillows were very comfortable, and the staff is so nice! The whole experience has been really relaxing after a busy week in Tokyo. The ryokan is located in Gora, a small town, and is 700m from Gora station (we walked) where you can take the cable car to the top and make the loop journey to lake Ashi.

La location le stanze l’atmosfera la cena e la colazione top

Nulla

- The onsen are okay. Nothing special, just standard onsen facilities. - The rooms are a decent size.

* The staff, most non Japanese, seemed indifferent and provided very little hospitality. The level of service fell far short of the traditional Japanese hospitality I expected from a ryokan. * The property has no real garden, no notable view, and appears to be in need of maintenance and a fresh coat of paint. It can also be quite noisy. * The room description on Booking.com stated that the room included a private bathroom. It did not. Guests are required to use the onsen facilities instead. Private baths can be reserved for 50 minutes, but availability is limited. During my stay, the water was cold when I arrived, and I had to ask the staff to turn on the water heater. * The room description also mentioned “garden views.” In reality, the room overlooked a few trees next to the road rather than an actual garden, which was disappointing and not what I expected from the description. * The rooms are not fully prepared in the traditional ryokan style. Guests are expected to set up their own futons, and there is no turndown service. This is not the usual ryokan experience, especially at this price point. * The food was very basic and poor value for money. Similar dishes can be found elsewhere in the area for roughly half the price and of better quality. * The property was surprisingly difficult to find, even with GPS. Overall: a huge disappointment. I would not return and cannot recommend it. There are plenty of better places to stay in and around Hakone for the same price.