Hakone, Kanagawa Prefecture hotel rooms at the Independent

"Gora is the best private onsen you can stay at in Hakone. Traditional ryokan at its finest, Japanese style or western style rooms with a private bath in room. Large natural baths and indoor bathing areas, seasonal ingredient kaiseki set dinner and breakfast included! Staff is always 5* service and lovely. Bit out of the way up the mountain but worth the trip. "

"Great breakfast buffet. The room was spacious and had a great Japanese traditional atmosphere! Nice Onsen, everything very clean. Also - it was very "centrally located' to get around in Hakone!"

"Opted for half board option and dinner was excellent - lots of choices available and staff ensured that there was sufficient food despite it being the 8PM sitting. While there is no convenience stores nearby, the property is located right beside the ropeway and pirate ship - good for those who are planning to check out these attractions. Room was clean"

"Really enjoyed our stay there, the service was exceptional. "

"One of the best hotels we’ve stayed in "

"Loved the rooms. Loved lounge. Property was quite complicated to get around. Food so so. However Teppenyaki was exceptional. Our chef was great. Sorry to have forgotten his name. "

"The private bath houses were great! Staff was super helpful and accommodating during our stay. Would definitely enjoy staying here again!"

"Such a pleasant hotel experience! The staff was beyond helpful and very friendly. There are both Japanese and western dining options at the hotel, as well as a delicious breakfast buffet. I would recommend at least booking breakfasts when you arrive as there are not many easily walkable restaurants, and the area is very hilly. The hotel does however offer free rides to multiple locations around Hakone. The hotel has a no clothes Onsen, and they provide free coverings for tattoos. This was by far my favorite room of the whole vacation. Our room (410) had an indoor terrace with a wall to wall massive window that can be opened to let in fresh air. We even had a view of Mt. Fuji and the sky rail that goes over Mt. Hakone. My only critiques of the hotel are that there is no gym, no coin laundry, and while the room was always nice and cool, the hallways and lobby aren’t air conditioned and can get pretty warm during the hot season. "

"Customer service is topnotch! They explained everything about the hotel (dining, onsen, room, shuttle bus). The breakfast buffet was great! Lots of choices even with the drinks. They have free foot spa, and then the onsen was the best. So relaxing after a whole tiring day. Also, there is a free hot/cold variety of teas near the foot spa area which was really good. The room is clean, lots of freebies in the bathroom. There are also slippers with different sizes, and pajama which was really cool. There was a fantastic view of the mountain and the river in our room. All in all, we enjoyed our stay and will highly recommend this hotel. If given the chance to travel to Hakone again, I will choose this hotel again for sure."