Had a lovely stay here a few weeks ago -- a very nice pause in between busy visits to Tokyo and Kyoto. We used a DSU on a C&P rate and got one of the corner suites, with which we were very happy. Based on the pictures I thought the balcony might be uncomfortable and austere, but we actually really enjoyed it; it was a nice place to sit and have tea and enjoy the breeze in the evening.
We had French dinner in the Dining Room one night (not Berce) and while I thought it was a bit overpriced, the service was excellent and the food was quite delicious. I love the little private alcoves they've created for tables; we got one on one of our breakfasts as well.
Breakfast was also excellent. I'm not exactly sure what others are referring to with a supplement for the Japanese breakfast, as there seemed to be a pretty wide range of Japanese options on the buffet. All the Japanese guests we saw were primarily selecting from those. We happily chose things from both sides (the onsen tamago is really nice over rice as a sort of cheater's tamago kake gohan, and the homemade orange marmalade is delicious).
Service was excellent across the board. I realized after the fact that the staff in the dining room hadn't needed to ask for our room number when presenting the check; I think they'd remembered us from the evening reception. We also enjoyed that; the snack plate is kind of underwhelming, but the extra drink selection for Diamonds is quite nice, and the lemon (?) cider is delicious.
I was a bit disappointed in the onsen -- it's a nice space, but the pool is
very shallow, and the only way to really immerse yourself in it is to sit on the floor and stretch out. I have bad knees, so that wasn't really an option. It's also a fairly austere space, with a lot of hard granite in the room, and no real natural elements. We used it one night and had a nice soak, but didn't feel motivated to return.
The only other thing I wish they'd have provided is a little bit better guidance on the various shuttle options. There is shuttle service provided to the Sounzan station (which bridges the cable car and the ropeway, though the latter service is partially suspended right now) -- but I was never clear on what hours that service operated or whether you could request a return pickup. The Gora shuttle service also ends quite early; a few extra hours would be welcome.
A couple of tips that might be worth sharing:
- There's a really nice yakitori just down the hill from the hotel called Gora Yoshicho -- it's run by a very nice man who speaks good English, it's open late, and it takes credit cards. We had their deluxe set menu for Y3500pp and aside from being completely stuffed, we loved it -- particularly the fried eggplant with two kinds of miso. Only wish it weren't uphill to get back to the Hyatt!
- Those looking for a foreign ATM on the weekend may have some difficulty. There's a post office in Gora, but it's closed Saturday afternoon and Sundays -- and unlike most Lawsons in Tokyo, the ATM at the Lawson at Chokoku-no-mori does not take foreign cards. The nearest option we found was a 7-11 near Kowakidani station -- it's a steep hike up the hill, but we realized afterwards you can take the route H bus for Motohakone-ko/Hakonemachi from Kowakidani station and jump off at the stop just past the 7-11.