hailstorm

Are there any outdoor pools still operational in Hakone?

All the ones I was aware of:

Prince Hotel: decommissioned
Palace Hotel: hotel torn down
Kowaikien: closed last year
Fujiya Hotel: closed for renovations until next year.

The Fujiya Hotel Yumoto has one, but that's at the bottom of the mountain, so no different from being in Odawara.

hailstorm

Due to the recent typhoon, which dumped a record one meter of rainfall on Hakone, the train from Hakone Yumoto to Gora is down indefinitely, likely for at least the rest of the year. Additionally, the shuttle bus to and from Odawara station is not running, so you will have to get to the hotel by either car or local bus.

Additionally, the onsen pumps have been damaged. The public bathing areas are still open, but using non-onsen water at this time.

hailstorm

Restaurant Berce will close for good on November 30, 2019.

SkyTeam777

Wow, there have been a lot of changes here. Will a new restaurant open in Berce's place? Any other notable changes that repeat guests will notice?

hailstorm

Unlike other Hyatt hotels , this one is pretty good at updating its news page with such infornation.

https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/hotel/ja...hr/news-events

hailstorm

Making my first trip here in about five years. The place seems pretty much the same. There's nothing in place of Berce. Complementary drinks in the lounge are currently from 4pm to 7pm. Globalists get a coupon for additional snacks. Breakfast buffet appears to be operational. Onsen is operational until midnight with no restrictions other than a request to respect social distancing.

For the first time, I am not staying in a suite. Was upgraded from a regular points reservation to a Twin Deluxe. Honestly, I think I like this better than the suite. It's big, has a decent view of the mountains, and you can watch the TV while laying on the bed.

Will report back if there's anything else of note to mention.

FlyerBeek

hailstorm - thank you for the quick report - the first one here in over a year! I'm thinking of booking an upcoming weekend stay here next month. Any additional thoughts following your stay here? Does using the onsen require a reservation (due to COVID)? Full breakfast buffet for Globalists? Any luck on a late checkout here?

-FlyerBeek

hailstorm

Hakone was never a part of the quasi-emergency that Kanagawa Prefecture is in, so things were pretty normal. All in all, stay was awesome!

They moved up the evening appertifs to 4pm to 7pm. Globalists get access to a special menu that includes some pretty good cocktails (I had a Jake Daniels and Coke. That's not even available at Twilight Time at PHT!), and they also get a coupon for one snack item. Went with the Cajun French Fries, and based on what I saw other people having, I think that was the best choice. Even though the place was pretty full when we got there, they gave us a seat of honor right in front of the fireplace. It's possible that they reserved it for us, but can't say for sure. Live entertainment wasn't quite as fancy as it has been in the past, but they did have a guy playing the piano.

Onsen doesn't require reservations, and is open from 6am to midnight. The room I got was on the same floor as the Izumi Spa, which made it super convenient. Was never empty in my four visits, but never seemed overly crowded either. Maybe four other guests using it max.

Full breakfast buffet was in play. I was allowed as many made-to-order egg dishes as I wished (their Eggs Benedict was made with a pancake!). No issue with late checkout (we left a little after 3pm, but could have stayed until 4pm), but could be because we checked out on a Sunday and we didn't have a suite.

I'm very happy with the value I got for my points.

Also, if you're going by car, you might want to check out the Mishima Skywalk. Bit of a detour if you don't live in Shizuoka, but it was a really interesting visit. Kind of reminded me of a tiny Sentosa.

FlyerBeek

hailstorm - fantastic! Thank you very much for the detailed write-up. Very helpful. I was up in Gora last month and was pleasantly surprised how open things were up there at the time given all the restrictions in Tokyo/Kanagawa during mid-May.

-FlyerBeek

hailstorm

You're welcome. As mentioned, Hakone has never been a part of the quasi-emergency, so things there have loosened up considerably since the Kanagawa state of emergency ended in March.

The only place that seemed super busy were the shopping streets of Hakone Yumoto as we were driving through. It rained last Saturday, so we didn't check out the Gora station area, but I would assume it was largely the same as when you went before.

Warriorconcept

Thanks for this great report, booked it for next year!

lAzyTraveler

Stayed here last month. Lovely cocktail time and Onsen. Took some pix of the drink/food menu. HTH

All guests get champagne!


Last 2 items are seasonal menu


Globalist’s special menu

hailstorm

They'll gladly make a Globalist other cocktails not on that list with the items available. Had no problem ordering a Coke with Jack Daniels or a Vodka Tonic for example.

r0m8470

On the rooms with balcony/sun room, is there a provision to close it off? Closed off meaning there are some kind of sliding panels or covers that can be used to close the area from the elements? Asking since on upcoming stays, there are a few spots where I have to run calls on US PST - perks/cursed of hybrid work. If not, I guess I will just go to the lobby in the middle of the night to do it.

Thank you in advance!

mayday23

How long and how expensive is the transportation here from Tokyo? We'll be staying at PH Tokyo in July and trying to decide between here and Speedway.