A hotel with private onsen in your room!
Had a 2-night stay in a chic modern Japanese-Western hotel in Hakone called Hotel ZAGAKUKAN. Also my first time in staying in a hotel that’s anything remotely traditional in some ways (the last time was a dormitory in high school 😆).
Location
Located just a 10-minute walk away from Hakone-Yumoto station, the hotel is also accessible via bus till one stop before/after Hakone-Yumoto station(depending on which direction you’re looking at 😂)! To walk over, exit from the Front Exit of the Station, which is the same direction to the shuttle bus for Hakone Yuryo (familiar? It’s the same place as mentioned in my other post) and the coin lockers in the station.
There are plenty of shops and eateries (including a Lawson and 7-11 konbini) along the way and in the quieter roads (if you’re interested in a cosy, small, homey-vibe kinda place with Japanese-Western food, check out Hinomaru-tei Scott! It’s run by Scott-san and his wife, and they have an English menu available too!). As with all mountainous/country-side locations, remember to check on the opening hours if you’re planning to eat out at night!
The view along the way is also wonderful :> And we were walking outside in late-autumn so it was a very comfortable walk. In terms of terrain, we could comfortably roll our luggage with us though there were some areas that had an incline slope or narrower paths (remember to be considerate for others!). There are proper traffic crossings along the main road (National Route 1, also known as Tokaido) so do not jaywalk! (e.g. in the photo below, there’s a pedestrian crossing signage in front of 7-11)
Lobby / Hotel Entrance
The hotel has a small entrance with some steps (stairs, so do note on this if you’re carrying heavy luggage) that brings you through a bit of a zen vibe. Entering through the automated doors, the hallway is chic with dark grey walls and there’s only one route – and this will lead you straight to the concierge after going through about 2 or 3 automated doors. I’m not sure if there’s an entrance from the garage below, but we did see a Level B1 in the lift (the building goes up to Level 3). From the outside, the garage door looked closed though.
The View
Not much of a view for us since we didn’t fiddle much with the windows – but what was unique was the triple-layered window shades? The blackout curtains were SO GOOD that we woke up at 9am the next day in pitch darkness in our room!! (yes, we overslept thanks to the darkness that made it still feel like night outside😂)
The Room
We stayed in the Standard Double Room, a cozy yet spacious room complete with tatami flooring (!!!) and of course with that, a dedicated shoe area! The room could comfortably fit both our medium sized luggage with ample of excess space (ngl this got me spoilt especially when reality hit me in our small hotel room in Tokyo 😂).
So there’s of course our double bed (according to Agoda, it’s a King bed), with 2 sets of yukata provided (more on what’s that about in the Amenities section of this post because this hotel had provided so much that I was trying out for the first time 😆 but yes they did provide pyjamas too). If you take a close look at the photos, you’ll see there’s this device on the wall behind the bed – that’s where you can control all the lights from – with presets to use too! You can also see the time and weather from there!
The room also has a sofa with a small table, and the television in the room is pretty up to date – a smart TV with apps like YouTube and Netflix, and there’s free VOD! Oh and the HDMI port is very accessible so if you wanna connect your own device, remember to bring your own HDMI cable! There’s also a console next to the TV which is supported by Alexa I think? Didn’t really play much with this but it does come in handy as a clock and for the weather forecast. There’s also a safe deposit box in the room itself – so no need for depositing with front desk (iykyk).
Near the door are a cupboard storage space and another shelf which we’re guessing might be how they send food to the room, since there was another lockable door from the outside.
Bathroom
The bathroom area is split into 3 sections: the bath area (with a bath tub and rain shower), sink area, and of course the toilet area that has a washlet with a lot of functions. Do note that to access the bathroom, there’s a short 3 or 4 steps (like stairs). So for those with knee problems, you might wanna keep this in mind.
One big important highlight: the bath water is onsen (hot spring) water! So essentially you have a private onsen in your room! Which also explains the onsen tax that you’ll need to pay at check-in 😆.
And for the bath area, yes it’s a glass wall to the bed – you get to watch telly while taking a bath I guess? 😆 There is a roll-down curtain for privacy buttttt that’s on the outside of the bathroom 😅
Amenities
Okay so! Coffee and tea making amenities are available in the room near the TV and above the minibar (empty by default).
So other than the 2 sets of yukata provided which can be found on the bed (as shown in an earlier section of this page), near the door and where the hangers are for your clothes, you’ll find bedroom slippers, 2 sets of haori (like a coat to wear over your yukata), 2 sets of obi, 2 sets of tabi socks, 2 sets of bathrobes, and 2 sets of pyjamas! (Told ya the list was long 😝)
If you’re lost on how to wear the yukata, you can find more information on the information channel on the TV. They also have a QR code that links you to a YouTube video to guide you on how to put in your yukata!
For the bathroom amenities, small bottles of soap, shampoo and conditioner can be found in the bath area, along with a body towel (not body sponge like most mid-range Japanese hotels have, but a body towel instead!). At the sink, you can find a cute little pouch of skincare products, and in the drawer would be the hairdryer and foldable desk mirror.
There is also an amenity shelf at the hotel lobby, where you can get hair brushes, hair ties, hair claw clips (YES, and they’re the big ones!), dental kits, sponges for mani/pedi, foot refresher sheets (those adhesive patches with menthol that can be used for your feet, legs, neck, etc), and many more.
Gym / Pool
There’s no gym or pool at this hotel.
Breakfast
Our room booking didn’t come with breakfast, but you would be able to find plenty of options along the way to Hakone-Yumoto station! The hotel does have a restaurant in-house that serves lunch and dinner.
Other random recallable stuff
- Front desk was impressively quick – we had called to request for a small item and the moment we had out the phone down, they rang the doorbell within the next minute 🤯
- Check-in is at 5pm, but you can leave your luggage with the front desk!
- That being said, check-out is at 1pm, which gives you some time to enjoy a soak in hot spring water in the tub before heading to your next destination :>
- Free parking is also available, for those of you who are driving/renting a car!
- In terms of accessibility-friendliness, I would suggest you check in with the hotel before booking – our room wouldn’t be considered that since there are a few steps required to get to the bathroom
- Is this specific room couple-friendly? Definitely. Family-friendly? Well it depends – considering the glass doors and glass windows for the bathroom.
- And of course, there’s free wifi 😀 Wifi login details can be found in the room.
* All details are accurate as at Dec 2024
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