Beautifully located ryokan with very friendly service. If you're lucky, you can see Fujisan. The kaiseki style food served at breakfast and dinner was excellent and the views from the several available onsens astonishing, be it the view of Ashinoko in the main building (for day guests) or the japanese garden in the annex building (for overnight guests). Even though there were many guests in the ryokan, we had the onsen to ourselves most of the time.

We reserved the shuttle bus from Odawara station, but we didn't know what the bus looked like and where it stops, so we missed it. FYI, it stops near the statue beside the line buses and carries the logo of the Prince Hotel chain. The building itself is a bit rustical, but well maintained and clean, so for me personally it gave it more flair to the ryokan experience. Not so many power outlets available in the room. Public transport (bus) to/from Togendai/Motohakone didn't come so often as we hoped for, but if you are fit enough, you can even walk these distances. Parts of the road pass directly along the lake.

I loved the location! So close to a cute shopping area and to the ferry! It was also close to a ropeway that happened to be closed for the summer. I loved wearing the yukata to the meals! We also wore them to fireworks to celebrate the Dragon festival!  There were lots of yukatas to choose from in many colors and designs! We loved the meals! We stayed two nights so we had two breakfasts and two dinners and we had some of the best food of our entire trip at our meals! We had fresh sushi at our second dinner! It also came with excellent meat that we cooked at our own personal mini grills at the table! There was one breakfast I didn’t care for, but I loved all three other meals greatly! The serving staff at dinners were very nice! We had a nice view of Mount Fuji, it’s over to the right over a hill, and sometimes it is covered in clouds, but it is beautiful and we loved it. Our room was nice and big and very comfortable.

Sometimes there was a weird vibe at the front desk. They never cleaned the room while we were gone. With four people in the room it would’ve been nice to have clean glasses and towels each day. We did ask for clean glasses at the front desk and they did bring them on a tray. The onsen was very nice but oh how I wish there was a third option aside from public and private baths where we could wear bathing suits! Of course no onsen allows this, but I sure would love it! Our room was in the annex section of the hotel.

Room was beautiful, very traditional as we expected, but the “mt fuji view” and also the lake view was almost unreal, on the first floor only with trees on the window. If the view is a must, ask a room on the 2-3rd floor. Loved the ambiance, very japanese, spacious room. Good food (they adapted on the second day for us and kids - western breakfast; but japanese menu was already good!)

Too expensive, other ryokans in Hakone are not so expensive and it is NOT a luxury hotel. Bathroom inside the room was very simple. And to reech the pathway to the shrine, you need to walk on the road a bit. But it was calm and nice!

Incredible outdoor (public) onsen with view of Mt Fuji! We were very lucky and got to see a clear view of Mt Fuji on our last day - this made our room with lake view of Mt Fuji very well worth the price! The breakfast and dinners included were delicious - very traditional kaiseki’s so don’t expect any sort of Western food here. Additionally, the room was super comfortable & spacious with comfy beds. I also loved that we could wear the provided yukatas around the entire property (was good to give my other clothes a break!). It was also very easy to book the shuttle bus to and from Odawara station (via messages on booking.com).

Nothing! It was amazing.

The view from my room was just breath taking. Fuji mountain is just there. It was so beautiful that I wished I could stay longer. Also I love hot spring. The location is so quiet and it was perfect for my vacation.

One of staffs expressed anger when I was late 20 min for my breakfast. It was really unnecessary. after he said angry words and pointed his watch several times with frown face, he didn't even serve water or anything and didn't even look at my table. so unprofessional. He was the only unpleasant experience. (he was wearing glasses and seemed work there sometime.)

Ryuguden is a lovely property with a beautiful location on the lake and, weather permitting, gorgeous views of Mt. Fuji from your room. The outdoor onson has a similar view and was delightful. The staff were top notch and very helpful in assisting us with logistics and verifying options for us given the weather event that was impacting area. The meals were uniquely interesting and I cannot imagine a better first time experience in a traditional Ryokan.

The remoteness of the location is part of its charm and contributes to the zen vibe, but should be taken into consideration when planning how to see the sites that are further area. However, Motohakone is convenient.

the views from the room are spectacular in good weather, and the rooms are extremely spacious. There were also western beds available in the room Dinner on day 1 was very good, 2nd day's dinner was average. Onsen was fantastic, there are outdoor/indoor options and the outdoor onsen oversees the mountains and lake.

the location is not as accessible. there are hourly shuttle buses to/fro the base of the mountain that takes around 15-20 mins hence it is important to plan around the bus schedules. in bad weather (e.g. fog) or heavy rain, the views from the room will disappear however this is no fault of the property.

The location was amazing, if you go to the open air onsen, you can get a view of the lake and mount Fuji. The facility was also incredibly clean, with a convenient restaurant. Dinner times were flexible and the meals were fantastic.

We tried to schedule some massage sessions, but they only had 1 staff available to do it. The non-room massages ended at 6pm, which made it awkward to schedule time since the shuttle got us there around 1-2. I'd imagine something similar can happen if we spent a day to explore the town (would be arriving back after 6 probably).

What an amazing place. Our first experience in a traditional Japanese Ryokan, with stunning onsen facilities, eating exceptionally prepared traditional meals, in a traditional tatami mat room helped immerse us in the culture and wonder of the area. We were fortunate enough to reserve a room with a private onsen, which helped us get more comfortable with the proper pre-bathing habits before using the public baths and provided beautiful private escape at other times. The staff, for me, was the highlight of our stay. Incredibly helpful in every aspect of our stay, from when an issue left my son stranded 30 minutes away on arrival day and we needed help arranging transport, to educating us on the use of traditional Yukata, to impeccable service and assistance any time we needed it. As an example it's worth mentioning that Hakone-en is not served well by Taxi apps that work well in other parts of the country, so while we were use to self-service cars using Uber and Taxi GO we relied on the staff to help make taxi arrangements for us at times that didn't match up with the shuttle. Also note Hakone-en at night does not have Konbinis or other facilities, so plan ahead when it comes to anything outside the hotel.

Everything about this hotel was amazing... the only thing I didn't like was leaving!

Roomy Japanese-style room, the exclusive onsen, the food (dinner set), nice lake and mountain view