Hakone Kowakien Ten-yu

This hotel is conveniently located about 200 meters from the Tenyu bus stop, accessible by Hakone's main bus lines, Z03 and J03. The hotel itself is beautifully decorated and has a very stylish ambiance. The Japanese-style room, though not huge, was quite spacious and quiet. Despite checking in during February, the room's excellent insulation actually made it feel warm. The private open-air bath on the balcony was amazing; even with outside temperatures around 5 degrees Celsius, the continuous flow of 40-degree-plus hot spring water meant it was never cold. The hotel also offers outdoor public baths and a footbath. Plus, on the 5th floor lobby, there are two free ice cream machines – just ask the front desk for complimentary tokens to enjoy as much as you like – and a continuous supply of various iced teas. I must especially commend the dining experience; half-board (dinner and breakfast) is an absolute must! Upon check-in, the front desk proactively changed our two nights of shabu-shabu to one night of shabu-shabu and one night of kaiseki. Each dinner was a full course, incredibly delicious, and left us completely stuffed. For breakfast, there are two restaurants, and I highly recommend the buffet; the variety is extensive and far superior to the breakfast at the Imperial Hotel, which is often ranked as a top Tokyo dining spot on Ctrip. The hotel also hosts free evening performances, and you can even pay to release sky lanterns. Honestly, if I came to Hakone 100 times, I'd stay at Tenyu 100 times.

After checking in, I finally understood why some people come back multiple times. It was a very pleasant experience.

The hot spring was very comfortable, and the environment was excellent.

The hotel has a lovely little garden that's beautiful both day and night. The dinner buffet was excellent, with a wide variety of dishes, including seafood, crawfish, and king crab – much better than breakfast. On the first floor, there's free ice cream; just ask the front desk for tokens. There's a good selection, and it's delicious. The chocolate cones were especially crispy.