Name: Tounosawa Quatre Saisons Hotel
Address: 120 Tonosawa Ashigara-shimogun,Tonosawa, Hakone, Hakone, Hakone, 250-0311, Japan
Rating: 7

Air conditioning

Elevator/lift

Smoke-free property

Heating

All Spaces Non-Smoking (public and private)

General

Fridge

Hairdryer

Flat-screen TV

Shower/Bathtub

Bathtub

Shower

Slippers

Toiletries

Rooms

Safe-deposit box

Luggage storage

Services and amenities

Vending machine

Kettle

Meals

Free Wi-Fi

Internet

Free parking

Parking

Fax and copy machine

Business

Massage

Beauty and wellness

Pets Not Allowed

Pets

Location

At the hotel

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Tounosawa Quatre Saisons Hotel

Hakone

Out of several trips to Japan this was some of the most disappointing accommodation - booked by our travel agent.
The rooms are very dated and tired and our bathroom constantly had bad drain smells, which I note is common with other reviews.  The beds are very uncomfortable and the rooms overlook the river which is a positive. 
The road up from town is a dangerous walk along the road at several points and care must be taken.
There are a few nearby restaurants that offer good food at reasonable prices.  It is a 15 minute walk down to the Hakone Yamamoto Station which is the point for trains and buses departing out to the various Hakone attractions. 
The onsen in the hotel is small and tired.
That said, it is a major tourist area and is this hotel is at the budget end of hotel rooms in Hakone area.

Old, tired and smelly with a good view

We stayed here for 1 night from 19th-20th of may 2019.

The hotel was quite a long walk away from the nearest bus stop and there is no real sidewalk, so not recommended unless you are travelling light.

If you are coming from downhill, the hotel is not even recognizable since the hotel logo is painted on the other side of the building which is only visible while going downhill. The building is pitch black however, that is the only clue to finding it.

In terms of hotel ratings, this hotel was probably one of the worst of our entire trip. I personally will avoid this place on my next stay to Japan. I'm not saying it was bad, but a lot of things were just not to my personal liking.

Some will disagree on these points, but i for one did not like that you could hear the river's water flowing all day and night, even with the windows shut. It made me feel like i had to pee all night long and because of this, i did not get a lot of shut-eye. The rooms we had, did not look anything like the first picture they advertise with. Our rooms were almost moldy. They looked old, dated and were far from comfortable. Bed mattresses were very unbalanced and if you say or lay to far to the edge of the bed, it would just make you fall out/off. There were also a lot of those moisture collector things to make the rooms less damp, but they didn't particularly seem to help.

Dinner and breakfast were also nothing special, far from it if you ask me. Then again, i wasn't feeling very well, probably because of said food, but it was not for me either.

The hotel manager (or i think he was) was very friendly though. His English was quite above average and he was very helpful when people had questions.

Dated, damp, and definitely not like advertised on the pictures

The hotel has a good view over the river and nearby mountain, and you can hear the running water from the river which is nice.

However, its quite dated, the bathrooms were in dire need of a renovation and weren't very fresh. The shower was pretty old and only had a hand held shower with 2 hooks to attach it to: either waist high, or head high but pointing across the bathtub i.e. pointing the water outside the shower, so it was a bit difficult. The bathroom was very dingy unfortunately. 

The staff were very friendly and professional. The breakfast & dinner is traditional Japanese food with alot of seafood, it was very well presented and cooked, and includes alot of food. 

The location is very close to the Tonosawa train station, it's about a 5 to 10 min walk but it's a hard walk with alot of stairs, slopes, and a blind hairpin corner of a road with no shoulder, so do be careful walking around the corner before the hotel. You can also get a cab from the previous station easily (Hakone-Yumoto station) so that would be a good option for anyone who is mobility impaired or carrying luggage / prams etc. 

I am not sure about the local restaurants as we didn't try any due to having the meals included. It is a quiet,  peaceful little regional town.

Gora Park was nice to walk around, and also taking the cable car, ropeway, and boat to Lake Ashi was also a nice day out. I think 2 nights here would be the maximum needed. 

I've included some photos of the view from the room and the living area of the room.

Budget Hotel, good view, but needs a renovation

The rooms have great view over the river, but the rooms are outdated and old. the food was delicious and the staff were friendly and accommodating. Its not bad but I wouldn't recommend it if you are after a Ryokan experience

outdated but OK

This hotel offers a great off-season price, and the rates we chose includes breakfast and dinner. We got one of their modern, updated rooms which was super spacious and very nicely done. The bed was comfortable, there's a whole hot water pot in the room, two types of Japanese slippers (one for in-room use and one for restaurant and onsen use), yukata's and an amazing river view. They even gave us oranges every night, and even if you don't eat yours, they'll add more the next day!

I really enjoyed the breakfast and dinner provided. While they don't offer alternative menus, the were accommodating and replaced items we couldn't eat with those we could. We did notify them in advance though.

I also liked that the hotel has private onsen hours between 10pm to 1am, which is great for those who do not want to shed their clothes in front of others! Just be mindful and don't stay too long though, but since it was the low season I had no problem finding some private onsen time.

The staff was courteous at all times, and you'll notice that the front desk staff also doubles up as service staff during meal times, so do be patient if you don't see them at the front desk during those hours.

Location-wise it's a nice down-hill 15 to 20 minute walk to Hakone Yumoto Station, but unless you're super fit, I wouldn't recommend the uphill walk especially if you have luggage. The bus stop is just a minute walk away, but because of the way the road is built you will spend some of it walking ON the actual street with cars and busses moving past you at fairly high speeds. They know you're there though so as long as you don't make sudden moves or attempt to cross at blind spots, you'll be fine (we put our phone lights on when walking at night though just to make ourselves more visible). This on-road walking is not unusual for these parts of Hakone. Taking a taxi to Yumoto Station is less than 1000 yen during regular traffic hours, so that's worth considering. The Tonosawa Station is quite a trek uphill (uneven steps + slopes) from the hotel though, so if you've got heavy luggage, I don't recommend it. 

But even if you arrive by taxi, there is a short flight of stairs you need to tackle to get to the lobby, so the hotel is not very accessible if you're on a wheelchair.

If I had any complaints it would be the bathroom of the updated rooms. It's nicely designed, but the tiled floor is COLD during winter (thank goodness for the provided slippers). But what I had an issue was with a wet towel kind of smell that seems to linger. It's not from any of the amenities or shower curtain, so I think it could be from the pipes. There is also some hard water marks starting to develop on the pipes, so I really recommend a good, deep clean before it gets any worse. Also, the corridors in front of the rooms are really, really cold!

That said, I think the price point for this hotel is excellent considering everything you get with it. Definitely a good place to stay especially if you're a first timer to Hakone.

Amazing river views

Hotel is a short walk from town however it is on a very busy road with no footpath for part of the way, so you need to be careful when going out at night.  Had a room which overlooked the river and away from the road, which meant it was very peaceful.
The included breakfast is Japanese style but this is what you would expect, it was fresh and tasty and beautifully presented.  We also had dinner one night and that was also very good.
This hotel has so much potential, it just needs to be updated - it would be amazing if the rooms had new carpets and paint and the beds were replaced.
Room was always clean and the only drawback in the bathroom was the handheld shower.

Great location with good breakfast but needs an update

We arrived at Haneda airport and went to the train hotel.... we took Haneda to Odawara, then to Hakone Yumoto and another to Hakone Tonosawa. We arrived at the station and walked to the hotel with our luggage through a park....a nice but quiet walk (it has steps in the park and climb up the street where there is no sidewalk, walk to the side of the road) We were greeted by a very nice gentleman who even communicating in Japanese, risking a few words in English, made our hotel reservation.

First hotel in Japan.

When we got off the parade we saw that the hotel was at the end of the hike and was on a rather dangerous curve of the road, with no arches, no sidewalks, no visibility, and it seemed a little tricky to get back at night. The guy at the reception also told us that the room was not ready but we could leave the luggage there. The entrance looked pretty awful. We left the luggage at the reception and went for the famous tour that included a cable car, cable car and boat. When we returned at night, our area paints better than it did during the day, as there were lights and lights and lights on the area that made it more beautiful. We also paid $146 at the reception and went under the bags (as we always did not make our bags there). The next room was under the bathroom, but we had to pay for it. - There was a lot of room in the hotel, but we had to stay in the hotel for a few minutes, so that we could have a nice room, a nice room, a large bathroom, a large bathroom, a nice room, a nice room, a

It has become obsolete.

Traditionally, this hotel retains typical Japanese customs. In the rooms there is a tatami for meals, with hot water and tea available. The landscape is magnificent and very well represents the lush nature of the place. Very close in the middle of the forest is the Tounosawa Station, which to access you have to cross the river through a carved bridge, from where you take great photos. If all this were not enough, the hotel still offers the bathroom, which is a must.

Beautiful location in the middle of nature

Easy to find, direct access from the road. Free parking. Good welcome, helpful staff. Spacious room (rare in Japan) with living room. Magnificent river view. Comfortable bunk bed (also rare). Excellent shabu-shabu dinner (cheap). Everyone has put on their yukata, which gives a zen and warm atmosphere. Traditional breakfast is a special experience.

Tounosawa Quatre Saisons Hotel

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