Nicolemp

Has anyone stayed at this hotel?: Laforet Club Hakone Gora Yuno Sumika. It looks nice and modern. I like the bath on the balcony. Price is kind of high though. Wondering about the location. Reviews say it is a bit remote but we are only going to be there one night.
Also looking at Kansuiro and Kijitei Hoeisu (but all the talk of pheasant meat kind of turns me off).
Looking for any other suggestions that wont break the bank for three of us. I don't mind spending a bit more than usual for the experience but can't afford a place like Gora Kaden etc.

Also, we will be coming from Tokyo on July 7th, morning. It makes sense to me to stay the night in Hakone rather than doing a day trip, then back to Tokyo only to leave the next morning for Kyoto.
How long does the Hakone Loop typically take?
Also, is it easy then to stay the night then take the train to Kyoto the next day?

mrwunrfl

Yes to your last question. You'll go from Hakone to JR Odawara station to get the shinkansen to Kyoto. That station is served by Hikari and Kodama shinkansen trains.

It is a 2 hour trip on the Hikari and 3 hours on a Kodama from Odawara to Kyoto. The timetable at the link below shows you those trains. There are options where you would have to make a change of trains.

The Hikari train is worth waiting for. I'd rather spend 75 minutes hanging out at Odawara station waiting for a Hikari rather than an extra 50 minutes on the Kodama shinkansen. I didn't do that and hated all the stops that the Kodama made.

http://www.hyperdia.com/cgi/en/inter...chday=20170708

mrwunrfl

>>Reviews say it is a bit remote but we are only going to be there one night.

That remoteness is a drawback for a 1 night stay. If you had said "but we are going to stay there 2/3 nights" then it makes more sense.

That lodging is a 4 minute taxi ride or 18-minute walk from Gora station. It is also a 5-minute walk from the cable-car.

Gora to Odawara is a bit over an hour by rail with a change of trains at Hakone-Yumoto. The Gora - Hakone-Yumoto leg of that is on the loop and takes about 45 minutes on the Tozan train. You would have to travel that leg three times if you stay in Gora vs one time if you stayed near Hakone-Yumoto.

So, staying in Gora is going to cost you an extra 1.5 hours out of your short stay. You could cut that time by taking a taxi on arrival or departure (arrival at Hakone-Yumoto or Odawara; departure from Odawara).

Nicolemp

Thanks mrwunrfl! Good info....
I still really like the hotel I mentioned (Laforet) even though remote, but I cant seem to find anything that catches my eye closer to Hakone-Yumoto that has a private bath and decent price)....
so what if when we arrive in Hakone we only do half the loop the first day (Hakone-Yumoto to Gora-counter clockwise), second half the next day (Gora to Hakone-Yumato then to Odawara to catch the shinkasen to Kyoto).
Does the loop need to be done in a clockwise order like suggested? or is there anything wrong or not allowed sightseeing counter clockwise?

mrwunrfl

Yes, I guess that would work! Just ship luggage from Tokyo to Kyoto. You could send a small bag to be at the Gora hotel so that it is there when you arrive. Just what you need for overnight and clothing for the next day. You could even send that bag from Gora the next day so that it arrives Kyoto on your second day there. You can go CW or CCW. I would go CW.

mrwunrfl

CW because then you will have an opportunity to see Fuji-san from across Ashi-ko. If it is cloudy then you could backtrack the next day from Gora to have another shot, but the backtrack might not be necessary. You could go CCW but that would mean the backtrack is required. Not that the backtrack would be a big deal and you might just want to do it in either case.

mrwunrfl

the backtrack being the cablecar and ropeway, not the boat.