สถานีโอฟุนะ × ที่พักพร้อมอาหารวาซาบิโรงแรม·เรียวกังที่มีคะแนนความพึงพอใจสูง

I stayed here once shortly after it opened, and the view from the Room, the cleanliness, and the bath were all outstanding, so with my birthday coming up I decided to visit again. Just like last time, everything was just as wonderful; the meals felt even more generous than before, and they were delicious—I was very satisfied. As with all Accommodations in this group, the service is excellent and full of thoughtful touches, so I can confidently recommend it to anyone. Thank you very much.

My monthly staycation is usually at a Hotel in my local Minato Mirai area, but this time I went a bit farther to Hotel Indigo Gora. I drove there alone, and the winding mountain roads in Hakone were a little tiring. I arrived before check-in and planned to relax at the footbath, but as soon as I parked in the outdoor lot in front of the Hotel, a staff member came right away and helped with my luggage. The welcome drink and Umaibo snack were a nice touch, and being able to check in comfortably while seated is one of those pleasures you expect from a Hotel of this class. When I entered my Room with the staff’s guidance, I couldn’t help saying, “Beautiful!” out loud. It’s a compact Hotel with around 100 rooms, but the Japanese-modern design—combining a raised tatami area with beds—was truly charming. I usually prefer modern Hotels, but this stay reminded me how calming and appealing Japanese-modern style can be. For dinner, I ordered à la carte at the on-site restaurant. The shrimp, scallops, and abalone in the bouillabaisse were surprisingly tender; the burrata was rich and paired perfectly with tomato and basil. The white wine went down easily. Since I don’t eat much, I also appreciated having à la carte options instead of only set courses. The bath in my Room was spacious, and I was able to fully enjoy the Onsen at leisure. The breakfast buffet also impressed me in both variety and quality—especially the green beans dressed with sesame sauce, which tasted far better than anything I could make at home. Even as someone who eats lightly (and can be picky), it was more than satisfying. The hospitality from everyone on staff was excellent, and the entire property was beautiful and comfortable. It was a wonderful Hotel that made me want to return again.

After 20 years, the bath was still great, and although meals were previously served in the Room, the food was excellent. The staff were all very pleasant. The garden remains as beautiful as it was 20 years ago. While I like the nostalgic feel of the building, a bit more renovation might be better.

Herbal medicinal teas before and after meals are also a nice touch. At dinner, you can drink as much as you like of your preferred beverages, including alcohol, and every dish was truly delicious. Although we stayed on a weekday, they kindly served us the weekend-only sashimi as well, which we enjoyed with fresh wasabi! The baths were crowded, so we couldn’t relax as much as we’d hoped, but overall we were satisfied. However, it was disappointing that the futon in the Japanese-style room was quite thin.

[From Check-in to the Room] We arrived by car and were warmly welcomed. After check-in, we were escorted to our Room while enjoying tea and sweets. [Attractions] We chose one of the two activities and whisked matcha ourselves, then enjoyed tea on the Sky Corridor for a perfect digital detox. There was also a surprise arranged by my wife and the staff for me, which truly moved me—thank you so much. [Dinner] As the title suggests, the meal featured carefully selected ingredients gathered along the Tokaido route and a strong focus on water quality. We’ve enjoyed excellent cuisine at many places (Sekaie, Miwa, Karaku, Mayufutahari, Honbako, Hoshino Resorts, etc.), but this surpassed them all. From the dashi to rice served multiple ways with different textures and aromas, everything delighted all five senses—and our conversation with the staff made time fly by. Personally, I especially loved the rare bonito cutlet and Tajima-Gen beef shabu-shabu with chilled chawanmushi. [Breakfast] It began with wake-up tea. We had two kinds of dried fish (including horse mackerel), both outstanding. As with dinner, rice cooked in a clay pot was excellent—not only as white rice but also as crispy scorched rice enjoyed in hot water (“kogashi-yu”), which was a new discovery for us. Personally, I especially enjoyed the dried fish and simmered vegetables. [Room] A functional Room with thoughtful touches such as aroma oil for stone warming and three types of tea. Since it’s designed for digital detoxing there is no TV. We relaxed slowly in the semi-open-air bath in our Room. [Service] Everyone provided exceptional service—from those who helped arrange our surprise from Reservation through arrival day, to those who whisked matcha together with us as beginners; from dinner service by someone who shared my wife’s name to breakfast staff who kindly accommodated an unexpected request. Each moment became a lasting memory. [Overall] We will definitely return—next time in autumn or spring would be ideal. With such comfortable hospitality from everyone here, this Accommodation is deeply soothing and easy to recommend. Since it has only recently opened up: personally speaking it would be nice to have insect screens on the outer windows by the semi-open-air bath; also given how much care goes into tea and ingredients it might be great to have a small space where guests can buy souvenirs such as tea leaves teaware or dried fish as keepsakes.