Hakone ryokan - Mikawaya vs Taiseikan

Does anyone have opinions on which ryokan might be a better experience? I finally booked Mikawaya after almost an all night ryokan search marathon last night, thinking that most of the popular ones seemed to be booked. But then as I kept searching I discovered that all the different sites offer very different ryokans to book and it turns out Taiseikan still has rooms available.

I had my eye on Taiseikan through out my search since it%26#39;s rated #1 on TA for Hakone-machi B%26amp;B%26#39;s, looks beautiful perched on a cliff and the private funicular is pretty cool. It%26#39;s also very close to one of the train stations and seems to offer an excellent ryokan experience.

However there doesn%26#39;t seem to be any specific style of rooms to book (only STANDARD JAPANESE STYLE ROOM

(WITH FULL BATHROOM)). The price is a bit kinder on my wallet at 21K/person for 2.

tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g298171-d557609鈥?/a>

Then there is Mikawaya which seems to be in a beautiful location, seems to only be accessible by bus. Nearest train station looks to be about a little over a mile away on maps. I%26#39;m not sure how often the bus comes and if the ryokan is on a regular route.

The room I booked was a Standard Room (Japanese style room with Open air bath) which looks very nice. It was also the last room of this type available for the night we are staying. I%26#39;m going to email them to find out if the room will have a mountain view like the photos on their website.

http://www.hakone-mikawaya.com/09en.htm

The price is a bit steeper at 25K/person. And their public onsens aren%26#39;t as nice as some other ones (I love the outdoor ones w/ rocks and trees all around), but that should matter less with a private one in-room. I%26#39;m not sure how often they keep your in-room one filled though and how long you can use it for. I assume you don%26#39;t just jump in it whenever you like? I really like the idea of a private onsen with a view though.

tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g298171-d479517鈥?/a>

So I just need to send them my CC info within the next day and I will be set, but I can%26#39;t seem to make a final decision no which one to go with.

It seems like both would be great. My wife just really wants a traditional ryokan experience, kaiseki served in room (not restaurant), sleep on tatami mats, and relax in an onsen. Of course she just told me yesterday after I booked that oh, a budget ryokan in a concrete building would be fine too ^_^

Well, I don%26#39;t mind splurging on this part of the trip, but like many reviewers have said, I%26#39;ve never paid this much per night for any lodging before, not even in Venice last year.

Any good reasons to go with one or the other? Or should I go back to looking for the lower cost ryokans, like this one?

hotespa.net/hotels/鈥ndex.html

decisions, decisions.. Almost makes me want to go with a tour package!

Hakone ryokan - Mikawaya vs Taiseikan

Ryokans are all the same.

Okay, not really. But honestly, I%26#39;ve stayed in twenty or so (including Taiseikan but not Mikawaya, unfortunately, so I can%26#39;t make a direct comparison) and my opinion is that ryokans in similar locations with similar prices will offer similar experiences. You won%26#39;t know which is better unless you stay at both, back to back, and then the differences will be the things that only matter to you. Either way you will have a great memorable experience.

Also, remember the internet photos will ALWAYS be beautiful - better than the real thing.

If you are more comfortable with a private outdoor bath, stick with your reservation. Many people are reluctant to use the public bath and this can be a good solution. In-room onsen are - in my experience -full and hot and available 24/7.

Taiseikan is not on a cliff, it is in a ravine by the side of a small river. You take the little car down the ravine. I stayed at Taiseikan two years ago and my impression was that it was slightly shabby, had large comfortable rooms, excellent service, food fine but not fantastic, nice outdoor garden area with fun foot-bath (we were a group of six, so it was nice to wander out in our yukata with a bottle or six of wine and soak our feet), nice outdoor baths with view of the river.

www.japaneseguesthouses.com has a write-up of Mikawaya with guest comments.

Don%26#39;t over-analyze. Just commit and go have fun.

Hakone ryokan - Mikawaya vs Taiseikan

cool, thanks for the info! It was quite helpful. Looks like I%26#39;ll stay w/ my current reservation at Mikawaya.

20 ryokans is quite the wealth of experience! Do you know what they usually mean when the cancellation is stated ';within 3 days: 30%';? Does that mean if you cancel up to 4 days before there is no charge? Or does it mean any cancellation up to 3 days before forfeits 30% of the cost?

thanks so much!

My understanding of how these things are written is that if you cancel WITHIN three days of your reservation, you forfeit 30% of the cost of the room (in this particular case. Different ryokans have different policies of course.)

I don%26#39;t know if you have already left, and this post may be bit late, but I can tell you that I stayed at the Mikawaya in 2007 and it was wonderful. It%26#39;s the only ryokan I%26#39;ve experienced so I can%26#39;t compare it to any other, but it is an old and beautiful establishment, the service and food was excellent, and the public bath was enjoyable. We didn%26#39;t use the in-room onsen. Word of caution...on the bus, be sure to get off at the Kowakidani onsen bus stop; not the Kowakidani stop. The bus system was a little confusing, but that%26#39;s all part of the travel experience. We didn%26#39;t have as much time to explore the ryokan as I would have liked because by the time we made the Hakone sightseeing route (Gora, Owakudani, Souzan, Togendai, Lake Ashi), we had to rush back to the ryokan to be there in time for a bath and dinner. It was definitely expensive, but well worth the experience.