Hotellerie Maille Coeur Shougetsu

Located about ten minutes' walk from central Hakone-Yumoto, the Hotellerie Maille Coeur Shougetsu provides a quiet, relaxing environment for your stay in Hakone. On the rooms alone, I wouldn't say this is a five-star accommodation. What makes this hotel a five-star experience is the personal service received at the restaurant.

There is a small gift shop in the lobby. The hotel does not offer free Internet access in guest rooms. But, they have an excellent and thorough web site, written in both English and Japanese.

There are many grades of rooms available, some of which have a cypress wood bath in the room and cost ¥35,000/night or more. We just got standard rooms, with Western-style beds and shower (¥13,000). The beds are okay, a little springy for my liking, and the decor is quite plain and neutral. View from our window was blocked by a bamboo fence built around the back of the hotel. Space was limited with two double beds, a table with two chairs, and a dresser with TV. Bathrooms were clean though not the most modern.

The onsen is very nicely lit and is sparkling clean. There is both an indoor and outdoor hot spring, separate for men and women. There are many shower stations, each with many soaps and shampoos available. The indoor pool is very spacious, so there is no worry of overcrowding. The surroundings of the outdoor pool are natural and tranquil. There is nothing like a relaxing bath in the onsen before bed!

The highlight of our stay at Maille Coeur Shougetsu was the restaurant, where breakfast and dinner are served. Breakfasts are excellent, with a huge spread of Japanese and Western dishes. Try the aloe, which is so refreshing and energizing in the morning.

Dinners are artful, creative, and impeccably-prepared. Only the freshest and highest quality ingredients are used. On our first night, a lot of seafood was served, and my sister, who doesn't eat a lot of seafood, didn't enjoy the meal very much. Picking up on that, the restaurant manager, Ishida Manabu, had the chef create a special menu just for our family, on the second night of our stay.

That second night, we got different dishes than other guests--when they had a fish entree, we got broiled duck. I was amazed at this level of accommodation, hospitality, and personal service. A special menu just for our family--that's about as personal of service as one could ask! The wait staff were friendly and personable, enjoyed telling us about their favorite American movie stars, and did everything possible to ensure that every aspect of our meal was perfect.

After returning home, we sent Mr. Ishida a box of candies from Hawaii to share with his kitchen and wait staff for their great hospitality. He sent us a very nice thank-you card, written in his best English. He really enhanced our stay at Maille Coeur, and for his thoughtfulness, I give Maille Coeur five stars and highly recommend it to anyone visiting Hakone!