Hakone Retreat före & villa 1/f” (1286-116 Sengokuhara, Hakone-cho, Ashigarashita-gun, Kanagawa Prefecture), operated by Hotel Management Japan, opened seven new villas this August. I recently had the opportunity to stay in one of the villas.
The facility is located in the Sengokuhara forest along Route 138, which connects Hakone and Gotemba. The facility is divided into two areas: the före area, meaning “forward” in Swedish, and the villa 1/f area, based on the concept of “1/f fluctuation,” which is said to have a relaxing effect. The former consists of a Scandinavian-style hotel building (37 rooms in 3 buildings), and the latter consists of 18 unique villas (18 buildings in total).
In addition to the above, there is “Ryotei Tawaraseki-Kaku”, a renovated version of the onsen ryokan “Tawaraseki-Kaku” loved by artists and cultural figures, where you can enjoy authentic kaiseki cuisine in a relaxed atmosphere; “WOODSIDE dining”, a restaurant serving buffet breakfast and wood-fired course dinners for dinner; “cafe & lounge”, a free space with free coffee and tea during your stay, as well as sweets made by the hotel’s resident patissier; and “free bird & terrace”, a free space with an open book library where you can enjoy a welcome service. The “cafe & lounge” offers free coffee and tea during your stay, and you can also enjoy sweets made by the hotel’s resident patissier, KONOHA Spa treatment” is available for spa treatments.
We stayed in “Building 15,” newly built in August, a spacious 90m2 room with a bed and furniture, a sofa and a wood stove by the window one step down, and a view of the inner garden, which is said to have had a pond in the Tawarasekaku era. Of course, the bathroom is filled with hot spring water, allowing guests to enjoy a luxurious and relaxing bath time.
A short while after entering the room, you will notice that there is no television set in the room. The quietness of the room allows you to feel the breath of nature, and if you make a cup of coffee, you will be more sensitive to its aroma than usual. This kind of TV-free space is practiced not only in the villas but also in the hotel building, and seems to remind us of the value of “doing nothing” in the midst of nature in today’s hectic society.
The bedside USB charging port has a USB PD-compatible Type-C port in addition to the standard Type-A port, which can be paired with a smartphone or other device for use. Bluetooth speakers are also available.
The simple kitchen is equipped with a hand-cranked coffee mill and a hot water kettle, so you can enjoy the leisure of making your own coffee. A refrigerator hidden in a cabinet also provides a variety of free drinks.
During our stay, we had dinner at Ryotei Tawaraseki and breakfast at WOODSIDE dining, each of which is a distance from each villa. If you call the front desk from your room, an electric golf cart will pick you up and drop you off, but if the weather is clear, a walk through the forest is also a good idea.
Ryotei Tawaraseki is said to be a Taisho era sukiya-style building that was relocated and operated as a ryokan (Japanese-style inn), and was patronized by cultural figures such as Akiko Yosano, and there are records of its use by the Imperial Family. Such history is firmly preserved in the gorgeous fittings, such as the Ajiro ceiling and openwork, and the Taisho glass, whose irregular distortion tells us that it was handmade, giving the illusion that one’s own time is also moving slowly.
In the dining room, where you can feel a sense of history, you can enjoy kaiseki cuisine created by Chef Akitoshi Hamanaka, who honed his skills at ryokan and hotels in Kyoto, using local seasonal ingredients, and before you know it, you will be sipping on locally brewed sake. If you are staying at this facility, you will want to eat here, even if it is only one meal. In the No. 12 and No. 13 buildings, which have a garden, you can order a BBQ using seafood, livestock products, and local vegetables from the surrounding area, all prepared by the chef.
Room rates (including dinner and breakfast) start at around 50,000 yen per person for a villa and 26,000 yen per person for a hotel building. The quiet environment with a sense of nature in the four seasons is more for couples than for families, and is recommended for those who wish to enjoy a “retreat,” as the name of the facility implies.
© Source travel watch
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