Hakone Gora Ryoan Kanon

Yes,this is a 5 star review! This is an excellent ryokan located in the mountains near gora station. It is an older building but very traditional. We had the "take" room which is located at the end and it was quite large. It was large enough for my family of 5 (2 adults, 3 kids). It gets cold in the winter but there was a nice gas heater as well which warmed up the room nicely. This room also has a private bathroom which was clean and nice to use. We also got meals so we ate breakfast and dinner at the ryokan. As they describe, it is brought in so it's not always warm but it's clean and tastes good. There is a earthen pot that you light up which is warm and nice. The rice is warm and delicious! The best part of this ryokan is the onsen. There are 2 and both are private. The onsen water is pure and very nice! There are some extras such as free ice cream (my kids loved it) and a library of DVDs to watch in your room. Wifi is good and free but didn't work in our room as we are in the far end of the ryokan. As for setting expectations properly, please remember and note that the owners of this ryokan are very honest when they tell you that this building is not brand new and while it is maintained, it's not like a 5 star hotel. There will be cracks in the walls, smells in the shared bathroom, some creaks here and there, etc. The staff is friendly but there aren't many of them (I only saw one woman) and the front desk is not staffed 24/7, etc. So it's mostly self service, etc. We tried to call a cab and the woman working helped us but I'm not sure what the issue is but cabs were just not possible to call (none available). uber, japantaxi, etc. also didn't have anything available. so we had to walk up to a bus stop to take us down to gora station, etc. the cable car and train from hakone were not running due to the typhoon a few months ago. This was not their fault obviously and she tried very hard. In short, this is a great place in a nice location and is very affordable. Of course you can pay 2, 3 or 4x more money and get a nicer place that is cleaner, more updated, more upscale, with 24/7 front desk service, etc. But for the money, this is a great option in the area and for that, they get 5 stars!