Getaway to Hakone

For my birthday gift this year Mike surprised me with a two night getaway to this awesome resort in Hakone called XIV Hakone Rikyu. Our first getaway together without the kids after moving to Japan in 2010 was actually in Hakone. I remember walking by this fancy resort and thinking how cool it would be to stay there. Apparently it is really hard to get a reservation at this resort unless you are either a Japanese citizen who owns one of the timeshares at this resort or you know of someone who owns one of the timeshares.  Luck would have it that the Bishop of the Yokota Ward has an aunt who owns a timeshare at this resort and she was was able to help us book a reservation.  

The outside entrance to the resort wasn't anything special but once you stepped foot inside everything was spectacular. Right in the middle of the lobby was this big petrified tree root sculpture. It was really neat looking. Every detail of this hotel was so unique and classy. The inner halls where labyrinth like but still easy enough to fine our way around. Once inside our room we were amazed by the view of the mountains and some of the cool amenities inside. The bathroom was pretty amazing with a jetted tub and a touch screen TV right above it....so Japanese. I always thought it was interesting how every Japanese western style room (beds vs futons) we have ever been in has two beds instead of one. It made me feel like I was in the Brady Bunch show.

We had dinner that night at the resort and while we enjoyed our fabulous buffet dinner we got to enjoy some music entertainment. Breakfast the next morning was also pretty amazing. The food was fantastic and we made several trips to the fresh croissants. Since the weather was nice the big dining area was opened up to the patio outside. After breakfast we went to our reservation to use one of the private onsens. We had our own private room with a shower, vanity, lounge chairs, and a hot steamy onsen on the balcony outside. It was an hour of true relaxation in privacy. It was well worth it. After we were relaxed we headed to Lake Ashinoko where we ate a nice Katsudon lunch. It was a little overcast but we were still able to see Mt. Fuji. That afternoon we hiked up a trail near our resort. We didn't go all the way to the view point as it was getting dark but it felt good just to be outside breathing in the fresh air. I felt truly blessed for being able to spend some alone time with Mike in such a beautiful place.