Manten no Hoshi

For those seeking a traditional ryokan experience, Manten-no-Hoshi is a relatively affordable way to do so. I was worried reading the negative reviews beforehand, but I had a mostly positive experience staying there. The building is for sure on the older side, but this is to be expected with the experience, and it didn't really bother me. You can tell that it's been operating for a long time, which has its charms! Just be aware that it's not super fancy. I found the cleanliness level acceptable, they clean the rooms and give you new yukatas and towels every day, but there were some stains, bugs, deterioration typical of an older building. I recommend booking with the breakfast included, as everything they prepared was delicious. Please keep in mind that staff speak little English, but they were attentive, and we just used translation apps to bridge the language barrier and had no issues. Loved the outdoor bath.

Hakone is touristy, so all accommodations are on the pricier side. Manten-no-Hoshi is relatively inexpensive in consideration of Hakone overall, but potentially more than what you might pay for a similar level elsewhere. I also didn't use the indoor baths at all as I was afraid of the smell in there. The outdoor baths are great though! It was a bit confusing to get to the ryokan, but all bus drivers in the area are used to tourists and tend to be quite helpful in getting you where you need to go. Note that the Ohiradai area is quiet and not as populated as Hakone-Yumoto or the area by Lake Ashi. There's only a couple of restaurants and one convenience store within walking distance. If you are not coming by car or prepared for hiking on trails, load up your Suica or Pasmo, as you will be relying on bus or train to get to various attractions. Bus service is frequent, and both the bus stop and train station are within a couple minutes walk to the ryokan. Walking along the road is a bit challenging as there is a lot of vehicular traffic and there aren't really any sidewalks.