Family-Friendly Hotels near Hakone Pirate Ship: Lake Ashi & Hot Springs

If you want your child to ride the Hakone pirate ship, it can be hard to know where to book your stay. Your choice between the shore of Lake Ashi, the hot spring town of Hakone Yumoto, or a wider search out to Odawara changes both how easy it is to get around and how you spend your time. On a trip with kids, transfers and waiting around turn straight into tiredness, so the distance between the sights and your hotel is an important factor.

The pirate ship is a sightseeing cruise boat that crosses Lake Ashi, and from the deck you can enjoy views of the lake and the surrounding mountains. Hakone Shrine stands on the lakeshore, and from the ship's ports you can also take the ropeway up to Owakudani (a volcanic valley with steaming vents), so children get to ride and look again and again, which is what makes this area special. Within the prefecture there are areas such as Hakone, and searching widely across the hot spring towns is an option, but if the pirate ship is the star of your trip, it is safest to choose a place that offers both easy access to the lake and a comfortable stay at the hotel.

There are 20 hotels you can search in this area, ranging from hot spring inns centered on Hakone Yumoto to resort hotels in Odawara. 19 of them have Japanese-style or Japanese-Western rooms, which are a comfort when your baby is rolling and crawling everywhere. For meals, 12 hotels offer toddler meals, so even at an age when sharing adult dishes is difficult, the whole family can still sit down to eat together.

Baths and play areas are also where hotels differ most. 12 hotels have a family bath or private bath, so a child who is not used to large public baths can soak with just the family. 7 hotels have a kids' room or play room. Some, like Yumoto Fujiya Hotel, have a pool that children still in diapers can use, and others, like Hilton Odawara Resort & Spa, have an attached water park, so your kids can burn off energy indoors even when the weather turns.

The fresh green season and the autumn foliage season are good times for enjoying the scenery, but holidays tend to be crowded. Narrowing your search by the conditions your family cares about most, such as Japanese-style rooms, meals, and baths, helps you enjoy both the pirate ship trip and your time at the hotel without strain.