My wife and I visited this hotel for an extended weekend stay. Getting in from Tokyo is quite easy -- take the Tokaido Line to Nebukawa, two stops past Odawara, and a hotel shuttle bus comes right to the station. The town around the station is devoid of shops or anything else of interest, but the hotel itself has everything you might need.

By far the best feature is the swimming facilities. There are a number of pools, including a proper Olympic-sized swimming pool for pros and a bunch of different pools for relaxing and exercising, both indoors and outdoors. Almost all are kept at a temperature around 28 degrees C, i.e. like lukewarm bath water. There is also a sauna and steam room in this area, with special cold-water pools adjacent to them.

There are a bunch of other sports facilities, including tennis courts, bowling alleys and a miniature golf course, which we didn't use but which looked very inviting if you are into that sort of thing. Lots of room for kids to run around outside, too.

The hot springs (onsen) are nice but nothing particularly interesting. The water is odorless and salty, and there is an outdoor bath without much of a view. If you just want the hot springs experience, someplace in Hakone is probably a better bet.

We took a twin room on the non-smoking floor. There was an odd mildewy smell in the hallway the entire time we were there, and our beds also smelled a little funky up close even though the linens were changed every day. The room had a new flat-screen digital TV hooked into a clunky hotel AV system without many movie selections. We got fresh pajamas and bathrobes in our room every day, which was a very nice touch. The twin beds are quite tiny, each barely big enough to hold two extremely intimate adults.

There is practically nothing within half an hour of the hotel, so you need to either bring your own food and drink or buy it on the premises. The hotel's shop is pretty big and has a good selection of drinks and basic snacks, and a number of hot food items at various price points are available through room service. Everything is a little expensive but not awfully so by Japanese standards.

Fortunately there are a lot of buffets at this hotel, and the food is very good. Unfortunately, they are some of the most poorly designed buffets I have ever seen. At the breakfast buffet, for instance, the plates are located in the center of a long spread of food, so that there is no logical flow of traffic in either direction, and the eggs-to-order station is tucked away in a corner where if two people line up, the first person can't really get out. And the tables seemed to be arranged to block the most logical paths from dining areas to the buffet, so every trip for food was like playing a game of dodgeball. There is also a very badly named "dessert buffet" which is really half lunch, half desserts (but an excellent value) and a "wine buffet" of second-rate plonk which accompanies the otherwise awesome dinner buffet. We basically got by on two enormous meals each day.

This seemed like a very family-friendly place. Between the games, sporting facilities and pools there is really a lot to do, and the cottages next to the hotel sleep 5 people each and even accommodate pets. In many ways it reminded me of being on a cruise ship.

My husband and I had booked a 54 sq m room with ocean views through a major internet booking agency. We were really looking forward to our short stay at the Hilton Odawara Resort and Spa which was part of a three week holiday in Japan which we had organised. The hotel website had presented a clear picture of a luxurious, spacious hotel on an expansive cliff top site.

Our stay was indeed excellent, apart from a problem booking in. We were given a third floor room. The whole floor is set aside for the disabled and has special installations for the disabled, including special toilet and bathroom features. When we explained that we did not need or want such a room we were informed that another room would cost an extra 10,000 Japanese Yen. The internet deal, they said, was explicitly for accommodation for the disabled on the third floor. We explained that nowhere on the booking site or on the printed confirmation voucher was this disclosed. After heated discussion, we were moved to a room on another floor, at no cost. It was not fun fighting for what we believed were our rights.

Apart from this very unpleasant experience, we enjoyed our short stay. The reception rooms are elegant, the breakfast choices vast, the dining room lovely, the views stunning, and the staff courteous. The free shuttle from the railway station to the hotel is very convenient. It's a good place to stay if you're touring the Hakone area.

After some researches on Tripad, I came to know Odawara Hilton. Their extensive thermal SPA facilities together with the location facing the sea attracted my attention.

To arrive, we took a shuttle bus run by the hotel from Nebugawa station, good one hour from our place in Tokyo. The hotel estate was much larger than I expected.

The room was not ready at around 11:00 a.m. and we went straight to the thermal SPA, available before check-in and after check out on the same days. No additional charge to use the facilities. I was so delighted and excited to see them which are quite similar to my favourite ones in SPA (Belgium) and in Bad Ragaz (Switerland). Large scale, serious with various indoor and outdoor pools, with heated thermal water. Dry and wet saunas. One poolside cafe restaurant open till 15:00.

The room was ready at 14:00. The Hilton Plus twin beded room was 30m2+, but gave smaller impression. The bathroom is rather large for the size of the entire room. We opted for 120cm wide bed (they have narrower twin bedded room too). TV was old fashioned and imposing for the space. One writing desk and one chair. We would have felt better with additional small table and chairs to relax.

Ventilating fan was not noisy. Recently at hotels in Japan, ventilating fans (in addtion to air-conditoning) are often too loud.

The view was superb. Unlike nearby Atami and Ito (further from Tokyo), no ugly high-rised buildings disturbed the view. One of the best seaview I have experienced in Japan.

Food at the restaurant was unexpectedly good. Only one restaurant except summer. Guests can choose buffet or course or a la carte. We lightly dined a la carte.
It was a pity that only a small section of the restaurant is allocated to course and a la carte guests. Small children out of their parents' control ruined savoury dinner a bit. Larger or addtional space would be ideal to further section out.

We took walks in the greenery estate. Most enjoyable.

We wanted to try the bowling facilities but did not have time. Next time.
Covered open-air squash courts looked nice.

We booked via internet travel site: 30,000-35,000 yen for the room.
It may appear rather expensive for the room, but fine given no additional charge for the basic use of the SPA facilities.

We will come back for week-end escapes. Especially when too tired to find a new destination.We travel so often (to the extent I can not comment on all the hotels we have stayed on Tripad) that we may be exhausting places to go for our week-ends, and Odawara Hilton will be an easy and promissiong solution then.

The hotel is in a fabulous location for a relaxing weekend for friends. I stayed with a group of five girls in the chalet overlooking the water. Only problem was a typhoon was coming so we did not have a view at all on the first day. The room was a little old and dated but still very comfortable - the beds were great. The buffet dinner and buffer drink carts were both fabulous. We arrived late to the hotel on Friday night, but could stay in the restaurant as long as we pleased. The following morning we had a buffet breakfast, full European and Japanese breakfast, and very good service. As we had overseas visitors with us we went into Tenzen Onsen in Hakone - the taxi fare to Odawara Station is expensive - about 3,500 yen so best to catch the complimentary shuttle bus from the hotel to the station - the bus is not available on weekends from Odawara but you can catch it to the local station - Nebukawa. The hotel Onsen is also very nice - both indoor and outdoor. You could easily spend the whole weekend at the resort - there is a spa, tennis, mini-golf, swimming pool, and lots of activities to keep you interested. After the typhoon had passed we were also able to see the lovely view along the coast from our room, and take a nice walk from the hotel. There are numerous paths for the sightseeing enthusiast, or longer walks for the keen bushwalkers. This is definitely a wonderful place to relax, and well worth the weekend away to escape the hustle and bustle of Tokyo or experience countryside Japan.