Aura Tachibana

Aura Tachibana sits on the highest ground among Hakone-Yumoto's ryokans, up a quiet hill above the town. Its adults-only Kaze-no-Tachi (風の舘) rooms each have a private open-air bath fed by the property's own natural hot spring, a soft, faintly alkaline water that leaves the skin feeling smooth. Guests who'd rather bathe outside the room can use the separate-sex bathhouse with its own open-air section, a sauna, a cold plunge, and a falling-water bath (utaseyu, 打たせ湯), or book one of three small rooftop private baths, Ano-yu (あの湯), Uno-yu (うの湯), and Rano-yu (らの湯), attached to the rooftop sky terrace and its view over the onsen town. The other room wing, Mori-no-Tachi (森の舘), is traditional tatami rooms without the private onsen bath, built for families traveling with kids. Overall the inn aims for a step back from the bustle: creative kaiseki centered on vegetables and seafood, and a small cafe and bar with jazz playing for coffee or a cocktail.