Transit Numazu to Hakone area

Hi
My husband and I are visiting Japan for the first time for 3 weeks during May.
We are thinking of 4 nights in the Hakone area from 4-7 May which is obviously a very expensive time for accommodation being during Golden Week. I have found a nice hotel in Numazu but haven't been able how to work out to get to the Hakone area by public transport. Is there a direct bus service?
Is Numazu worthy of a visit in it's own right?
We plan to take day trips so if Numazu is off easy transport, it might be worth being based elsewhere.
Any thoughts about the length of stay in this area: too long/short?
Advice most welcome. Many thanks.

No direct bus; Hyperdia is your friend.

Numazu to Hakone is a bit tedious and time consuming. Best and recommended option would be the town of Odawara or Manazuru. They are both much closer....but there should be some decent options in the area even during Golden Week.

Hi, we stayed in Numazu when we visited Hakone (August 2016). To be fair, I had/have not done any research on Numazu because I only planned to stay there for 2 nights while we made day trips out of there. We walked around when we arrived on the day of but did not find much to do in the area around the JR station. It was relatively quiet. There were quite a few school kids around during the day time.

Thanks all. Think we might rethink this part. All very helpful.

Numazu is famous for its fishing port and many sushi restaurants. Near the port, there is a deepsea aquarium. The city is famous for Japanese but foreigners.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g1019668-Numazu_Shizuoka_Prefectur...