Staying at a Love Hotel

Having been to love hotels with my girlfriend recently, she told me that while usually love hotels are usually pricey - especially out in places away from major city centers, or even rural areas - those situated in Ikebukuro are rather competitive, and dare I say, sometimes cheaper than regular hotels.

For those that have been to Ikebukuro, and have been around Ikebukuro station, you will notice that there are a lot of love hotels around, which would explain the really competitive prices.

If you haven't been to a love hotel before, to put it simply they're hotels for the sole purpose of... well, sex. Unlike regular hotels, they are usually meant for one night stays only - or alternatively, for just a few hours. Of course, depending on how you long you plan to stay, the price will vary, with a few short hours costing significantly less than an overnight stay.

Furthermore, the quality of the love hotel will vary depending on how much you are willing to spend. While most love hotel rooms typically include your staples of TV, fridge, microwave, tea/coffee, some rooms are incredibly luxurious that include their own personal outdoor spa, and even karaoke machines. 

The room we wanted

Despite such luxury, there is a downside, in that you usually cannot book a room in advance. Some cases, you will be lucky to get that luxury room for you and your significant other for the purpose of bumping uglies, but there will also be times where you will be out of luck and your desired room will already be booked, leaving you with the option of taking a room in that hotel which, while still nice, doesn't include all the luxury features that you were hoping to get, like an outdoor spa or karaoke machine - or alternatively trying your luck at one of the many other love hotels around the area (if you are in Ikebukuro). Recently we tried to get the above room, but no dice. Apparently, that particular love hotel is very popular, in that there was only one room left when we arrived, which did not contain any of the things myself and my girlfriend wanted - an outdoor spa and karaoke machine. We ended up going to another love hotel nearby which we had been to in the past, which had it's own spa, and a very spacious room, but no karaoke machine sadly. The one we chose was really nice, but the room we stayed at last time had a much nicer outdoor spa area, with the trade off being a smaller room. 

The room we stayed at last time included a really nice outdoor spa

While love hotels have a seedy image associated with them, it cannot be denied that the rooms are really nice. I am aware that there are some novelty/gimmicks, like a love hotel that has its own private water slide:

If you happen to visit Japan with your significant other/life partner/whoever, I would suggest trying a love hotel at least once. Of course, it's recommended you do a bit of research beforehand to see what there is, and hope you get in early enough to get that one room you really want for the purposes of doing the deed.