Hi-seven Toyama
Located in the south of Toyama, Hi-seven is very close to the border of Ishikawa. In fact, guests coming from Ishikawa will only need to ride the local or semi rapid two stops into Toyama before getting off the train. For those coming by public transport, this hotel is not a fun one. Once you are on the train, you will need to grab a bus and ride it for about twenty minutes. The hotel is located between two stops, which means walking wise its half an hour either side. But the semi rapid will not stop at the other stop. The bus is very infrequent, and I ended up getting a taxi in the morning as the next bus was not until 11, and I had a time schedule to stick to. The location for this hotel scores a 4. For those driving its just off the main road, but it is not close to any major city. The location is quite but the main road nearby doesn’t make for anything scenic.
For ease of access, this hotel was hard to book and did not originally show up on Booking. It can be booked via couples or their website. But their own website is not the most user-friendly. The hotel is a drive-in style, so there is no front desk, and rooms display only one small image. This image is very worn, and there was not a lot to go on. I booked via their website and had to wait until exactly the hour before I could go in. This is a downside when there is no waiting area or lobby, and it started to rain. For those coming by car, I would advise timing it as best as you can to the hour to avoid extension charges. For this category, I score it a 6 for a combined score of 10.
The hotel room was not spacious; there was a big bed, and the décor was dark themed. The stairs leading up to the room were a little steep, so be careful if you are carrying any cases. The room was slightly older, and there were some repairs that had been hastily made. The room itself was clean, and there was the usual plastic covering on any utensil. The bathroom was very small, and I opted against taking a bath. For cleanliness and comfort, I award a 7 for a score of 17.
The next category is amenities, being a drive-in style, which meant there was no lobby, and there was no amenities-style bar. The room came with freebies following the usual come-empty-handed ethos most love hotels follow. For those curious about how many blades the free razor had, it was 2. For this section, I will award a 5 as it came with all the basics, taking the score to 22. For the food, I will also give the standard 5 points, as I did not have a chance to try any; the score is now 27.
My overall enjoyment of the room was about a 6 for a score of 33. The room was very small, and the bathroom was small as well. I usually enjoy taking a bath in a love hotel, as the bath in my apartment is a cube that is too small to relax in. In fact, I have only used it once to test if I could even get into it. Not being able to really relax or take a bath was a downside, and check-in was late at 9 pm. So, in reality, I slept and woke up early as I had a packed schedule.
The final category is likely to return for this; I award a 5 for a total of 38/70. The reason I booked a hotel this far out was that initially, when I looked, the choices were very limited, and this looked like one of the better options. It was approaching Golden Week, so options were very limited. If I were to return, I would no doubt choose something in the city or different, as this hotel didn’t really offer me anything. I had to wait until precisely 9, and it started raining. The bath was tiny, and there wasn’t much space to relax. The location was bad, and I feel that if I return, I would want to explore the city more.
