Hotel Castle - Kagawa

After an amazing beach BBQ at F beach in Kagawa the night was creeping, the time was around half 9 ish. I had no hotel plans and decided to do what love hotels are designed for! Arriving empty handed and chancing a room. I recommend F beach however its location for those reliant on public transport isn’t great, you will need to rely on a taxi to get to the cluster of love hotels in the town over. Thankfully the beach provided a list of taxi numbers and after trying four a taxi was secured who was willing to drive across.

 Initially I pinned another hotel as a potential, but that hotel looked closed. Further along the road was hotel castle. There was also another chain which was better quality, but it was around a half hour walk. The night prior had also traumatised us. Another hotel in the chain had sold out of rooms and money was wasted on the travel to them after calling and confirming they had space. However, this is the gamble you take with love hotels they operate a first come first served and even if you call and they have two rooms left. If you’re not at the door within the next few minutes that is never a guarantee. I love experience, but the room scramble can cause stress and has left me without a room before.

For location I award a 3 as the hotel is not near any bus stops or train stations. I arrived by taxi from the town over who does have a trainline however the taxi was around a 20-minute drive. The next morning the walk to even be in range to call a taxi was also around half an hour.

For ease of access Hotel Castle operates a drive-in motel style system there are lights to tell you if a room if free, taken or being cleaned. When I arrived, there were three rooms available, guests simply choose a room and go inside. There was no phone call to stumble through it was easy. So, I award an 8 taking the total to 11.

Hotel castle is shaped like a castle that has long seen its glory days if ever it had glory days. If ever I wanted to experience the American roadside motel this was most likely it. the boards showing room availability show one picture for you to pass a judgment on. The castle needs a lick of paint. The room I got had stairs leading up, the room was smaller than I am used to however after the amazing BBQ and the nightmare of finding a room the night prior. I was thankful to have a place to stay. The bed was large, and the room had a tv and tea making facilities. There was a small bath and shower, all the basic needs were covered. There was no fancy amenities style bar, but the room came with the basics for those coming empty handed. So, for amenities I will award a 5 and take the total to 16.

For comfort and cleanliness, the room was clean, and I saw a cleaner on entry leaving another room. But the hotel rooms are old, there’s broken latches, and the bathroom showed its age. The room was comfortable and still a bigger space then any business hotel I have stayed in whilst in Japan. But hotel castle would benefit from a face lift. For this category I award a 6 bring the total to 22.

Usually, a score of five for food indicates I have not had a chance to try the food and I do not want to tank its score too much. However, the score of a 5 which castle will receive is not because I had no time to eat, it is because the only food you could get here was cup noodles. Hotel castle provides guests with two randomly selected flavours of cup noodles. Which is still a fun perk if you’re expecting nothing and more than business hotels offer. Sadly, neither flavour caught my attention, but the beautiful BBQ I had just eaten left no space for anything else. The total score is now 27.

Overall, this hotel was a place to stay and sleep of a food coma the room had space, and it provided the same experience a business hotel. There is nothing glaringly wrong with this hotel other than it is old and would benefit from a few upgrades. However, for a place to stay and for the cheapest price I have seen for a love hotel I cannot fault it. It is a middle of the road love hotel which offers a place to rest. For that I award a 6 taking the total to 33. And for return likelihood I will add a 3 for a final score of 36/70.

Hotel castle is reliable and cheap; it offers a generous amount of space and provides all you need for a stay.