Hotel Ciao, Miyazaki – Don’t judge a hotel by its cover!
Located around 10 minutes by car from Miyazaki station or a bus if you arrive early enough to grab one, you will find Hotel Ciao quietly situated on the river. Across the river are the glistening lights of Hotel Ivy and very high-end hotels, which will set you back a pretty penny.
Initially I had intended to stay at Hotel Ivy, a hotel which boasted natural hot springs in every room. Its top room a staggering 33k per night, which, yes, is higher than I intended to pay, but it is nowhere near the most expensive Love hotel room I have seen. Standard rooms were about 14k, which for a weekend isn’t unreasonable for a city hotel. However, for the second time in two years, I ended up being put off the room with the phrase “My hotel is expensive; go to the other hotel which is cheaper”. Only twice has this phrase cropped up; the first time I still stayed at the place as the room was cheap despite what they claimed. But this time it put me off, and because the owner had come out to say this, I decided to explore the quiet Hotel Ciao on the other side.
Hotel Ciao from the outside was worlds apart from Ivy on the other side, which had beautiful ornate stonework and somehow did not look out of place next to the premium top-end hotels next to it. Hotel Ciao had a lot of windows covered, making it feel closed. But when I did make it to the front desk, I found the hotel was in fact open. For location, the hotel gets a 5; it is a little out of the way, but buses do run if you time it right. For those coming by road, it’s just off the main road which crosses the river. The location is beautiful, and the area was very quiet, which was nice. I arrived around 12 minutes before the stay opened at 9, unlike its rival across the river, which opened at 11. This has always been a downside with love hotels check-in for stays is sometimes very late into the night, so you won’t really get the most out of the room until the next morning. This also explains why most hotels don’t have an extensive dinner menu, as their guests eat elsewhere.
For ease of access, I award a 7 for a new total of 12; the hotel is on Couples.JP but not on booking. There is an old-style check-in board where you must push the button to occupy a room. The pictures are old, and it’s only one faded image of the room, so it’s hard to gauge if it will be any good. Lots of the rooms had broken power jets in the bathtubs. And when I arrived, only two rooms were left: the top-rated room or a lower standard room. The other rooms were not to my liking, but the top-rated room had my attention. It was only 14k for the top-rated room, so I wanted to investigate. The downside is that once you hit the button, you must pay up front in person in Japanese.
For comfort and cleanliness, I award an 8 for a total of 20. I had been apprehensive about the room and worried I had jumped on getting it because there was only one left and I was avoiding going back to Hotel Ivy. But as soon as I opened the door, I was greeted by confirmation that I had made the correct choice. The room was spacious and clean; there was a beautiful four-poster bed and ornate decorations; it immediately gave me Kumamoto Pacela vibes. There was a big TV, sofa, massage chair, fridge, tea-making facilities and a bigish bathroom; the only downside was the bath was small. But the room was very nice; I was very happy with the choice. It was bright and clean, and the colour theme was a pale blue and white, so you could see things were clean. I think the room needed dusting in places, but everything important was clean. The bed was very comfortable, with the small issue that you had to get out of the bed on one side as there was no space on the other to do so.
For amenities, I award a 6 for a new score of 26. There was nothing in the lobby, and the room selection was the standard, anything needed to ensure guests could arrive empty-handed. Sadly, when I arrived, the TV ordering system was broken, so any requests had to be made via phone.
For food, I award a 6 for a new score of 32. I arrived hungry, so I had to stumble through ordering via the phone. But the food was pleasant. There was some choice, and the food was decent. The food in love hotels isn’t really the focal point unless stated. At hotels with the word resort in them, food should be at a slightly higher standard; for the ones who claim to have a chef, expect good things. If you see convenience store food on the menu, then you can lower your expectations. The food here is fine and will leave you feeling satisfied but not overwhelmed with amazement.
I enjoyed the room; the space was nice, and the food saved me from a night of being hungry. The shower had very good pressure, and the view from the window was nice; it overlooked the river and the river on the other side. So, for overall enjoyment, I award an 8 for a new score of 40.
For the new category of bath size, I award a 6 for a total of 46. This was the only complaint I had with the room, and the jets were broken. The bath was a cube, admittedly a deep cube, but it was not the size I could relax in. The shower was powerful, but my apartment has a good shower, so I tend to go to these hotels to get a big bath to relax in.
Finally, likelihood to return award a 6 for a final score of 52. The hotel was out of the way, but the area was nice. I was not interested in the lower-rated rooms, so if I went back and the top-rated room was taken, I would not stay. However, if it was free and it was late, I would probably stay again.
