Hotel Sky J Zauruss - Oita
Located in the beautiful onsen town of Beppu in Oita prefecture, surrounded by nature and the sea. Hotel J Zauruss is a Love hotel with a very different twist! For long-time readers of my blog, you may recall that my first-ever experience with a Love hotel was a complete accident. I booked via booking.com, completely unaware of them or the concept, discovering the world of Love hotels via Sky Paradise in Oita. Today’s hotel is that very hotel chain that first introduced me to the concept, just slightly north of the original location this time!
If you have ever found yourself falling down a rabbit hole of weird Japanese Love hotels at four in the morning, there is a chance this hotel has made its way into your life already. Often included in the top “insert number here” weirdest Japanese love hotels list. The hotel is dinosaur-themed primarily; however, it boasts a handful of rooms that are Egyptian themed. But it’s the dinosaur theme that largely gets this hotel noticed.
Perched beside the interchange bus stop and just a quick 15-minute taxi ride from Beppu port, this hotel stands proudly in full view from the road. Amusingly, it faces an army base, inspiring my jokes that the hotel’s décor might have been borrowed from its neighbor. There is a crashed helicopter, four by four, and parts of planes dotted up the driveway to the hotel. For me, hopping off the highway bus made the location a 5, though it may be less ideal for those depending solely on public transport.
The hotel can be booked online or for traditional walk-ins. It gets a bonus point for having a live room tracker like Hotel Wow in Shimane. Making it the second hotel to have this life-changing feature. The hotel features special experience rooms. These rooms feature either animatronics or fun gimmicks. These rooms are highly sought after, so having a live feature to check if a certain room is available is smart thinking and convenient. For ease of access, I award an 8, bringing the total to 13.
Amenity-wise wise the hotel offers a small selection of shampoos and conditioners on each floor. Inside the room, there is the usual selection of goodies that can be taken and used. The selection is slightly smaller than other hotel chains, but you can certainly turn up empty-handed and have everything you need provided. For amenities, I award a 6, taking the total to 19.
The hotel's outside sets the scene perfectly; you see a barbed wire fence stretching high into the sky and inside a metal building. The walk to the hotel continues to build on the theme park style! Featuring a crashed helicopter, an abandoned jeep that’s lights are motion activated, and dinosaur models are dotted along the walk to the front entrance. Guests walk through the gate, Jurassic Park style, and pass a water tower, tropical plants, generator, all whilst audio fills the air. The entrance to the hotel is styled to be covered in camouflage, and dinosaur robotics jump scare guests upon arrival. On the floor where my room was located, there was a makeshift camp, where survivors in this Jurassic world had set up a base to survive and communicate with other potential survivors. The hotel's decorations are very stylized, and they give the theme park vibe a very good run for its money.
The room I selected featured a mirror infinity tunnel, the walls were covered in glass and behind it, vines and a mock jungle lined the room. Upon entry, the lights flickered, and the room went dark, a rainstorm played, and lights flashed mimicking lightning strikes. The sound of an approaching dinosaur could be heard! It growls grew closer with the aid of surround sound. The mirror floor and ceiling gave off an eerie vibe. Overall, the gimmick certainly fits the theme! The bed was large and comfortable. The bathroom featured a large jet bath. My overall enjoyment of the hotel was an 8, taking the total to 27. If you love theme parks and dinosaurs, this hotel is certainly for you!
The room was clean, and the usual standard of hygiene could be seen with all the tea making equipment. In places the hotel looked a little old, but the decorations and theme park nature makes it very easy to overlook. For cleanliness is award a 7 taking the total to 34.
I arrived hungry and curious about what the dino-themed hotel could offer, only to find a very limited menu. Food can be ordered on the TV, making the process very easy. The only themed food I could find, which was limited, was an anime meat dish that offered a huge piece of pork with ceramic bones sticking out of each side. Imagine Luffy from One Piece chowing down on a huge cut of meat. It was meant to resemble that. So, I ordered the dish alongside an apparent Roman pizza and had a side of fries. Sadly, the food wasn’t the best point for this hotel. The meat wasn’t great; it looked awesome, but the flavor wasn’t there. The pizza was decent but did not match the image on the screen. So, for food, I award a score of 6, taking the total to 40.
As for likely to rebook, I certainly had a fun time, and if you are looking for an experience that is different, this is it. Aside from the decorations and gimmicks, the food is mid, and the room itself was pleasant and comfortable. The bath was great, and I enjoyed experiencing the light show and apparently stalking dinosaurs. I do wish an animatronic had appeared at the end for a jump scare or even just rustling of the jungle vines to give more illusion of the dinosaur being very close. But after the dinosaur sounds and thunder, nothing appeared. The location isn’t great, but if I ever come back for another ferry to Shikoku, I would consider the hotel, as it is by the bus stop. I would give a 5 for rebooking, meaning the final score is 45/70.
The hotel is certainly worth checking out if you are looking for something a little unique and love dinosaurs.
