Shinjuku Kuyakushomae Capsule Hotel, Tokyo

First time staying in a Capsule Hotel in the country where it starts... A no frills place to just sleep, where everyone in the same room shares the common bathroom and all. We chose to stay at the "Women-only" floor which was available in the hotel. Why capsule? We aren't on budget (a person paid about SGD50) but we wanted to experience how it feels to stay in a capsule hotel. Moreover, we reached Japan in the late evening and well, we need to move on to Kawaguchiko early the next morning, then we thought, why not?

After checking in, you will still get your key but is the key to the locker where you can put all your valuables in and lock it. Up to the room, is time to find your capsule for the night. We did not specify or rather we we were not asked whether we would like to have the upper or lower capsule even though the room was not fully occupied. We were given the upper capsule which I guess was good. 

where is my room?!

Climb the steps beside to climb into the pod. Small, but good enough. your pillow and blanket and well, your pajamas (yes, if you choose to wear).

the capsule room

There is a small TV inside the pod, or you can choose to listen to the music. See the handle at the top, pull it down and that's your door (see my opposite roommate, she 'closed' her door). 

all in the capsule

 Here's the luggage/ locker room. Placed your big luggage at wherever you find a space and locked your valuables in the locker.

the luggage room

The shower/powder room was clean. That's very important especially so many ladies used it. All the basic items like toothbrush/paste, towel, hairdryer, toiletries, lotions can be found here. Not bad!

the bathroom

 Explored the common room and there were many vending machines. Fret not for feeling hungry!

the common area and the vending machines

My Verdict:

The place is good but will I return to stay? Well, i guessed once-in-a-lifetime experiencing a Capsule Hotel is enough for me. Not that the place is not good. It has all the essential things that all hotels provide. But for me

• I need more space to place the luggage (do not want to leave it out of sight and unlocked).
• The roommates that day were a bit noisy and I think they returned late at night and noise started to flow especially that we stayed near the shower room, 
• The airflow was not very good. I felt hot in my own pod. 

But if you just want to experience it once, I would recommend this Capsule Hotel as it was in Shinjuku (minutes walk away from the JR station) and was quite easy to find. 

Shinjuku Kuyakushomae Capsule Hotel, Tokyo
(1-2-5 Kabukicho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Tokyo-to, 160-0021 Japan)

Red Coco Inn Boracay

A short getaway to Boracay, Philippines in April. Weather was great, and it was really relaxing. 

We stayed at Red Coco Inn Boracay. It is located at Station 2 but not at the beach front. It is stationed along the main road and well, it takes about 5-10 minutes to get to the white beach or wet market (D'talipapa).

But fear not as we are allowed to use the beachfront facilities of their sister company - Red Coconut at Station 2. Thus, we were still able to rest and relax by the beach.

The room was spacious and there is a sofa for us to rest but we used that to put our backpack and luggage. Essential amenities was in place such as the television, air con and of course, internet access if you can't leave your gadgets out. The room was nice and cozy which serve its purpose for sleeping or relaxing.

The staff were great too especially the security officers. I really think they did beyond their call of duty like opening the door for us when we got in and out of the hotel, or they even helped out with the reception and the breakfast crews when they were nowhere to be sighted. 

As a note that they are not having construction during the day - from 9 to 9. Was informed that they are expanding their hotel rooms and also to build a pool for their guests. 

I would say, I would definitely be back to stay after the construction is done. A good place to have, which is slightly away from the crowded beach but not that far off.

The cozy room

Hotel Website

Hanoi Day 5 - Halong Bay

Overnight train back from Sapa to Hanoi was not that smooth as the first night, but nonetheless, it was an experience for me. The boss from the travel agency came to pick us up and brought us back to his place. 

Here, we repacked our bag to bring new clothes to Halong Bay. It was really great to engage this service as we did not have to lug our luggage around the places. 

Van ride to Halong Bay was smooth. I heard a lot on Halong Bay, the new 7 wonders of Nature. I was actually looking forward to the cruise stay and of course, the amazing view.

Let's the pictures below tells the stories!

Hanoi Day 3 -Sapa

Hello SUN, how beautiful was you when you rose from the horizon. I simply love sunrise, for no reason. I was not expecting a sunrise view for this trip, at least not at Sapa. 

Sunrise View from Sapa Eden Hotel

Off to the Sunday Market. This was a wrong move, I guessed. The road was bumpy and I was a little disappointed by the Market. I think we took almost 2 -3 hours there and we only spent like less than an hour to comb the whole place. Not the best market I visited, but nonetheless, I saw the cultural side of the tribes in Sapa - Vietnam. 

Lunch was served once again, and this meal was well, oily and the Vietnamese coffee was sweet. Too sweet for a liking.

A least unexpected trip was bringing us to the border between Vietnam and China. Cross the border and welcome to China. The only such border I crossed was that between Singapore and Malaysia. And the other I came near to was the DMZ at South Korea. So this would be the third such border for me. Nice~.

The trip ended back at the hotel!

Hanoi Day 2 - Sapa

Rise and Shine and awoke to the beauty of Sapa. 

From the train station, the pick up van took us to the home we called for the next 2 nights - Sapa Eden Hotel. 

This hotel was really great and I love the food there - FRESH and well-cooked. I do highly recommended it anyone who is visiting Sapa. The view from the hotel was amazing too. 

When we reached, we were brought to our rooms and then off to the small restaurant where we had our breakfast. They had a couple of choices, ranging from eggs to pancakes. GOOD!

Sapa Eden Hotel and its view

After the hearty breakfast, it was time to shake off some calories. We went for a trekking trip with the local guide and we went presented with amazing terrains. 

As it rained the night before, the treks were muddy and slippery. So we did had a challenging time, trying to keep the balance. The guide and well, the locals who 'acted' as a trek buddies were always besides you and trying to lend you a helping hand when you needed one. So no worries on that. Just that, at the end of the trip, they brought out their handicraft and you might feel the obligations to buy something from you which you might (well) keep it at home with no use to it. 

Lunch was included in the trip and here we ate, once again. Generous portion of food served for 3 persons.

Lunch Time

Then off again to complete our trek.

Our dinner at Sapa Eden Hotel. Home-cooked food to my delights. I, especially, loved the vegetables there as they were freshly plucked from the farm everyday.

Dinner Time

Sweet corns and potato were never a 'say-no' for trips. And see how they warmed the eggs as well. This was found in the market area near to the city, within 10 minutes walk.

Seoul Accommodation - PJ Seoul Hotel

A really nice hotel, away from the bustling shopping area of Myeong dong at Jung-go. Best thing about this hotel, it provides shuttle bus service. 

The triple room was quite comfortable and there are walking space after we left our luggages lying on the floor. With a table to condor off the sleeping area and the wardrobes - Visually, it makes the room looks bigger. Furthermore, there is a relatively big balcony which we can see the Seoul tower. Unfortunately, the weather was a little cold for us to enjoy the balcony to the fullest. 

While hotel normally gives toothbrush, combs as toilet necessity, this hotel also gives free masks (but well for the first night). Not too bad and maybe if they have given more, we could have tried the different type of masks and could have bought back as souvenirs. 

PJ Seoul Hotel - Triple Room

Direction:

1. Bus 6015 from airport / Chongmuro station (Exit Gate 8)

2. Turn left at first street (in between Kia Motor and Paris baguette) and continue walking straight for about 150m. You will see the hotel on the left. 

Shuttle Bus Service:

Course A (from 0815hr to 1800hr): Chungmuro Station > Myeongdong Station > Namdaemun Market > Lotte Department Store

Course B (from 1900hr - 0200hr) : Chungmuro Station > Sejong Hotel Entrance > Myeongdong Entrance > Jongro-2ga > Jongro-5ga > Dongdaemun Market

Address:
71, Mareunnae-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul 100-282, 

South Korea

Taiwan 2013 - Misty Villa Cingjing

There is no option to book this Misty Villa Cinging other than making it through their own website. Check out their website for more information. Booking of the room is via their website. After the booking, they would send an email to lead us through the payment.. It is through the completion of a visa form with your credit card details and then emailing them back. Thus, I guess some might feel uncomfortable to book through such system. Do consider it carefully.

However, the service at this Villa was great. They would advise and recommend activities to do during your stay there. 

Direction:

We took the Nantou Bus at Taichung Station which is located at the basement just at Exit 5. For more information on the bus, do check out this website for more information. To reach the villa, please alight off at "Guo Min house stay/國民賓館"and 5 mins by walk on "Rong Guang New Village/榮光新村", you will see us on your right hand side

We booked the standard room 2F and total cost is NT2520 come with breakfast only. The breakfast was a simple buffet where you have try authentic Taiwanese snacks. There is no lift at all, thus, do not bring big luggage there unless you want to lug up the stairs! 

There is no aircon in the room, but well, there is no need for that. The weather at Cingjing is really cooling. You would rather prefer a heater instead. Good thing about the place, there is a 'heater mat' under the bedsheet. You can on it if you really feel cold and would want to have a good rest at night. In the room itself, there is a water point that disperse both hot and cold water. What a good way, we do not have to boil our own water! For this room, there is a balcony - I like. You can just go out and view the place (well, we are up on a slope) - very nice scene there! See the stars, well, you can at night, but bear with the coldness!

Misty Villa

Address:
Misty Villa (雲濛仙境)

南投縣仁愛鄉大同村榮光巷9號

Taiwan 2013 - Jia's Inn Liouhe

Base stop at Kaoshiung is at Jia's Inn Liouhe - It is near to Formosa Boulevard Station and Liouhe Night Market. Find the exit that leads you to Liouhe Night Market and from the stretch of road, just continue walking. You will find Jia's Inn at the right side of the road after 10 minutes walk. 

Read that the 70 rooms at the hotel are individually decorated - thus, your stay for the night is unique - A small hotel with small room but they are very clean with complete toiletry sets. For our room, there is a sofa with a coffee table - a nice way to relax after the long tiring day! Both the interior and the exterior of this hotel are real cool - give it a uptown feel. 

Breakfast is included in the price and the the breakfast area could be a little crowded - is a free-seating concept and thus, you will have to find a seat yourself without the help of the service crews. The self-service laundry service and free wifi are among the reasons for the choice.

Check out their website for more information -  for this hotel, we booked through some hotel booking website instead of directly through their website - thus, full payment was being made prior to the trip. No hassle at all. 

Jia's Inn Liouhe

Address:
No. 128, Liuhe 2nd Rd, Cianjin District, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
台灣 高雄市前金區六合二路128號 

Taiwan 2013 - CityInn Plus Hotel (Ximending)

Our base at Taipei is at CityInn Plus Hotel (Ximending). In my opinion, the location is a good one - it is at Ximending where it is known at the Taipei's "Tokyo Harajuku" fashion road but it is not situated in the middle of the busy road. Situated at the other side of the Ximen MRT station, it is a 3 minutes walk away from the start of the road. Thus, you are near the "Hip" place in Taipei but you will not be super disturbed by the noise. 

We booked two different types of rooms (twin room and Deluxe Room with Street View) as there is no available Twin Room in the later part of the trip. The cost of the rooms do not differ much but we thought 2 single beds are always better than a double bed for us. 

The service crews at CityInn Plus Hotel are really great - they are always serving you with a smile on their face. One thing about this hotel is that they would like us to deposit the key with them everytime we leave the hotel. It is a good and bad thing depending on  individual. Thus, every morning when we deposited our key, they would ask us where we are going and would give us their 2 cents worth of thoughts and tips - we got more updated information from them on top of our existing itinerary. 

The basement of the hotel is the service floor where there are computers, pantry and FREE laundry services. Wifi is free and this is totally an awesome thing so that we can keep in touch with family and friends back at home. 

My verdict for this hotel - EXCELLENT - Check out their website for more information. Be sure to book in advance as they are really hot-selling - I reckon it has to do with the affordable price of the rooms at great location. Payment is by credit card and you will have to pay 30% deposit and the rest at the hotel itself. I did a mistake in the booking and payment went through - but the hotel is prompt in their reply and everything was settled in minutes - They gave me a call 2 days before the check in to confirm the stay and also to ask if we would need the airport services - GOOD!

The Rooms

Address:
100台灣台北市中正區寶慶路63號
No.63. Baoqing Rd., Zhongzheng District, Taipei, Taiwan 100
 Tel: +886 (2) 7725-2288