HOTEL LiVEMAX Nara Ekimae

The rooms are clean, and mine felt plenty spacious by Japanese standards. It had a tiny fridge, and the bathroom was great. The halls are really narrow, though. I wasn't bothered by that, but I wonder if someone overweight could get through comfortably. I missed the last shinkansen and needed somewhere to sleep while visiting Nara Park, so the hotel's straight down the street location was convenient. They even gave me a bag of pajamas, which helped since I hadn't planned on staying overnight. The desk staff member was incredibly kind. My Japanese isn't good, but despite the language barrier he took extra care to make sure I understood and got what I needed. My main complaint is the noise outside. Biker gangs pass by at all hours, so I'd suggest using white noise to fall asleep. Otherwise, it was a cozy room at a great price, and I’d stay here again next time I'm at Nara Park.

In central Nara, with Kintetsu Nara station 8 minutes away, JR Nara 6 minutes, and Nara Park 20 minutes. The building is tiny, and the rooms are quite small, but comfortable. There wasn't a desk in my room, which was fine for me but might not work if you're visiting on business. The bathrooms are also very small, and the tubs aren't big enough for adult men to bathe comfortably.

It was clean and tidy, but seriously, who designed this hotel? Our room was almost triangular, with three single beds and a table, leaving hardly any space to walk around. They should remove a bed or use a smaller table that fits. The A.C. blows right at your face when you're trying to sleep. Why put it at the head of the beds? The windows are tiny, blurry, and don't open, so it feels like the main door is the only way fresh air gets into the whole building. There's a jakuzi, but it's really just a big pool of warm water. We didn't sleep well, but we only needed a room for one night, so it was okay.

The location was great, and our room was really comfortable. We also got to use an almost private ofuro (public japanese bath), which was quite an experience.