648 Hotel Drake

Okay.

The Wi-Fi was almost impossible to connect to. When it did work, it was slow and kept dropping, so I couldn’t use it at all. I wouldn’t recommend this place if you need to work or want to watch videos without interruptions. The room was cold, and turning up the air conditioning didn’t make it perform any better. The mattress was hard, the cotton comforter felt flimsy, and the provided blanket was heavy. I was still too cold to sleep. There were only a few outlets, one by the bed and three in the corner, with none at the main desk. Bring an extra outlet or extension cord if you need to charge a laptop or phone. It was also quite dark despite the desk lamp. I’d been warned, so I brought my own light. The walls were thin enough that I could hear the next room’s TV and conversations. Earplugs are essential. The bath water temperature was fine, but there was a lot of visible black mold on the caulking and walls. People bothered by that may not like it. I figured it came with the hotel’s age and gave up on it. It’s an old business hotel, neither good nor bad in some ways, but these things bothered me. It’s okay if you only need a place to sleep. I don’t think it works for PC work, exam study, or relaxing in the room.

The front desk staff were friendly and polite, and the bed was comfortable. I stayed two nights for a family funeral. The room is old, but spacious and clean for the price, with the basic amenities. You do need to pick up a yukata at the front desk. I could see Mt. Fuji from my fifth-floor room, too. ♥ The ventilation fan woke me with a loud noise in the middle of the second night, perhaps because the weather had suddenly turned cold, so I had to switch it off. There’s also a lot of noise from the hallway and neighboring rooms, so light sleepers may need earplugs. Keep in mind there’s no automatic lock.

I stayed on Sunday, October 19th, and came by motorcycle. When I checked ahead, they said there was parking, though it was gravel. The road in front of the hotel was narrow and seemed private, so even with Google Maps it was hard to find. The female staff were very polite, while the male staff were unfriendly. Up to that point, it was acceptable, but the guest room wasn’t. It was extremely dark. A white desk lamp let me read somewhat, but the bathroom was dirty, with a large stain on the wall that made it unpleasant. Luckily, I’d already used Corona no Yu in Kōzu, so I didn’t need the bath. The restaurants, the izakayas on the station’s south side, were closed by 9 PM, probably because it was Sunday. Fortunately, the curry restaurant next door was open, and I had delicious Indian curry there. I tried this hotel near Odawara hoping to get a sense of a trip, but it wasn’t worth 6000 yen. Plenty of hotels are older than this, but few seem as poorly maintained.