Super Hotel Ikebukuro West Natural Hot Spring

I was staying by myself and was given a room with bunk beds. It's technically supposed to accommodate three people, but if three people actually stayed here, you wouldn't even have enough space to open a suitcase. The decor and lighting were terrible—very dim and gloomy. Combined with the frosted glass window that completely blocked out any natural light from outside, the whole room just felt really creepy and unsettling. I really couldn't get used to it.

The room had a welcome card. The front desk service was excellent. The breakfast was abundant, and the evening drinks were quite enjoyable. The beauty hot spring was very comfortable and relaxing. There was also a pillow selection.

The room was a bit old and dated, and the bathroom was tiny. The buildings were also very close together, so I had to keep the curtains drawn all day. There was only one dark curtain, which wasn't ideal. However, its location in Ikebukuro is very convenient for transportation. Right next door is the well-known Nishi-Ichibangai street with plenty of dining, drinking, and entertainment options. The Japanese breakfast was decent, nothing special. A little heads-up: Ikebukuro Station seems to have over 20 exits and is very crowded, so first-time visitors might find it a bit confusing.

It was very quiet, with great service, and very self-sufficient. The price was good, and it came with hot springs and breakfast. The only downside was that the pillows in the room were too hard; I couldn't sleep well. I didn't want to go to the lobby to get the shared ones, so I just put up with it for one night, and my head hurt.

The breakfast was absolutely delicious, so satisfying! I'm a huge fan of hot springs, so I booked this onsen hotel. The first day was a bit of an adventure trying to find it – I walked for about 20 minutes, which felt like almost two hours. But then I realized, after dropping my daughter off at the clinic, when I went to look for the hotel myself, I found it super easily. It's right next to the subway exit! The next three days were smooth sailing; the stay was really comfortable. The hot spring here is the real deal, and it felt amazing. Plus, the breakfast is incredibly abundant. For the first three days, we always went for breakfast at the last minute, close to 9:00 AM. On the first morning, we were pretty lucky – I thought it ended at 9:30, so we went at 9:00, and we were the last two people there. On the fourth day, we had to catch a flight, so we went down early at 6:30 AM. Well, we went down at 6:15 AM and found that it wasn't 6:30 yet, but there were already so many Japanese men queuing up! It really shows that Tokyo isn't a place for slackers. Also, in the evenings from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM, they have a cocktail hour where you can freely enjoy coffee and other beverages. I missed this the first two days because I usually got back to the hotel around 10 PM. We made it the last two days, and it was fantastic! They even give you tips on how to mix your own cocktails right there. Due to the timing of my booking, these four nights were quite expensive. I later checked, and the price for the following week was much more reasonable. So, if you can catch it on a good value-for-money day, it's excellent. The front desk also lets you choose your pillow, which I thought was a really nice touch – they have high, low, latex, and even ones filled with buckwheat husks. And you can take free bath salts, tea, and even face masks. On the last day, you can get face masks! They also offer a supplement that helps you stay refreshed and alert if you take three a day, which I found very thoughtful. Overall, I'm very satisfied with this hotel, except for the first night when I struggled to find it. I spent a lot of time; we arrived at the 'Jidai' subway station at 8:30 PM but didn't reach the hotel until 10:30 PM. Other than that, everything else was perfectly fine!