FAV LUX 鹿児島天文館 — Hotel in Kagoshima

For the lazy readers: this place is a great value for money.

I'm writing this review both for the hotel staff and for potential guests.

First, a word about other reviews I read before arriving:

Some people complained that the lobby is on the 13th floor and that check-in is done via a machine without staff. Personally, I found the process easy to navigate, and thankfully, there were kind and helpful staff members around who made the process even smoother. It's clear the hotel reads feedback and is responsive to it.

As for the 13th-floor lobby, I actually loved it! The view of Mount Sakurajima is beautiful, its a great idea. There's an elevator, its not a con, it a pro.

Cons:

1. Smell in the hallways: This was the biggest downside. I stayed on two different floors, and both had a very unpleasant smell. I’m not usually sensitive to these things, but it was hard to ignore. The lobby and entrance also had a very strong cologne-like scent, possibly trying to mask the odor, but it was overpowering.

2. Bidet issues: The bidet in our toilet didn’t work properly. This was in the farthest room on the 8th floor, if that helps the staff locate and fix it.

3. Sauna pricing: The sauna services were overpriced, so we skipped them. We’ve experienced better services in more luxurious hotels for just 100–200 yen per person per night. Lower pricing would probably attract more guests, including us.

4. Room view: The view from our rooms wasn't great, but honestly, that’s a minor issue considering the price.

Pros:

1. Excellent staff and service: Everyone we interacted with was kind and helpful.

2. Amazing shower: Much better than the average in Japan, with good water pressure and comfort.

3. Spacious rooms: Especially for Japanese standards, a big plus!

4. Beautiful view from the lobby: The Mount Sakurajima view is a nice bonus, and probably visible from the breakfast area too (though we didn’t try the breakfast).

5. Best hair dryer we had in Japan: Surprisingly better than even some we found in luxury hotels!

6. Great location

To sum up: Despite a few issues, this hotel offers excellent...

Absolutely amazing experience.

Stayed here for 3 days in September.

The bed was the comfortable bed I've ever experienced in my entire life. I have stayed across a range of hotels in the world including many 5 star hotels, this bed was the best bed out of any hotel I stayed in.

The queen room I stayed in had a sauna which was extremely fun. It was similar to my experience in Helsinki where the saunas are famous. The staff were really kind and polite. The hotel is extremely modern and has great facilities. I didn't use the microwave or freezer, but it's there if needed! The TV was huge too. The plug next to kettle for some reason popped on one of the days, I didn't think much of it and the appliances worked fine.

Randomly they started popping again on one day and I informed reception immediately I asked if I would be charged for this and they said no and apologised and made it clear I wouldn't be charged for this issue as it was some kind of electrical malfunction.

Either way I think the whole experience has been extremely positive. I would 100% book again in the future and hope to try and find other fav lux's around Japan to stay in. The area was also quiet around the hotel, people were hanging around in the nearby park but I didn't hear any noise in my room.

The rooms and elevator require a QR code or pin to use. I think this is pretty good to be honest and it felt futuristic and interesting. Although strange I was satisfied with the elevator too, it was very...

No instructions in the room for the air conditioning and washing machine, so they are difficult to use if you don't speak Japanese. Air conditioning is very noisy even with the fan on low. Dirty room on the kitchen side (top of the refrigerator full of dust). No welcome bottle of water in the room. Uncomfortable bed, sheets too small for a large bed, poor quality pillows. Catastrophic breakfast: choice of three dishes but you can only have one. The dish served is in very small portions. No extra bread, no rice, no butter, no jam, no nato, nothing more than this ridiculous single dish. If you want to have a second dish, you are charged for it! As for drinks, there is coffee (hot or cold), tea (hot or cold), disgusting orange juice (syrup in water) and grapefruit juice of equally poor quality. We protested because this breakfast was the worst of our trip to Japan. We received an apology letter, but the next day the food was even smaller and we were not served anything else. In short, this hotel was the worst of our trip to Japan: nothing Japanese here, mediocre service, terrible breakfast, you should not come here. There are plenty of other much better hotels in Kagoshima that have respect for...