Symbol for a love motel
Symbol for a love motel
Through our Lonely Planet, we discovered that a lot of the cheaper motels were categorized as Love Motels. We had heard of these, as they are prevalent in Japan where they are used by unmarried couples wanting a few hours “rest” away from their parents. In Japan, the rooms have interesting themes like “Hello Kitty”.
In Korea, although perhaps the rooms might be used for the same purpose, they seemed a lot more like just a regular motel room. In a couple of the love motels we stayed in there was some interesting movies on TV, and in case that wasn’t enough, a VHS (!) collection in the hallway outside. Other then that, the love motels mostly come with hairdriers, shampoo, perfume, and mood lighting. Strangely though, none of the hotel rooms we stayed in on our whole trip had what we would consider towels – they were hand towels, at best. We were happy to have our own pack towels with us.
It’s almost impossible to make reservations at love hotels – the owners usually don’t speak English. There’s no receipts, no helpful directions – just a tiny hole in the front room through which you pay and get a key. Sort of strange – but at $30 a night (almost everywhere) they were the best way to get a clean, cheap room. We didn’t see any strange people around – in fact we almost didn’t see anyone at all – and there was no unusual noise coming from any neighbours. The love motels are usually very well located in downtown, and can be seen by a symbol on their sign.
Love motel room in Busan
Love motel room in Busan
When traveling in South Korea, I have found that some love motels in small cities are up to 45,000 won during peak seasons. As well, rooms are sometimes booked up solid (not that you can actually BOOK a room in advance). However, my impression is that they’re dying for business in off-peak seasons.
Two things I would mention is that, because they’re close to the downtown districts, they’re sometimes noisy outside. Hearing laughing intoxicated people outdoors at 2am is not uncommon. As well, often the rooms stink of cigarettes. For a non-smoker, sleeping a whole night in this is out of the question. Personally, I would rather pay an extra $20 to get a non-smoking room. However, sometimes we’re lucky and can find clean (in terms of air) love motel rooms.
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There are many things to like about these places. For one, the computers always work. This is because they expect Korean guests, and the latter would not stand for PCs or laptop connections that don’t work. In “tourist hotels” the computers and/or laptop connections are frequently on the blink and the management is unapologetic.
What is more, more and more Korean hotels insist on credit card or cash deposits, aping Western hotel practices. For those of us with dodgy credit this can be a burden. Love motels don’t do this. Generally speaking, they don’t even want to see your face, let alone your credit score. Thanks for your great post! I have read quite a few posts about “scary” Love Motels. This is just plain silly. Especially for the solo traveller, Motels are frequently the smartest option. What’s more, the lines are often blurred. What is a motel? What is a love motel? It’s not as if there were a sign proclaiming the latter.
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