The biggest city between Nagoya and Yokohama, Hamamatsu has no shortage of accommodation options, especially business hotels aimed at the many visitors to local factories and offices. This is good news for travelers, as the competition keeps prices low, and there are some very good deals to be had. One that I took was Villa Kuretake, comparably priced to business chains but several cuts above in ambience and style.
It's a little way out of the centre, about fifteen minutes' walk from the station, in a quietish residential area. It looks more like it belongs on a beachfront, though, with its Mediterranean-style balconies and leafy terrace by the entrance. As well as being a hotel, it plays host to wedding ceremonies and celebrations and other events, and has facilities to match.
My single room was very plush and spacious, an absolute bargain at ¥5600. The carpet was thick and cosy underfoot, the decor warm and relaxing, and from my balcony I could look out south towards the sea and watch the bullet trains zooming past (on the tracks, not the sea). All the standard amenities were there, with a fridge, TV and a comfy couch to relax on, and there were extra little touches like an ice-bucket in the fridge. The bed was good and comfortable, and I had a restful night's sleep after a night out at a fun, inexpensive izakaya.
The bathroom was also a good size, nothing like the molded plastic units in most business hotels: there was a separate shower stall, a little swiveling shaving mirror, and even a small TV by the sink for if you don't want to miss your favourite tarento while you're in there.
Elsewhere in the hotel there are a couple of pleasant lounge areas to relax in, and an outdoor smoking area which is a nice place to chill out in its own right. If you want to eat in, the Colombo cafe and bar on the first floor has reasonably priced meals and lunch sets, though I didn't dine there myself so can't vouch for the quality. There are a couple of other restaurants (I think in the resort part of the hotel) which serve Japanese and Mexican food respectively.
The room rate included a buffet breakfast, served in a fancy high-ceilinged dining room, with a slightly limited range of Japanese and Western food. There was yakisoba (fried noodles) and salad, curry and rice, sausages and scrambled eggs, bread and jam, and eggs which I expected to be hard-boiled but turned out to be raw.
There are single, double and twin rooms, and according to my efforts to explore the Japanese-only website, it looks like the rate varies with the season and kind of plan you choose. It seems you'll be paying roughly ¥5000-6000 for a single, and between ¥8000 and ¥10000 for a twin or double. Given the facilities and level of comfort, I'd still say this represents a really good deal.
