The OneFive Terrace Fukuoka (Fukuoka, JAPAN)

I have done a few ad-hoc (last-minute) trips in my life but this one to Fukuoka has to be ranked right on top of the list. We redeemed our tickets on Wednesday morning and three days later, it’s already time to hop onto the plane. Three days of planning for a place we barely knew. That’s got to be a record!

My first order of business was to secure hotel accommodation in Fukuoka and little that I knew, the majority of the hotels in the city (especially those in Tenjin) were already very close to being fully booked in the coming week.

So, I spent a couple of days on my research and here's what I discovered.

Deciding where to stay in Fukuoka ended up not being as tough as I first thought. You just need to get the first question out of the way, Hakata (博多) or Tenjin (天神).

Between Hakata and Tenjin, it’s a pretty easy call for me. Tenjin is more of a lifestyle and entertainment hub comparing to Hakata, with most of the trendy restaurants and cafes, and upscale hotels calling it home. That wasn’t a tough decision to make.

The next question to consider was where to stay in Tenjin. Personally, I am not a huge fan of the big chains. Way too crowded for me with a few hundred rooms. I like the small boutique hotels with much fewer guests, preferably somewhere near the centre of the action and close to a subway station.

The OneFive Terrace Fukuoka seems to check all boxes here. Sure it doesn’t boast a river view like its sister hotel, The OneFive Villa does across the street (They were full), but that’s good enough for me. I didn’t think I have time for the river view anyways.

Tucked away on a small road just off Route 202 (國道) which runs from Fukuoka all the way to Nagasaki, The OneFive Terrace is situated at a perfect spot near this part of the highway connecting Hakata and Tenjin called Kokutai-doro which is one of Fukuoka's busiest road. It's this close to the centre of the action but yet you won't notice a thing with all the great work they've done with the sound-proof system.

Not only was the hotel strategically located, there were other factors which made our stay a very good one. First, check-in was easy. They have a kiosk at the lobby that allows us to check in by entering our booking details. Easy enough.

Our room was a pretty spacious one with two double beds but even with those around, it still left little nugget with enough room to run around. The only knock was perhaps the shortage of windows in the room so the space wasn’t exactly flooding with natural light.

The bathroom was reasonably big for a Japanese hotel.

It was fully equipped with a shower and bath tub but that’s pretty standard in Japan.

Location-wise, The OneFive Terrace Fukuoka was perfect as said before. Just a short 5 to 6 minute stroll to Nakasu Yataigai (中洲台屋) and Canal City. All the popular department stores like Daimaru and Mitsukoshi were also just 5 minutes away. Parco and the underground shopping street were a little further down the street, perhaps 10 minutes away.

It was a very convenient spot to enjoy the night view at the canals.

There were a few interesting shops around the area. I’m Donut? was one of them if you happen to like donuts. It draws a huge lineup every morning (opens at 11am). I like the ramen choices nearby too. Fukuoka is a very nice place for ramen noodles and you always run into a good hearty ramen shop in town, Hakata and Tenjin alike.

Rating: ❤❤❤❤

Price: ￥￥￥

Address: 3-14-36 Haruyoshi, Chuo, Fukuoka, 810-0003, Japan

Tel: +81 (0)570-075-015

Website: www.onefivehotels.co.jp