Sleeping in a Capsule Hotel

When traveling, sometimes things just don’t work out the way you plan. When I added “sleeping in a capsule hotel” to my 40 before 40 bucket list, I envisioned super modern pods that would be akin to sleeping in a space station.  I imagined Rosie from the Jetsons delivering room service and a pod equipped with a Death Star control panel just incase I wanted to wage war with my pod mates.

The reality… Our pods were located in the hallway of someone’s apartment.  Rosie was nowhere to be found.  In her place was a dog who left “gifts” on various spots on the floor.  My control panel shot sparks at me when I used the outlets, and we were locked out of the apartment multiple times.

But you know what, I wouldn’t change a thing about it!  We will never forget the experience.  It’s only been a month, and I hardly remember anything about the luxury hotel we stayed at after the pods.  We have had a ton of laughs about it, AND I got to check another experience off my bucket list.  Adventure gives you a sense of humor!

Now for my standard bucket list write-up…

What was the activity?

Sleeping in a capsule hotel.

Who participated?

My husband (Scott), the family who lived in the apartment and a few random travelers(vampires?!) who only came out of their pods during the wee hours of the night.

When was it completed?

March 11-13

#32 on my 40 Before 40 List

6th item checked off my list

Where was it completed?

I’m just going to leave it at we were somewhere in Xi’an, China.

Why did I choose to put this item on my bucket list?

If you have been following my blog, it probably comes as no surprise that sleeping in a capsule hotel was on my bucket list.  I have a thing for unusual places to stay.  That coupled with my dreams of sleeping in a space station made it an early addition to my 40 before 40 list. You can check out some of the other unique places I’ve stayed by clicking on the below blog posts.

• Will Travel for Treehouses and other Strange Sleeping Arrangements
• Sleeping in at Yurt at Cloudland Canyon
• Tiny House Charm in the Heartland of America

How did I find out about this activity? How would one go about making arrangements to do this activity?

I have sold this experience so well that I am sure you are itching to make reservations immediately.   I still have hopes that there is a capsule hotel out there that will live up to my space age dreams.  Capsule hotels originated in Japan, and when my travels take me there, I plan on trying again. I’ll let you know when I find it!

Interesting Tidbits:

• We paid less than $40 US total for both of us to have a pod for two nights.  This may be a case of you get what you pay for!
• Although the ambiance of the “hotel” left a bit to be desired, the actual pod was comfortable, clean and cozy.

Bucket List Score: 

Considering I chose not to shower for two days rather than use the facilities that were strung with underwear, I’m going to give this one 3 buckets.