Narita overnight - options
 

Hi Folks
As our departing flight out of Tokyo leaves Narita at 10.30 am I've decided to take heed of suggestions here and stay the preceding night in Narita. I'm holding two options and would love input from those of you who've stayed before.

I have booked a traditional Japanese room, including dinner, at (ryokan) Wakamatsu Honten, which is directly opposite Naritasan Shinshō-ji Temple, indeed some of the rooms have direct views over the temple. Advantages is that it feels like a proper night of the holiday, sounds like a charming area to wonder around before / after dinner and the reviews are positive. They don't provide shuttles to the airport but we can shuttle back to the train station and hop on the train around to the airport, looks straightforward. And if we decide against the faff, we can always hop in a taxi, shouldn't be too exhorbitant.

I'm also holding a booking at Richmond Hotel Narita, reviews on booking.com look decent, it's right by Narita train station which is also a good area for local restaurants and izakaya. Is under a 3rd of the price of Wakamatsu (though the ryokan includes dinner). But I'm thinking it'll feel more like marking time till our departure whereas Wakamatsu will feel more like we're still eking out the last bit of our holiday.

Any thoughts from those who've stayed in Narita?

I haven't stayed in Narita, but I agree with you assessment. Wakamatsu Honten sounds like a lovely place to end your Japan trip!

I agree with Kathie. I'd suggest you check to see what is the earliest you can have breakfast at the ryokan. Since the meals are half the enjoyment, it would be a shame to miss breakfast. We have arranged for an early breakfast at ryokans in cases where we needed an early departure.

There is a huge difference. I checked for stay at both places on April 20 for two persons.

Richmond Hotel - JPY 10,000, non-smoking standard twin beds, no meals.

Wakamatsu Honten - JPY 31,104, for a Japanese style room with bathroom and dinner and no breakfast. Room only is JPY 24,192 (which doesn't seem to be a good deal because you can get a kaiseki dinner for two for 7,000 more). It does have a communal bath (might not be an onsen).

So, the western hotel is about 40% of the price of the ryokan hotel, more than one-third for room only. Dining is available. Coin laundry.

A Western bed and and an extra 20,000 in my pocket sounds good to me. That covers a dinner of your choice at the hotel or a local place plus taxi fares (to/from dinner (if needed) plus to the airport).

Richmond Hotel also has a free airport shuttle.

Wakamatsu Honten would be an excellent choice for the reasons you cited. Am not sure I agree with the marking time comment, tho.

Valuable thread for those leaving Narita early.
IMHO I'd go for the Richmond.
Checking in late and leaving early with free shuttle seems to outweigh the luxury/cost of the other, all depends on budget.. .
Check tabelog for last night meal in Narita or stay late in Tokyo sending luggage ahead to airport or hotel.
Sounds like a great trip, looking forward to report

Assuming you will have already stayed at other ryokan during your trip, I'd probably pick the Richmond. For me, 'convenient' before a morning long haul flight generally trumps traditional/quaint/posh or whatever.

I've stayed at that Richmond Hotel and don't recommend it.

First, if you arrive by train (and I assume that's the idea), it is very hard to find. You have to descend several flights of stairs from the Keisei station (there are escalators up but not down) and will then be on an elevated plaza. The hotel should be right there, but you cannot see it because it is around a corner. You have to descend another two flights of stairs to street level before you can see it and get to it. If you descend the wrong set of stairs, you are likely to get seriously lost.

Second, Richmond is a fairly ordinary chain of business hotels with nothing particular to recommend it. I've stayed at several of them and am a member of their club (which gives late checkout): http://en.richmondhotel.jp/richmond-club . They are superficially more attractive than, say, Toyoko Inns, but in my opinion their design is less functional and they seem less well maintained.

The best located of the downtown hotels is the Mercure, which is right between the JR and Kesei stations. I've not stayed there but I'd expect it to be of a similar standard to other business hotel chains, and their European incarnation is certainly OK.

The main reason for staying downtown is to visit the temple, which is definitely worthwhile. But if you just want to rest up before or after a flight, I'd recommend one of the airport hotels, which are a mile or two away and a notch up in comfort. I'm partial to the Hilton (I'm a Diamond member and they treat me well) but I've also stayed at some of the others. In addition to its airport shuttle, the Hilton (and I expect the others) has a shuttle to the Narita station area (and a local shopping mall) so you can also visit the temple from there.

Thank you all, really helpful feedback, much appreciated.

Kathie, Russ, Yes my thinking was that the slight extra inconvenience of getting to and from the ryokan would be balanced by an extra night in somewhere rather charming, as opposed to a business hotel.

Russ, I've booked dinner but no breakfast as we'll be leaving early and are happy to grab something at the airport - I'm one of those who prefer to be at an airport early, though I won't need to build in as much contingency time staying so close.

MrWunrfl, yes pretty much those rates. I have Y9,400 for a Deluxe Double in the Richmond, room only. And it's Y29,160 for the ryokan, dinner included but no breakfast. As you say, the extra cost for dinner is pretty low and looks like they specialise in unagi, which I love. So yes, the difference is pretty much Y20,000. I'm with you on the western beds, I do prefer them, but am enormously drawn by the location of the ryokan... I do hear you though on using that 20,000 for taxis and dinner. The marking time comment is really just that I'm the location of the Richmond is not one I'd choose on sightseeing merits, it's chosen purely for price and proximity to the station, plus free shuttle to the airport. Of course we can head over to the temple and pootle around there and then come back... so it's probably a touch hyperbolic but... it's a thought...

kalihiwai2 As it's the last night of a 28 night trip, I don't budget will make that much difference. By the time I add in cost of dinner if we stay at the Richmond, the difference is probably 13,000 Yen between the two options...

Janis, you are right, we will have stayed in several ryokan during the trip, some very high end ones. In my ideal world, I'd find a less expensive western hotel right by the shrine! I'll have another look, just in case I can. I'm so torn between the convenience and the better holiday experience!!!!!

Someotherguy, hugely hugely helpful feedback, thank you. Your feedback on stairs definitely puts me off the Richmond, that's a big deal for me for sure. I looked at both Mercure and Richmond before holding rooms and picked the Richmond for a couple of reasons - 1) the price was better 2) recent reviews on booking.com (which I find far more reliable than tripadvisor) suggest that the Mercure is somewhat rundown, beds are hard and that all rooms, including non-smoking ones, smell heavily of smoke. That said, I can get a double room no breakfast for Y12,000 as compared to Richmond's Y9,400. There's also an APA available, near Richmond so imagine it will have similar issues to the Richmond?

The main reason for us to stay downtown is to enjoy the temple and the area surrounding it - I definitely don't want to stay right at the airport itself.

The other option is I book an extra night in Asakusa and we skip the Narita overnight completely and just haul arse early early on departure morning? Adding a 3rd night to our booking there would be 20,000 room only.

Another option is to stay Ueno, which is a short walk (or a 1- or 2-stop subway ride) from Asakusa. The 7:52 Skyliner gets you to Narita at 8:40, plenty of time for a 10:30 flight.

The Mitsui Garden is a decent enough, though hardly elegant, hotel in Ueno.

Hi Don
I thought I'd be able to go direct from Asakusa Tobu all the way to Narita without changing? I've just had a look on Hyperdia, I've forgotten, do the grey downward double arrows mean "continue on same train" or that we need to change?

I've picked a hotel in Asakusa for the prior two nights and if we stay in Tokyo, would prefer to do 3 nights in one place.

Thanks

The double-down-arrow image name is icon_choku. Choku means direct. Also, when it is shown at places like OSHIAGE the arrival and departure times are the same minute or one minute difference. Looks like same train just a change of train/line name. The meaning really must be "continue on same train".

>>I'm so torn between the convenience and the better holiday experience!!!!!

You can find a Western hotel anywhere in the world, maybe even in your neighborhood. Good luck finding a place like Wakamatsu Honten anywhere outside of Japan.

If I didn't get a good night's sleep on the futon then that just means that I would more easily sleep on the plane, assuming I was clear-headed enough to make it to the plane :)

It's a shame the reviews for the Mercure are so poor.

The APA is right next to the Keisei station and doesn't require all the stairs, but I've not stayed at that chain and don't know what it's like. There's a Comfort Inn at the same level as the Richmond (but visible as you leave the station) and I've stayed at other branches of that chain in Japan and found them OK.

Given the options, the Richmond may be the safest choice. The access is not terrible, just hard to find if you don't have good instructions. Check it out on Google Streetview and you'll be prepared.

My beef with their rooms is they don't have a chair, just a stool, but the doubles may be better furnished than the singles.

Mr Wunrfl, that's good, so it is a direct train, that's how I was reading it but wasn't sure I'd remembered right.

That's my thought exactly - it's not just the ryokan experience either, it's that location right by the beautiful temple too. And I've had a note back from the ryokan confirming that the room allocated to us has a view of the temple, which sounds lovely. I've also requested double futons when they make the bed up, which I've found helps a lot.

Someotherguy I am hoping APA is OK as I've got us booked in one for 7 consecutive nights in Kyoto. I'd originally booked a gorgeous AirBnB apartment but they decided to withdraw it from sale so my booking was refunded.

Stairs and luggage are difficult for me... so I may nix the Richmond. Your input is so helpful, thank you so much.

THANKS EVERYONE, you all rock!