GadgetFreak

I tried the Narita Hilton the week before last. It was pretty nice and a decent deal for Japan. As a Hilton Gold I free admission to the health spa in the hotel (it was very nice) and a free breakfast. Quick in and out of Narita. I can really recommend it for people wanting to stay at the airport.

richarddd

Any advice for a hotel near Narita airport? We're scheduled to land at 8:00 pm and to take a train to Nikko first thing in the morning, so no real interest in exploring Narita. A late snack, nice room, breakfast, plus shuttle (or whatever) to and from the hotel are all we need.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=734242 was six months ago and seemed geared to people with more time in NRT.

http://www.narita-airport.jp/en/travel/hotel/index.html seems a complete list of available hotels

Thanks!

pricklycomedian

I have had good luck with the Hotel Nikko Narita in the past. You may also want to check if your incoming airline has any partnership discounts with Narita airport hotels.

pc

RichardInSF

Why not go into the Ueno area and stay there, cutting an hour off your trip the next day?

Tobu line Nikko trains, which is the way you will go if you don't have a JR pass, leave from the Asakusa area near Ueno. The Tobu line Asakusa station is also where you buy the various Nikko combination tickets and passes.

If you do want to stay in Narita, I don't think much has changed recently and the previous threads should still be accurate.

There will be transit available to Ueno from Narita airport at 8pm, in fact up to 10pm or later.

jib71

I'd go to Tokyo first night - probably stay at a hotel immediately by Tokyo station. Next day take an early Shinkansen to Utsunomiya.

Lower budget option would be to take the Keisei train to Nippori. Stay near Nippori Station - then hop in a cab next morning to Asakusa for the Tobu train to Nikko.

jib71

^ You beat me to it. (My suggestion of Nippori is basically the same).

Tokyo station area has nicer hotels.

atl801

I did not like the Nikko Narita. I thought the rooms were dank and not particularly clean. Lounge on top floor was nice though.

Braindrain

I usually stay at the Hilton Narita. As a Gold, the routine is to get free coupons for an extensive breakfast buffet. However, with the way HH is gutting it's Golds, I'm not sue about that bennie...

richarddd

We're flying QF from CNS and are scheduled to get lunch and a refreshment on the flight and to land at 8:00 pm. Between possible QF lateness, getting through immigration, finding an ATM, buying a train ticket, etc., we might not get to Tokyo until 10, which is a bit late to start looking for dinner. I'd rather settle in, get a quick dinner and get to sleep at a reasonable hour and start out early the next morning.

Keisei Airport Express, subway, Limited Express to Tobu Nikko or Narita Express, Shinkansen, JR Nikko Line to JR Nikko? The first is cheaper but takes more time.

Any other airport hotel preferences? Posts here and on tripadvisor don't have the clarity I'd prefer.

jib71

Mercure Hotel.

Waking up at the Mercure (in Narita city - right next to Keisei Narita Station and JR Narita Station) eliminates the need to take a hotel shuttle bus and walk through the airport in the morning.

For early morning departures, you have more options and quicker journey times from those stations than starting at the airport. (This is not the case later in the day when there are many express trains that don't stop in Narita City). Journey time can be under 3 hrs. Best route depends on what time you want to leave.

runarut

We have stayed here as well. I would stay here again in a heartbeat.

I wouldn't say it was an "authentic" Japanese cultural experience. I think of it as being a Western hotel. That worked well for me.

Braindrain

It was even better when it was a Cat 1.

keihin_242

I enjoyed the ANA Crowne Plaza and think it's a good place to stay if you can get a decent rate. But again, you have to deal with the shuttle bus.

Regarding rail travel, I'm assuming you don't plan to purchase a JR Rail Pass or JR East Pass.

If you're planning to head into Tokyo (and then Nikko) very early from Narita, beware of rush hour on weekdays (up til about 9AM).

The first Skyliners of the day leave after 9AM - before that you can ride the "Morning Liner" or take the regular Keisei limited express "tokkyu". The Morning Liner is essentially a Skyliner where you buy "liner" tickets at the station instead of making a reservation.

The Narita Express begins operation much earlier but is also subject to heavy commuter use.

Timetable for the Skyliner & Morning Liner is here:

http://www.keisei.co.jp/keisei/tetud..._ueno_day.html

Narita Express is here:

http://jreast-shinkansen-reservation...x_u/index.html

IMHO the Skyliner/Morning Liner is more comfortable than the N'EX (all seats recline, for one thing).

If I was going to Nikko from Narita I'd take the Skyliner to Keisei-Ueno station, walk to the Ueno Ginza Line subway station and take the subway three stops to Asakusa, then hop on the Tobu limited express to Nikko. I prefer to take the "Kegon" which actually goes all the way to Nikko, but most departures are "Kinu" trains that involve a transfer at Shimo-Imaichi.

Here's the Tobu timetable out of Asakusa:

http://www.tobu.co.jp/foreign/timetable.html

Depending on when you go, you might want to make a reservation for the trip to Nikko, especially on weekends. There are a number of travel agencies at NRT and downtown Tokyo that can do this for you. Or you could just try your luck showing up at the ticket window in Asakusa or use the non-reserved regular rapid service trains. But I'm a reservation hound, so I'd make sure I had a seat

If you're staying in Tokyo (and you don't mind getting up early), try to get seats on Kegon #1, which leaves Asakusa at 0730. You can nap on the train, arrive at Nikko at 919AM, and have an entire day there.^

You can also travel to Nikko from Shinjuku or Ikebukuro if you decide to stay on that side of town. But IIRC this method is quite a bit more expensive than going from Asakusa.

LapLap

I'm a big fan of this Mercure as I find it to be incredibly convenient as an airport hotel (for departures). It's not a shining example of the Mercure brand but it does the job. If there's just one of you, the nearby Comfort Hotel should be able to cover the same needs for less.

Narita City has a bit of a buzz to it in the evenings with plenty of inexpensive dining and drinking options, most of the other hotels that require a shuttle provide easy access only to their own restaurants.

richarddd

About how big are the standard rooms at the Mercure? The web site has remarkably little information
http://www.accorhotels.com/accorhote..._chambre.shtml

Is it likely to have anything for dinner suitable for a vegetarian (always a problem in Japan)?

It may make sense to leave for Nikko at a bit after 9am. We're going to Nikko on a Monday, spending the night, then back to NRT for a flight at 7:30 pm on Tuesday. Should be enough time to wander Nikko and Chuzenji