On the 5th leg of my journey from JFK to Narita, somehow , somewhere , one of the airport handlers managed to completely ruin my favourite travel bag . After 2 to 3 rounds of negotiating with the airport authorities till my brains were fried , I was forced to change my plan to stay in Tokyo .
Narita seemed like a less crazy path to take . Was just thinking about spending 1 night before moving into Tokyo , however , I enjoyed the stay here so much , I made my mind up to linger on for a couple more .
Anyway , when I arrived at the hotel , I did not expect much out of the hotel , given all the online reviews .
But to each his own and maybe it had to do with the timing of my arrival , where the bus passed by gentle bamboo groves with leaves rustling in the wind and dusk just beginning to set in , making even the grass blades light up and pockets of wildflowers seem to bloom in such beautiful sheens that simply touched a chord deep within me and told me " Hey , Narita is quite nice ok ? "
Sometimes , pictures cannot tell you the whole story but I found that I liked the cozy feel in the shiny lobby .....
...as well as the extremely welcoming nature of Japanese department store standards , exhibited by the female ushers in the concierge department dressed in orange and grey .
Needless to say , I was very impressed until I reached my room upstairs . Alas .... I found the fixtures a little wanting .
Ah this pretty much explains , why some travellers aren't so fond of the place .
Small , oldish , rough carpetting ...
Found some solace in the button down dressing gown on the bed
Bitch as you like but at least amenities one would expect were all included .
Most important there was a kettle and a hot tub for me to soak my aches away with an ion hairdryer to keep my tresses in tip top shape .
This is where I squinted and took a closer look at the full sized bath products there.
Which hotel lets you use full sized Shiseido products ?
Here's the proof .
Crazy huh ?
The handsome tall Japanese man who checked me in for the 1st night gave me this room on the 10th floor .
Just one floor beneath the Executive Floor !
When I decided to extend my stay for 2 more , unfortunately he did not handle me , another lady at the frontdesk made me shift one level down but the view was still as good as what you see here .
If you think the only dining options are within the hotel or you would have to pack something from the Lawson convenience store downstairs ...wrong.
I made use of the free shuttle to access the shopping and dining choices at Narita Airport. 10 minutes away and 2 terminals at that , hey , I think it's ok .
Here's the frequency of the schedule
Also , there is yet another free shuttle into Narita town itself where you can shop at a huge Aeon Mall .
I actually avoided dining in the breakfast room because there were quite a lot of Chinese tourists who if they came off as savage while grabbing food to eat , one should put the blame on the tour companies for giving them such inadequate time to enjoy their meals at a more leisurely pace.
Yes , the robot wanted to gimme a hug ( or strangle me depending on how you see it ) when I did not respond. Lolz.
Maybe dinner would be a better option unless there's a gang from a delayed flight ( most times it will be American Airlines )
If you are balking at the prices , the prices at Narita Airport are about the same .
Coin laundromat services are available. The sign states that detergent is not needed but if you have ultra smelly laundry , just pop into Lawson or the 7 eleven down the road for peace of mind .
Luckily I met Miss Tsubaki on the 2nd day.
She helped me avoid a very inconvenient check in procedure and was very understanding about everything.
She was also the one who directed that these items be sent up to me since I informed her that I had just joined their One Harmony membership ....
...which entitled me to any drink of my choice from a set menu at the Sunset Lounge on the 11th floor .
Long story short , do sign up especially if you live in South East Asia and love the Nikko and Okura chain of hotels much .
I don't need to tell you about the advantages as I'm sure you can go read up on that yourself eh ?
Verdict : I would definitely stay again
Location : Narita , Japan
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