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I think we can all agree, Tokyo is not known for its super affordable hotel rooms. Don’t get me wrong, it’s an incredible city, but it’s not going to come up on any Top 10 Most Budget Friendly lists anytime soon.
Many people (especially with a quick stop!) will try and stay near Narita airport to save some cash, which is a wise move. Even if your goal is to explore downtown Tokyo, you might want to consider staying outside the city. Accommodation around the Narita airport is usually (at least) 50% cheaper than downtown Tokyo hotels.
If you are just passing through Tokyo, have an overnight layover, or flying in to catch a cruise, picking a hotel near the airport is an even better idea.
So, where is the best place to stay near Narita Airport?
In our opinion, the Mystays Premier is the best, cheapest and highest value hotel that is close to Narita Airport. It’s easy to get to, it has everything you need on site, plus there are some hacks/tips that will help make it even more budget friendly!
We found the Mystays Narita hotel because we were looking for a place to hang out for 4 days before our cruise, which was leaving for Tokyo heading all the way to Vancouver. We had been traveling through Asia for the last 6 months and quite frankly, we just wanted a quiet, affordable, and convenient place to stay before boarding the ship. I also had my senior parents flying in from Canada and I wanted to put them somewhere that would be easy to get to after a long-haul flight.
The Mystays Narita checked all those boxes.
Now in full disclosure, the hotel had nothing to do with this blog. I didn’t even tell them I am a travel blogger when I booked or checked in. No free upgrades or perks were given. I was staying ‘undercover’ and booked/paid for my own room in full.
I never intended to actually like this hotel – I was just looking for something easy and cheap before the cruise. After staying there I quickly realized it was the PERFECT choice for travellers like me and I should write about what sets it apart.
Why MYSTAYS Narita is the Best Hotel
Free Airport Shuttle
Since everything in Japan is pricey, taking advantage of free airport shuttles when possible is a life-saver for the budget. Taxis and Ubers are really expensive, so a round-trip airport shuttle can save you anywhere from $40-$60 USD total.
If we had not taken the free airport shuttle, here is what an Uber would have charged us. 2100-3100 YEN equals around $20-$30 USD for a one way trip.
How to take the Mystays Premier Narita airport shuttle:
You can take the shuttle from the Hotel to Terminal 1 or Terminal 2. You can also take it from either Terminal 1 or 2 to the hotel. Both ways are free. You can even take it to pick up someone else in your party, as they don’t check your flight tickets or anything. It’s just come and go as you please.
• At the hotel it will pull up just outside the lobby doors.
• Terminal 1, you simply walk outside the South Exit and look for bus stop #16
• Terminal 2, walk outside the South Exit and look for bus stop #26
Stops are all very easy to find.
Airport Shuttle Times for Mystays Narita:
The Mystays Narita shuttle runs every half hour during peak times (5:00am-9:30am and 4:00pm-8:30pm) and every hour during non-peak times. The trip to and from the airport will take about 15 minutes.
The one tip I have for taking the shuttle is to be a few minutes early. The bus drivers are extremely prompt, almost to the second, and do not wait around. They stop just long enough to board passengers and then they are off.
Free Shuttle to JR Narita Station and Aeon Mall
In addition to the free airport shuttle, Mystays also offers a shuttle to the JR station (which also takes you into Narita old-town) and the Aeon Shopping Mall.
This shuttle runs around every hour or so, and sometimes goes to both destinations, or just one depending on the schedule. From the hotel it takes about 15 minutes to go to JR Narita Station and about 30 minutes to get to Aeon Mall.
To Aeon Mall
We took this shuttle to the mall to get some sweaters, snacks and supplies for our 14 night transpacific cruise. The mall has a grocery store, many clothing stores, and even a Mcdonalds. If you forgot anything or need to get some last minute clothes or personal items, you will absolutely be able to find something at Aeon Mall.
To Naritasan Omotesando
Once my parents arrived at the hotel with us, we used this shuttle to take them downtown to tour around. It dropped us off at JR Narita Station and it was only a 3 minute walk to link up to Naritasan Omotesando (ancient shopping street). We walked a few kilometres up and down the street, popping into interesting shops along the way. There was everything from Dorayaki bean-paste pancake bakeries, to small museums, to custom chopstick makers. It’s a great street for some photos and to pick up souvenirs.
To JR Narita Station
You can also just use this shuttle to get to the JR Narita Station, which will give you access to Tokyo and beyond. If you are looking to explore downtown Tokyo, this is the key in getting there in a fast and cost effective way.
Because both these shuttles were free, all 4 of us were able to get to and from the airport, the mall and the train station without spending any money at all. Budget win!
A Family Mart Inside The Hotel
Is it wrong of me to admit that the Family Mart located inside the Mystays lobby was my favorite part of the hotel? Well it’s true! We were coming from living in rural Vietnam where convenience stores are non-existent and I was SO happy to finally see one again.
The Family Mart is by FAR the best budget hack I can tell you about. No offence to their onsite restaurants, but who wants to spend $50 a person for dinner when you can do it for 90% less. The Family Mart has everything you need. Fresh coffee, cappuccinos, snacks, fresh fruit, salads, chicken yakitori skewers, steamed buns, sushi, and everything in between. We loaded up and made our own meals for around $4-$7 each.
Having the Family Mart actually INSIDE the hotel made it even better. We didn’t have to cab or bus to get food or snacks, nor did we need to spend a lot of money at the restaurants. Everything is cheap and delicious!
Some examples of what we bought at the Family Mart. Noodles for ¥399 ($3.70 USD), salad for ¥151 ($1.30 USD) and rice for ¥128 ($1.18 USD). Even the chicken yakitori skewers were only around ¥150 ($1.30 USD) each
This meal cost me approx $4 USD
Great In-Room Amenities
In true Japanese fashion, the rooms come with everything you need and more.
The bathroom amenities really stood out. Yes, they had the standard body wash, lotion, shampoo and conditioner, but the Mystays took it one step further. They also provided razors, shaving cream, hair ties, cotton swabs, oil cleanser, foam cleanser, face cream, face toner, toothbrush, toothpaste, and around 4 or 5 other things I am forgetting.
And of course, the Japanese style toilet with the built in bidet. Something I wonder how I even live without back in the western world.
Inside the room we had a large screen TV, free bottle of water, mini fridge, safe, kettle with green tea, and my favorite… pajamas, which I wore every night.
The Rooms
The rooms are small, but very clean and well stocked. Some of their more expensive rooms have recently been renovated and look amazing! We were concentrating solely on budget, so we did not spring for these newer rooms.
Comfort Double Room (base room)
My parents booked a ‘Comfort Double’ room, which is the hotels entry level room. They paid around $85 USD per night.
I’ll be honest, my parents room was SMALL. We were laughing because it was actually smaller than their upcoming stateroom on the cruise, so it was great training. The room in the photo might look big, but the wall starts exactly where the frame of the photo ends. I believe it's around 150 sq ft.
It wouldn’t be my first choice of room after seeing it, but if you are on a strict budget, you’ll live.
Standard Twin Room
My husband and I paid about $15 more per night for the ‘Standard Twin Room Lower Floor’, which gave us some extra space. (About 230 sq ft, so 80 sq ft more than the base room.) The room cost about $100 USD per night.
It was still the old style room, but like I mentioned before, still very cozy. We did not lack anything we needed. If we were to stay there again, I would book the same room.
We didn't hear any noise from the other rooms during our 4 night stay, which was a nice bonus.
Great On-Site Amenities
Many of the flight crews stay at this hotel because it’s so close, but also because it has great amenities for the price.
On-site you will find a gym, pool, steam room, tennis court, the Family Mart, 3 restaurants, and a very pretty Japanese garden. We even found a laundry room with coin operated machines. It’s really the perfect hotel to relax, or just wash some of your dirty travel clothes.
The Wi-Fi was also spot on. As frequent travellers we live and die by Wi-Fi connections and the Mystays was flawless. We could stream Netflix, and upload Instagram stories with no buffering.
How We Booked Mystays
We booked the Mystays Narita through Booking.com
We liked that their prices included taxes/fees so there were no surprises. They also allowed us to just hold a room without paying upfront. We didn't pay for the room until we checked it, which is always nice.
If you are headed to Japan, here are some other posts that might be helpful! ↓
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