Terrace Inn Katsuta — Hotel in Hitachinaka

I have stayed at the Terrace Inn many times, typically 7 to 10 days at a time, as a solo business traveler. It's a good choice if you are in the area on business. The staff have always been very friendly, professional, and speak English. For an extended stay, I suggest booking one of their Flex Single rooms, as they are somewhat larger and more spacious. The rooms are reasonably well appointed, with free wi-fi and LAN, mini-fridge (complimentary water bottle every day), desk, TV (no international channels, all Japanese). The beds seem a bit firm to me, takes a couple days to get used to the firmness, Optional ECO service is available (the room will not be made up, but you get fresh towels and amenities each day). ||The breakfast buffet is mostly Japanese with some western-style options - scrambled (a bit runny) or poached eggs, ham or small sausages, some pastries, fruit and yogurt, juice, tea, coffee (I prefer the coffee from the machine in the lobby). A decent buffet for the price. ||To get to the hotel from Narita, you can take the Roseliner bus to Katsuta station (get tickets at the Keisei counter, 3,100 one way). Be aware that you can check two bags boarding at the airport, but for the return trip if you have two bags you will likely need to bring the second bag on the bus, or buy another ticket to check the second bag. Return trip tickets need to be reserved in advance. The trip will take close to 2.5 hours. The stop in Katusta is on the other side of the station from the hotel; go up the escalator, walk through the station, and down the escalator on the other side. ||I just noticed there are limited express trains now operating between Katsuta and Tokyo stations, so one could also take the Narita Express to Tokyo, then a Joban line limited express train to Katsuta. ||There are a number of restaurants near the hotel, plus the hotel has a popular restaurant as well. For western fare, the Drunken Duck behind the hotel is pretty good. There is a Lawsons convenience store right next to the hotel where you can get snacks, beverages, pre-cooked meals that they will warm up for you, other necessities. ||If you have some time while in the area, check out the Nakaminato fish market. It's easy to get there by local train from the Katsuta station, takes about 30 minutes. Had lunch at one of the sushi restaurants at the market, probably the best sushi I have had, and quite reasonably priced. ||I have not found an ATM machine nearby, so I usually bring extra cash. There are ATMs that accept my bank debit card in the terminal at Narita. The ATM rate is better than getting cash at the exchange counter at the airport or at the bank. ||All in all I would have to say that the Terrace Inn probably is the best hotel option in the immediate area in Katsuta. One last tip - if you need to take a taxi to points on the other side of the rail line from the hotel, go through the station and get a taxi on the other side of the station. Crossing the tracks by taxi always takes extra time due to all the train traffic, and consequently the fares end up being 30%...

Terrace Inn is conveniently located right next to Katsuta JR station and the city's bus terminal. There are various eateries within walking distance and the Lawson 24 hours convenience store is right next to the hotel. From the bus terminal, you will be able to catch a bus to Hitachi Seaside Park, the main attraction of Ibaraki during Oct and Apr/May. If you drive, parking is free at the hotel's main & secondary car parks. ||||For shopping, Mega Don Quijote (supermarket) is just 5 minutes' walk away or you may take the JR train to Mito Station (1 station away) and you will find big departmental stores like Excel and Bic Camera electrical store. ||||Room wise, it's superb as the room, furniture, bathroom, tv, fridge and beds etc all look new and clean. It's evident that the hotel is thoughtful and guest-centric as everything you need are there, eg. WiFi, LAN point & cable, kettle, instant coffee/tea, toothbrush, shaver, comb, hair dryer, slippers, bath robes etc. The air conditioner works well quietly and each room comes with a air cleaner/humidifier. Coin laundry, microwave oven and ice machine are available at the lobby. ||||Staff service was very good, though only few staff speak English, they are most helpful. During raining days, they provided towels at the lobby for guests to wipe themselves dry. Housekeeping was done very well even without tipping, we left a small tip for the housekeepers at the end of our stay to show our appreciation even though it was not required nor anticipated.||||Overall, I must say both my wife and I were very happy with the hotel and will certainly stay with them the next time we visit Ibaraki /...

The location is good, and the breakfast is nice quality; however, the main reason I'll ding this hotel is that the internet service is very slow, plus they'll completely cut off your service if you use too much data. I'm not sure where the cutoff is, but 2 or 3 times I've tried uploading or downloading approximately 5GB worth of files to cloud storage, and that crossed the line, and service was unavailable for the remainder of the day. When I complained at the front desk, I was told that there was nothing they could do about it and the manager recommended that I come and sit in the lobby with my laptop to do my work using the lobby Wi-Fi connection, and so I did...for about 4 hours, which was somewhat awkward and not so comfortable. Also, when you are able to connect the system frequently disconnects and redirects you to their "terms of service" portal, which you have to acknowledge before you can continue using the internet. Now why I have to re-acknowledge their "terms of service" 2-3 times per day per device I don't know; really silly, and very annoying. I think this hotel would be OK for tourists staying for a short time, but for business travelers that need to get some work done and require a solid/fast/reliable and reasonably unlimited internet connection...I can't recommend...