Nikko Station Hotel Nibankan — Hotel in Nikko

Convenient location, close to Tobu-Nikko station and bus stops. Also very close to Lion, a large supermarket(which reduces some food e.g. Sushi takeaway and croquettes after 5pm) with lots of food choices.

Friendly and helpful staff. You can borrow a range of items if you need, like wine glasses bottle opener etc.

Comfortable bed and adjustable air-conditioning (just need to use google translate on the control panel). Small window opens, but you tend to get car exhaust fumes if opening in the morning.

Mini fridge useful for storing food and drinks for when you have grabbed some good deals at the supermarket and don't want to go out after a long day of trekking. Kettle in room, but no tea bags. They do have a drinks machine downstairs at the entrance with options for cold/hot teas, coffee, or water (but the cup is about 3 sips each). Optimum filling is one and a half' button presses' i.e. Press once(1), fill one cup, press again(2) to fill second cup, then press again(3) to top up first cup then second cup. For optimum instant warm drinking temperature, the last button(3) press option should be the cold option. :) enjoy! Soap and shampoo, along with toothbrushes and hairdryer in bathroom.

Vending machines for drinks and instant noodles are downstairs. There is also ice available and a microwave. The washing machine and drying were out of order this time, but they did have instructions for nearest laundromat.

I like their options offered at start of stay for full cleaning, empty trash and change towels and no cleaning or something to that extent. I think they should have an option for only emptying trash, as really didn't need towel change and it helps save resources.

7-9am Canteen style breakfast consisted of rice, soup, japanese curry, egg, egg salad, salad, sausages, what looked like french toast, bread, jams, margarine, canned fruit, cereal, in a buffet style setting. There was a toaster if you wanted to use it for the bread. Green tea and black tea, coffee, water and a juice drink were available. No take outs emphasized on signs around the room. You bring the plates/tray back to a rack when you are done. Not a large area, but we found space on most mornings, though...

Let’s start with the good points.

The location is decently near to the train and bus station. Supermarket is just right around the corner. There’s welcome drinks, free breakfast, some simple amenities and laundry machines. The view is amazing. Essentially everything that you need can be found here.

Now let’s talk about why I gave it 1 star despite it looking like a decent hotel.

First, whatever everyone said over the years about mysterious noises are real. Having stayed at many budget hotels my entire life, the noise issue here is on another level. The aircon needs maintenance. It sounds like a low-key tractor in the middle of the night. During the ungodly hours of the night, the mysterious humming from the toilets ventilation can be heard through the walls like Dolby surround sound. Walls are so thin you can hear your neighbours phone vibrating. Intermittent funny water noises in the walls that either sound like you are in an aquarium or something sinister is trying to whisper into your ears at night. There’s some kind of machinery that’s giving out this monotonous vibrations. When you sleep on your sides, you can actually feel the humming vibration all the way to your head. The amazing view comes with a price. If you wake up at 5am to pee, your body tells u is 10am already so don’t go back to bed. There’s no way around this as the curtains are thin.

The result is you’ll wake up at 6 feeling dreaded from a tiring night waiting for your breakfast at 7am and hope that you can go back to sleep again after eating.

Now about the breakfast. It’s nothing like the photos with eggs, sausages and curry. Maybe those people were lucky. All we got in the 2 days were 2-halves of plain sliced bread, one tiny bun, one disposable packet of butter and strawberry jam, one hard-boiled egg, a small spoonful of potato salad with 2-halves of ham and some cabbage slices. But not complaining...

We arrived into Nikko JR station and had a little issue getting to the hotel, crossing a major roadway without crosswalk. The SAFEST way to arrive is to walk towards Tobu-Nikko station, cross the street via crosswalk/light and it's a quick walk from there. Ground level entry, elevators available to take you to the room floors. Room was standard for Japan and met our needs. Breakfast is indeed included with your room (you dont need to spend extra for the "breakfast option" as it is inclusive). We found the breakfast very tasty and a great value. Each day the meal options changed a bit but we had miso soup, rice and plain curry daily, some days offered eggs/sausage and other days chicken nugget/tenders. For us a great value to these rooms/price points. There is a large grocery store nearby (Lion D'or) which discounts hot food items from the early evening, so cheap eats can certainly be had. A few blocks from Family Mart and several restaurants. This hotel is conveniently located to the Tobu Nikko and Nikko JR train stations. The bus terminal is attached to Tobu Nikko, tickets available within the station and are only available during business hours. These buses were crucial for our exploration of the area, including the alpine lake Chuzenji, park and marshlands. Yamato "Black Cat" services also available at this station for bag transfer. Note that they will not transfer your bag to a convenience store unless you are a member (requires Japanese address/phone number etc), only transfer to hotels/homes. Overall a great value including breakfast, close to public transportation, close to grocery. Recommended,...