My husband and I visited Japan for the first time on our honeymoon in May 2010. We moved around a bit and stayed at different locations, with the first being the Hotel Park Side in Ueno. This was a great choice for first timers. It is very close to the train station (including access to the all-important Yamanoate line that connects to all the major stations in Tokyo) and it was easy to navigate to our hotel when we arrived on the Keisei Skyliner. (As a side note, if you're bringing a drag along suitcase, invest in the ones with the 360 wheels - the sidewalks are bumpy and prone to snagging wheels, so the 360 wheels proved their worth time and time again.)
The lobby of the hotel was nice and elegant and the desk attendants were polite and helpful, although not very talkative. We didn't delve into deep conversation with the hotel staff, but their English was always adequate enough to help us where needed.
We stayed in a stardard double room with parkside view. It was western-style, non-smoking, with private bathroom. My husband was surprised by the smallness of the room but it was about what I expected, given Tokyo's reputation for small rooms. There was a small closet, and the main portion of the room basically just consisted of the bed, two chairs along the wall, and a desk in front of the bed. Atop the...My husband and I visited Japan for the first time on our honeymoon in May 2010. We moved around a bit and stayed at different locations, with the first being the Hotel Park Side in Ueno. This was a great choice for first timers. It is very close to the train station (including access to the all-important Yamanoate line that connects to all the major stations in Tokyo) and it was easy to navigate to our hotel when we arrived on the Keisei Skyliner. (As a side note, if you're bringing a drag along suitcase, invest in the ones with the 360 wheels - the sidewalks are bumpy and prone to snagging wheels, so the 360 wheels proved their worth time and time again.)
The lobby of the hotel was nice and elegant and the desk attendants were polite and helpful, although not very talkative. We didn't delve into deep conversation with the hotel staff, but their English was always adequate enough to help us where needed.
We stayed in a stardard double room with parkside view. It was western-style, non-smoking, with private bathroom. My husband was surprised by the smallness of the room but it was about what I expected, given Tokyo's reputation for small rooms. There was a small closet, and the main portion of the room basically just consisted of the bed, two chairs along the wall, and a desk in front of the bed. Atop the desk sat our TV/computer. I believe you got about an hour's worth of internet time for free each day, but if you wanted to use it for longer than that you needed to purchase a time card. In any case, we didn't use the TV or internet for much other than to check the weather each day (and the first few days of our trip it sure did rain A LOT).
The bathroom was clean and roomy (my husband joked he would sleep there since it seemed larger than the room proper). It featured the characteristic high tech toilet and a western style shower.
Cleanliness is a big issue with me, and I can be a bit neurotic about staying in hotels on vacation. However I felt very comfortable at Park Side Ueno, moreso than I have felt in many U.S. hotels.
As far as Ueno itself, we found it to be the perfect Tokyo outpost for us. We loved being a little removed from the more bustling parts of Tokyo while still have access to all kinds of shops, restaurants, and attractions nearby the hotel, nevermind easy access to the train when we wanted to visit the other parts of Tokyo. We enjoyed the local temples (it's so unique to make a stop to a post office ATM and...More
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