While new hotels are almost always enjoyable to stay in, new hotels in Japan often have an added bonus – that they still smell like hinoki (Japanese cypress). On a recent trip to Nara, I was lucky enough to experience this Japanese new hotel smell at the Novotel Nara.
I was in Nara for just one night to see the famous deer and to lay eyes on the incredible Great Buddha of Nara. While I certainly had to skip some attractions due to the shortness of the day trip, I am still pleased that the visit was limited to about 24 hours and that I spent some time on Okinawa instead.
The Novotel Nara is a spotless, well run and comfortable hotel, a bit far from the city’s attractions by foot but very manageable if you are willing to spend ten minutes or so on a bus.
The room at the Novotel Nara
The very first thing I noticed upon walking into my room was the futuristic mirror which featured a touch screen in the middle that provided information about the hotel, the surroundings and the weather. I actually was not able to capture a photo of it because of the reflection so you will have to just go and check it out yourself. I must say that while I didn’t use it much, I appreciate the innovation – allowing the hotel to cut down on clutter like pamphlets or a binder providing all the same information.
The two twin beds were comfortable, if a bit firm, the air conditioning was whisper quiet and effective, and I enjoyed the ambient lighting. There was also a great day bed by the window if you were looking for a place to relax and read or just do some catnapping.
Even though the tap water in Japan is perfectly fine to drink, there were a half dozen glass bottles in the fridge, as well as two types of Ito-En teabags, and both regular and decaffeinated Nespresso capsules.
As for the bathroom set up, like in many Japanese hotel rooms, the sink is right there in the middle of the room and the toilet and bath are in separate rooms. Two pairs of slippers were provided but there were no bathrobes in the room.
Overall, the room felt very fresh and very comfortable. I could have easily stayed there for a few more nights.
The common areas at the Novotel Nara
While the Novotel Nara is very much a hotel, it certainly draws inspiration from ryokans. There is a spacious onsen (public bath) and tons of common space and seating areas. From a piano to comfortable and private armchairs to phone booth-like workstations that the digital nomad in me adored, if you need to get out of your room for a bit, there are plenty of places to hang out.
There are massage chairs (quite common in Japanese hotels) near the onsens, as well as a kids club and a spacious bar area in the lobby. It certainly does not feel cramped.
The workout room is not going to win any awards but there are a couple of hi-tech treadmills, a bike and an elliptical as well as a rack of free weights if you feel like breaking a sweat.
The service at the Novotel Nara
Most hotels in Japan provide extremely polite service and an interaction with a rude employee is almost unheard of. The one place where Japanese hotels can sometimes fall down is on the English front, especially when you are a bit off the beaten path. While Nara is certainly on the tourist circuit, the Novotel is a bit outside of the heavily touristed areas and you get the feeling that it is geared toward Japanese travelers.
But this was not at all a problem I experienced at the Novotel Nara. This is due, in part, to the growing prevalence of foreign workers in Japan who are mostly native speakers of their mother tongue and then fluent as well in Japanese and English. Alongside the Japanese staff at the Novotel Nara, there were also workers from Indonesia and the Philippines.
We wanted to make a reservation for dinner at one of the neighborhood izakayas and while this would have either been very difficult, tedious or downright impossible with a staff that didn’t speak enough English, a friendly receptionist from the Philipines was able to get us sorted in just a few minutes with all the professionalism you would expect of a restaurant reservation made at a Japanese hotel.
As a silver Accor member, I received two drink tickets for myself and my wife, which I redeemed for a beer on the first night and a coffee the next morning. It took just a couple minutes to capture the attention of one of the staff working breakfast to make a coffee at the bar for me in the morning, but that was truly the only fault I was able to find in the hotel.
The bottom line
I had some Accor points that were expiring not long after the trip, so I used those for the reservation and didn’t pay a penny for the night. Cash rates were under $90, which would be a steal. While it was a 40-minute walk to the tourist sites around Nara Park, it is a straight shot down a long boulevard, so you wouldn’t get lost if you want to hoof it and the buses that run up and down that street are easy to navigate and run frequently.
When you say Nara, people immediately think deer. But the giant Buddha took my breath away in a way that few sites in Japan have. I highly recommend both a trip to see it and a stay at the Novotel Nara when you do.