During my 10D9N Japan trip (Tokyo > Kyoto > Osaka) from 11-20 April this year, I stayed at Hotel Abest Meguro in Tokyo for 3 nights. 

Most travelers would choose to stay at either Shibuya or Shinjuku during their stay in Tokyo. So what exactly made me settle for Hotel Abest Meguro situated at Meguro, two stops away from Shibuya? Read on to find out more!

As we wanted to catch the cherry blossoms in Japan in full bloom, during February we planned our Japan trip in April, the month where cherry blossoms is forecasted to be at its full bloom. Triple rooms in Tokyo were scarce to begin, not to mention during peak period. Thus, we settled for Hotel Abest Meguro, situated just a 1-minute walk from JR Meguro Station.    

Travel tip #1:
If you can't get a hotel at either Shibuya or Shinjuku, look for a hotel that is near a JR station. It will save you a lot of time as most tourist spots are located along JR stations.


Hotel Abest Meguro is located on the 3rd floor of Megroad building. We were greeted by this lovely sight upon exiting from the lift. 

Prior to our trip, we had ordered mobile wifi device from Japan Wireless and specified delivery to Hotel Abest Meguro. 

Even though there was a little language barrier when communicating with the hotel staff during check-in and when collecting the package sent by Japan Wireless, I must say that the hotel staff were quite helpful nonetheless. At times when we couldn't understand each other, we used Google Translate to make things easier for both sides. Thank God for wifi in the lobby area! 

After checking in, we were handed this antique key. The only gripe I have would be that we have to hand the key over to the hotel reception (3th floor) each time we leave the hotel as our room is on the 5th.

Hotel Abest Meguro toilet and shower

Toilet bowl with bidet

Aside from the usual toiletries, Hotel Abest Meguro provide Shiseido Face Soap! I really like this cleanser but too bad I didn't see it in any of the Japanese drugstores that I've been to.

We had wanted to watch TV but couldn't get it working because the remote control was in Japanese and there was no dummy's guide thus we ended up checking with the hotel staff in order to get it working. 

We paid SGD 676.17 (USD 501.79) for 3 nights, booked via Agoda.com which I think is well-worth it as the room is clean, not noisy at night and it comes with amenities such as hair dryer, heater and refrigerator. Plus, there's quite a lot of Japanese restaurants, coffee house such as St Marc Cafe and ramen joints nearby as well as convenience store such as Familymart. 

Value for money: ✮✮✮✮☆
Location: ✮✮✮✮✮
Staff: ✮✮✮✮☆
Cleanliness: ✮✮✮✮✮
Sleep quality: ✮✮✮✮✮

Overall: 4.6/5

Travel tip #2:

If you are traveling to Tokyo, I would suggest that you fly to Haneda Airport instead of Narita Airport as Haneda Airport is nearer to the city and you can save some traveling time. 

Before booking Hotel Abest Meguro or after booking Hotel Abest Meguro, you would probably be thinking, "How to get to Hotel Abest Meguro from Haneda Aiport?" Don't worry, I've got you covered. Below is my guide to getting to Hotel Abest Meguro from Haneda Airport.

After clearing immigration and custom area, walk straight and you will see the Limousine bus ticket counter. Continue to walk straight all the way and you will see JR East Travel Service Center.  

Travel tip #3: Buy a Suica card instead of JR pass when traveling intercity!

If you are deciding between getting a Suica card for use in Tokyo and Kyoto, an Icoca card for use in Osaka, I have got good news for you because you can use your Suica card throughout Japan from Tokyo to Kyoto and Osaka! 

And if you are traveling intercity like we are for our Japan trip, with Tokyo being our first stop, followed by Kyoto and last stop being Osaka, my advice is get Suica, tap it and top-up throughout your trip rather than buying a JR pass as JR pass has limitations such as you can only use it on JR lines. We have done our maths and found that Suica card would be cheaper rather than purchasing a JR pass and buying an additional Suica card and topping up for use on non-JR lines. Unless you were to fly in to Tokyo and travel intercity before flying out of Tokyo or fly in to Osaka and travel intercity before flying out of Osaka, then the JR pass would make a more economical choice.

From Haneda Airport, we took the Keikyu Airport Express to Shinagawa and transfer to JR Yamanote Line (Outer Loop) to reach Meguro.

Once you exit from Meguro station, you will see atre departmental store on your right. Turn left instead (walk in the opposite direction from atre), take the west exit. 

Cross the road and walk straight down the street and you will see Megroad building which houses Hotel Abest Meguro 3 buildings after Palette Plaza. Take the lift up to level 3 and you will see Hotel Abest Meguro.  

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