Balian Resort Chiba Chuo Adult Only

The location is handy, right across from Chiba-chuo Station and an easy walk to Chiba Station. It was good value, the staff were helpful, kind, and multilingual, and the soundproofing was good compared with many other Japanese hotels. There was visible dust on the headboard and parts of the walls. The bed springs creaked and we didn’t like the pillows. Each bed comes with one pillow. When we asked for another, we could choose soft or hard, but the soft one felt like a limp bean bag. There’s a card about other pillow types, but it’s only in Japanese. Our first tea kettle was defective and was replaced, though the working one boiled water very slowly. The frosted window in the bathroom door felt awkward when sharing a room, and more towel hooks in the bathroom would be useful. Laundry rooms are on the 9th and 11th floors, with two machines in each, so there may be a wait. The instructions were unclear and one machine swallowed my 100 yen coin. Still, being able to wash clothes was handy, and detergent is provided. There are no separate dryers, just a drying function on the washers. We didn’t use it because washer-dryer combos haven’t worked well for me before, so we hung our laundry in the room instead. There were lots of hangers. They provide pajamas in a button-down gown style, not separate top and bottoms. Tea, coffee, skincare products, disposable razors, toothbrushes, and other amenities are free to take from the lobby. You can borrow an umbrella if it rains. The front desk also has maps of the city specifically for Muslims, which is nice and might help vegetarians too.

The room was much more spacious than I expected for this price range. We really liked the included breakfast, and found the food delicious. Service was pretty good too. When the reception staff couldn’t explain something in English, they used a translator.

Chiba-Chuo station is literally across the street, with a 711 opposite and a Lawson a short walk away, so the location is extremely convenient. The hotel is well run, and all the staff were kind, respectful, and helpful. As a tourist, I felt welcome. There’s a restaurant in the hotel that serves the free breakfast included in my reservation. It had a decent range of food and plenty of coffee to get the day going. A fantastic hotel.

I stayed three nights, checking in at 2:00 pm and checking out at 11:00 pm. The hotel was quiet, simple, very clean, and I especially liked its style. If you want your room cleaned, put the blue label on the door before 10:00. Its location is convenient for major supermarkets and shopping malls, and Seijo Ishii Supermarket nearby has discounts around 7:30 pm. I was on the 13th floor, where the drinks, microwave, and ice machines were easy to use. The room was cleaned so thoroughly it felt like I’d just checked in, and the staff were kind. I look forward to staying here again.