Hotel Satto Inn Arai

Breakfast came with the room, and you could choose rice or bread. The rooms were clean and decent for the price, which felt like good value to me. It could also work as a base for exploring or sightseeing around the area.

I could relax on the big sofa, and the room had a fair amount of space. I liked that there were rooms where smoking was allowed. The one inconvenience was the lack of outlets beside the bed, so charging my smartphone was a bit awkward.

We stayed for the weekend, and the room turned out bigger than I expected. There's parking, so as a place to sleep it works just fine. The walls are thin, though, and inconsiderate neighbors can make it unpleasant. Breakfast stood out. Since it's Niigata, the rice is delicious, and you can have as much as you like, along with miso soup and bread.

The rooms are on the older side, but clean and well looked after, and there's Wi-Fi. It made for a really satisfying budget stay. The location is excellent, with plenty of parking and a nearby supermarket that's almost like a small shopping mall, so picking up dinner is easy. Breakfast is an all-you-can-eat buffet with a one-plate meal, rice, miso soup, raw eggs, drinks, salad, and bread. The rice is especially good, as you'd expect in Niigata.